CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Coming off a bye week, the No. 23-ranked Austin Peay State University football team returns to Fortera Stadium for Homecoming when it takes on North Alabama at 3 p.m., Saturday, in a United Athletic Conference contest.

Prior to its bye week, Austin Peay (4-3, 2-2 UAC) fell to Eastern Kentucky, 34-20, in Richmond, Kentucky. North Alabama (2-5, 1-2 UAC) is coming off its first Division I win of the season when it beat Eastern Kentucky, 35-14, in Florence, Alabama.

Austin Peay has won its last three meetings with North Alabama and is 6-2 against the Lions since 1974. The Governors also are 3-0 against the Lions in conference games and are 5-6 against UNA in Clarksville.

The Governors are 3-0 at Fortera Stadium this season and 32-14 since 2017. North Alabama is 0-4 on the road this season and 2-13 under third-year head coach Brent Dearmon.

Quarterback Chris Parson leads the Austin Peay offense with 87 carries for 304 yards and seven touchdowns; he also has completed 118-of-183 passes for 1,655 yards and 11 touchdowns. Parson ranks 14th in the FCS and third in the nation among quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns; his seven touchdowns also are tied for the fifth-best single-season total by a quarterback in program history and are just three behind the program record of 10 by Sonny Defilippis in 1980.

Running back Courtland Simmons also has rushed 43 times for 172 yards and three touchdowns, while Javious Bond has added 24 carries for 198 yards, two touchdowns, and 8.2 yards per carry.

Jaden Robinson leads the Governors' receivers with 28 catches for 414 yards and five touchdowns; he ranks 22nd in the FCS and is tied for the UAC lead in touchdown receptions. Additionally, Shemar Kirk has 20 receptions for 286 yards and three touchdowns, and ranks ninth in the UAC in touchdown receptions.

Defensively, redshirt freshman linebacker Montreze Smith Jr. was one of 22 FCS players named to the Stats Perform Jerry Rice Award Watch List, which honors the FCS freshman player of the year. Smith Jr. leads the Governors with 38 tackles and ranks second on the team with 20 solo stops. In UAC games this season, Smith Jr. is averaging 7.75 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss per game with at least eight tackles in three of those contests.

Ellis Ellis Jr. also ranks 29th in the UAC and second in the UAC with six pass breakups this season. On the defensive front, Davion Hood leads Austin Peay with 7.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks, which rank fifth and eighth in the UAC, respectively.

On special teams, Corey Richardson led the Govs with five kick returns for 125 yards at Eastern Kentucky and ranks fifth in the UAC with a 23.3-yard kick return average this season. Javious Bond also leads the UAC and would rank sixth in the FCS if he qualified with a 16.6-yard punt return average. Bond also ranks 21st in the FCS and leads the UAC with 116 punt return yards this season.

Kicker Carson Smith is coming off a 2-for-2 field goal performance against Eastern Kentucky and is 7-for-9 on field goals and 30-for-30 on PATs this season. Smith ranks 32nd in the FCS and second in the UAC in field goal percentage (.778). Smith also ranks eighth in APSU history with 20-career made field goals and seventh with 62-career made PATs.

Saturday's game is Austin Peay's 80th Homecoming football game. Season, single-game, and group tickets are available online at Ticketmaster or by calling the Austin Peay Athletics ticket office at 931-221-PEAY (7329). Special ticket offers and information on everything happening in and around Fortera Stadium can be found in this week's Fan Experience preview.

New to gameday at Fortera Stadium this season is the Coors Light Tailgate Experience and Big Gov Pregame Show, located between the Jenkins Family Fieldhouse and Fortera Stadium. Buffalo Wild Wings will provide food each week, while Coca-Cola, AJAX Distributing, and Michael Waltrip Brewing Co. will provide alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage options. The tailgate also will be home to the Big Gov Pregame Show, hosted by Ryan Ploeckelman and Kyle King on ESPN Clarksville, with former student-athletes and APSU Ring of Honor Inductees joining the show this week. More information on the Coors Light Tailgate Experience can be found here, and tickets can be purchased by calling the Austin Peay Ticket Office at 931-221-7329.

Fans can also purchase tickets to the Blazin' VIPeay Zone, presented by Buffalo Wild Wings, available at all home games this season. Buffalo Wild Wings will provide all-you-can-eat food and drinks – including beer in the Blazin' VIPeay Zone, which will be located in the south end zone of Fortera Stadium under the scoreboard and will open one hour prior to kickoff, when the gates open, before closing at the end of halftime.

Saturday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Barry Gresham and Ethan Schmidt on the call. Fans also can tune into the Governors Sports Network on ESPN Clarksville (104.1 FM/540 AM) or via the TuneIn app to hear Brian Rives and Van Stokes call all the action. Governors' Gameday pregame coverage begins an hour before kickoff, following the Big Gov Pregame Show.

NOTABLY

DECADE OF THE GOVS

Despite being only halfway through the 2020s, Austin Peay is nine wins away from matching its 43 wins in the 1980s as the winningest decade in program history. The Governors are 34-28 in the 2020s, and their .548 winning percentage is the second best in a decade in program history, trailing only the .551 (32-26-1) winning percentage from the 1940s. The Govs also are 18-11 at home during the 2020s, and their .621 winning percentage is the second best in a decade in APSU history, trailing only the .714 (20-8) winning percentage at home in the 1940s.

GOVERNING FROM THE START

With a 4-3 record through the first seven games of the season, Austin Peay is one win away from starting the season 5-3 or better for the 18th time in program history. In the three most recent starts of 5-3 or better, the Governors have gone on to win a conference championship. The 2023 Govs started 6-2 en route to the United Athletic Conference Championship, while the 2019 OVC and 2022 ASUN Championship teams both started their seasons 5-3. The 2022 team went on to finish the season 7-4, while the 2019 team reeled off seven-straight victories after a 4-3 start to advance to the FCS Playoffs and post an 11-4 record after falling to No. 5 Montana State in the quarterfinals.

THE ACADEMIC HEISMAN

Graduate offensive lineman Chandler Kirton has been named a finalist for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy®, which is awarded by The National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame (NFF). Kirton is the first APSU student-athlete to be named a finalist for the nation's premier scholar-athlete award; he also is a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments, and will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. Kirton, who was a 2024 Campbell Trophy Semifinalist, the 2024 UAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and a 2024 Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award Finalist, is the second APSU student-athlete to be named a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy twice and the first of 22 to be named a finalist for the award.

WE WILL

On May 6, 2025, Will Hardrick, a senior on the Austin Peay football team, tragically passed away. In addition to a helmet sticker with Hardrick's initials and jersey number, a different Governor will be chosen to wear No. 0 each week in honor of Hardrick. Each Monday of the season, head coach Jeff Faris will select the player who best exemplifies Hardrick's character and work ethic to wear the No. 0 in his honor that week. In Week 6 against West Georgia, sophomore defensive lineman Antori Hamilton will wear No. 0.

SCOUTING THE LIONS

• Saturday is the 23rd meeting between Austin Peay and North Alabama; the Lions lead the all-time series, 13-9.
• After going 3-9 overall and 3-5 in the UAC during the 2024 season, North Alabama was tabbed to finish tied for seventh in the 2025 UAC Preseason Coaches Poll. After a 1-4 start under third-year head coach Brent Dearmon, the Lions picked up their first Division I win of the season when they beat Eastern Kentucky, 35-14, in Week 8.
• North Alabama ranks second in the UAC in rushing offense (198.4), fourth in scoring offense (27.3), sixth in total offense (372.3), and eighth in passing offense (173.9). The Lions have ran for 280-plus yards three times this season, including 285 yards and three touchdowns last time out against Eastern Kentucky. In contrast, UNA has only passed for 200-plus yards once this season, when it threw for 265 yards and four touchdowns against No. 4 Illinois State. Quarterback Destin Wade is 47-of-92 for 518 yards, six touchdowns, and zero interceptions, while Ari Patu is 48-of-94 for 517 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions this season.
• North Alabama ranks fifth in the UAC in rushing defense (167.4), eighth in scoring defense (37.0), ninth in total defense (444.3), and ninth in passing defense (276.9). North Alabama's defense has allowed 210-plus rushing yards in three games and 225-plus passing yards in five games this season. Demarcious Robinson leads UNA with 57 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss this season; he ranks fourth and eighth in the UAC in those categories, respectively. Avery Howard also leads UNA and ranks eighth in the UAC with 3.0 sacks this season.
• A Preseason All-UAC selection, running back Jayvian Allen ranks 14th in the FCS in rushing touchdowns (7), 49th in rushing yards (471), and 22nd in yards per carry (6.04) – he ranks third, fifth, and eighth in the UAC in those categories, respectively. Allen is the reigning UAC Offensive Player of the Week after rushing 13 times for 98 yards and a career-best three touchdowns against Eastern Kentucky last week.

UP NEXT

Austin Peay hits the road for a United Athletic Conference contest when it takes on Southern Utah at 7:30 p.m. (CT), Nov. 1 at Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City, Utah. The Week 10 contest between the Governors and Thunderbirds will be streamed on ESPN+.

For news and updates throughout the 2025 season, follow Govs football on X (@GovsFB) and Instagram (@GovsFootball) or stay tuned here at LetsGoPeay.com.