CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – With a chance to finish the regular season with a 6-0 record at home for the first time since 1949, Austin Peay State University's football team hosts Samford for Senior Day at 1 p.m., Saturday at Fortera Stadium.

Prior to kickoff, Austin Peay will celebrate Senior Day, recognizing 17 football student-athletes and their families. The following Governors will participate in Senior Day: Chase Allen, Davion Blackwell, Charles Crews III, Davin Garinger, Nick Hilliard, Davion Hood, Shemar Kirk, Avian Morgan, Alec Pell, Rishi Rattan, Kinstin Reaves, Austin Smith, Carson Smith, Eli Sutton, Clayton Thomas Jr., Myles Wiley, and Harrison Wilkes.

At 5-0 at Fortera Stadium this season, Austin Peay looks to post the fourth undefeated home record in program history and the first since going 5-0 at home in 1964. The Governors enter Saturday's game after beating Central Arkansas, 41-38, in United Athletic Conference action at Fortera Stadium.

Samford (1-9, 1-7 SoCon) enters Saturday after dropping its third-straight game when it fell to ETSU, 38-14, in its home and conference finale. The Bulldogs close the season with two nonconference contests, beginning with Saturday's game in Clarksville before taking on Texas A&M at Kyle Field.

The Governors are 5-0 at Fortera Stadium this season and 34-14 since 2017. Samford is 1-4 on the road this season and picked up its lone win when it beat VMI, 24-22, in Lexington, Virginia.

Quarterback Chris Parson, who is the reigning UAC Offensive Player of the Week, leads the Austin Peay offense with 135 carries for 496 yards and 12 touchdowns; he also has completed 173-of-266 passes for 2,445 yards and 18 touchdowns. Parson also has recorded 2,941 yards of total offense and is responsible for 30 touchdowns this season; he is 59 yards away from being the third player in program history with 3,000 yards of total offense in a season and already is the third player in program history to be responsible for 30 touchdowns.

Wide receiver Shemar Kirk leads the Govs with 37 receptions for 613 yards and seven touchdowns this season, while Jaden Robinson is second on the team with 36 catches for 489 yards and six touchdowns.

Defensively, redshirt freshman linebacker Montreze Smith Jr., who was one of 22 FCS players named to the Stats Perform Jerry Rice Award Watch List, leads the Governors with 64 tackles, 35 solo tackles, and two interceptions; he also has 5.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks.

Ellis Ellis Jr. leads the Govs and is tied for second in the UAC with seven pass breakups. On the defensive front, Davion Hood ranks fourth in the UAC with 9.0 tackles for loss and fifth with 5.0 sacks – he leads the Govs in both categories.

After going 2-for-2 on field goals and 5-for-5 on PATs with 11 points scored against Central Arkansas, kicker Carson Smith was named the UAC Special Teams Player of the Week for the first time this season and second time in his career. Smith is 10-for-12 on field goals and 45-for-45 on PATs this season; he ranks 20th in the FCS in total points scored (75) and 26th in points per game (7.5) this season.

Saturday's game is Austin Peay's Sustainability Game, presented by Continental Expedited Services, who is partnering with Stinky Pink, the APSU Office of Community Engagement & Sustainability, and Habitat for Humanity to create zero waste at Fortera Stadium.

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. 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 also can 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 seven wins away from matching its 43 wins in the 1980s as the winningest decade in program history. The Governors are 36-29 in the 2020s and their .554 winning percentage is the best in a decade in program history, topping a .551 (32-26-1) winning percentage in the 1940s. The Govs also are 20-11 at home during the 2020s, and their .645 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.

DEFEND THE FORT

With a 5-0 record at home, Austin Peay is one win away from posting the fourth undefeated season at home in program history. The Govs went 4-0 at home in 1940, 6-0 in 1949, and 5-0 in 1964. The Govs can post the second undefeated regular season in Fortera Stadium (renamed in 2016) history, joining the 2023 UAC Championship team that went 5-0 at The Fort in the regular season, before falling to Chattanooga at home in the first round of the FCS Playoffs. The Govs also can match the 1949 team and the 2019 OVC Championship team, which went 5-1 in the regular season before improving to 6-1 with a home playoff win, for the most wins at home in a season in program history.

SECOND-YEAR SURGE

After going 4-8 in his first season at Austin Peay, head coach Jeff Faris has already surpassed his win total from his first season. Faris is the eighth coach in program history to increase their win total in their second season and, with two games left in the regular season, his two-win improvement already is tied with Scotty Walden (Spring 2020 to Fall 2020) for the fifth-best second-year improvement by a head coach in APSU history. Faris is now one win away from matching Ken Cooper's three-win improvement (1955 to 1956) and two wins away from Bill Schmitz's four-win improvement (1997 to 1998). Will Healy's eight-win improvement (2016 to 2017) and Bill Dupes' seven-win improvement (1963 to 1964) are the two best second-year win total increases by a head coach in program history.

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 12 against Samford, redshirt sophomore running back Kaden Williams will wear No. 0.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

• Saturday is the 10th meeting between Austin Peay and Samford; the Bulldogs lead the all-time series, 8-1.
• The Governors won their last meeting with Samford, 28-25, on Oct. 20, 2007, at Seibert Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama.
• After going 4-7 overall and 3-4 in the SoCon in 2024, Samford was picked to finish fifth in the 2025 SoCon Preseason Coaches Poll. After falling to ETSU, Nov. 8, to drop to 1-9 overall and 1-7 in the SoCon, Samford relieved head coach Chris Hatcher of his duties, Nov. 9, after 11 seasons.
• Samford ranks sixth in the FCS and third in the SoCon in passing offense (288.6) this season. The Bulldogs also rank fifth in the SoCon in total offense (362.8), ninth in scoring offense (15.9), and ninth in rushing offense (74.2). Samford has had a different starting quarterback in each of its last three games.  Quincy Crittendon, who has seven starts at quarterback, is 168-for-241 for 1,626 yards and six touchdowns, while Brady Stober, who has two starts, is 93-for-154 for 974 yards and six touchdowns. Charlie Gilliam, who also has a start at quarterback, is 24-of-40 for 251 yards and a touchdown. Wide receivers Calvin Jones and Preston Bird both have 49 receptions this season, with Jones totaling 535 yards and six touchdowns while Bird has 544 yards and three touchdowns.
• Samford ranks sixth in the SoCon in rushing defense (172.1), eighth in total defense (461.8), ninth in scoring defense (37.7), and ninth in passing defense (289.7). A Second Team Preseason All-SoCon linebacker, Jaden Mosley ranks 23rd in the FCS and leads the SoCon with 89 tackles. Mosley and Donovan Grayson are tied for fifth in the SoCon and lead the team with 9.5 tackles for loss each this season, while Grayson ranks third in the conference and leads the team with 7.0 sacks.
• Former Austin Peay running back C.J. Evans is a graduate student at Samford after spending one season at Tennessee State. Evans leads Samford with 68 carries for 227 yards and two touchdowns; he also has 18 catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns and has a passing touchdown. In four seasons as a Governor, Evans rushed 263 times for 1,309 yards and 12 touchdowns with 65 receptions for 517 yards and two touchdowns.

UP NEXT

Austin Peay returns to United Athletic Conference action for the regular-season finale when it takes on No. 5 Tarleton State at 4 p.m., Nov. 22, at Memorial Stadium in Stephenville, Texas. The Week 13 contest between the Governors and Texans 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.