CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – For the first time this season, Austin Peay State University's football team hosts United Athletic Conference action at Fortera Stadium when it takes on Utah Tech at 1 p.m., Saturday.

Austin Peay (2-2, 0-1 UAC) enters Saturday's game after dropping its conference opener to No. 14 Abilene Christian, 45-31, in Abilene, Texas, in Week 4. Utah Tech (1-3), who will play its first conference game of the season, is coming off its first win of the season against Northern Iowa, 20-9, at Great Zion Stadium in St. George, Utah.

Austin Peay is 2-0 all-time against Utah Tech with a win in Clarksville and St. George, Utah. Last season's 13-7 win over Utah Tech was head coach Jeff Faris' first UAC win at Austin Peay.

The Governors are ranked in the Stats FCS Media Poll (No. 23) and the AFCA Coaches Poll (No. 25) for the third-straight week and 36th week in program history. The Govs are 19-16 all-time when nationally ranked and 11-3 at home when nationally ranked; they also are 1-1 all-time while ranked under Faris.

Austin Peay is 1-0 at Fortera Stadium this season and 30-14 since 2017. Utah Tech is 0-2 on the road this season and 0-8 under second-year head coach Lance Anderson.

Quarterback Chris Parson posted career-highs with 24 completions for 330 yards and two touchdowns against Abilene Christian; he leads the Governors' offense with 62 completions for 822 yards and four touchdowns this season. Parson and running back Courtland Simmons also are tied for the team lead with three rushing touchdowns this season. Javious Bond is the Govs' leading rusher with 133 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, he is averaging 8.9 yards per carry.

Tight end Jackson Head had seven catches for 132 yards and a touchdown against Abilene Christian, which is the most receiving yards by a tight end in a game in Austin Peay history and is just the second 100-yard game by a tight end in program history. Jaden Robinson also had seven catches for 114 yards against ACU. Head and Robinson are tied for the team lead with two touchdown receptions each, while Robinson leads the Govs with 179 receiving yards and Shemar Kirk leads the team with 12 receptions this season.  

On defense, Ellis Ellis Jr. leads the Govs and ranks 14th in the UAC with 24 tackles; he also ranks 19th in the FCS and second in the UAC with four pass breakups this season. Stephen Ellison II has intercepted a pass in back-to-back games and ranks 10th in the FCS and third in the UAC with a team-leading two interceptions this season. Additionally, Charles Crews III and Davion Hood lead the defense with 4.5 and 4.0 tackles for loss this season, respectively; they also both have 10 total tackles, which is tied for the lead among APSU defensive linemen.

Kicker Carson Smith is 5-for-6 on field goals and 16-for-16 on PATs this season with three field goals from 40-plus yards. Smith ranks 48th in the country and fifth in the conference with 7.8 points per game this season. Bond also ranks sixth in the UAC with 128 combined kick return yards this season and is averaging 27.3 yards per punt return, which would lead the FCS if he had enough attempts to qualify.

Saturday's game is Hometown Heroes and First Responders Day at Fortera Stadium, with the game presented by The Joint Chiropractic. Saturday's game also is a part of Family Weekend at Austin Peay. 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 will also be home to the Big Gov Pregame Show, hosted by Ryan Ploeckelman and Kyle King on ESPN Clarksville, with head coach Easton Key and the Austin Peay men's golf team 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 just halfway through the 2020s, Austin Peay is 11 wins away from matching its 43 wins in the 1980s as the winningest decade in program history. The Governors are 32-27 in the 2020s and their .542 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 16-11 at home during the 2020s, and their .593 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. Additionally, the Govs have a 16-15 record on the road during the 2020s, making this the only decade in program history where Austin Peay has a winning record on the road.

KANSAS STATE HAS COMPANY

For the second time in program history and the first time since beating Kansas State, 26-22, in the 1987 season opener, Austin Peay beat an opponent from the Football Bowl Subdivision when it defeated Middle Tennessee, 34-14, in Week 1. The Governors, who were named the NCAA FCS Team of the Week, ended a 30-game losing streak to FBS opponents in a contest where they led 21-0 in the second quarter and maintained no less than a 10-point lead throughout the wire-to-wire win against the Blue Raiders. The Govs' 34 points against Middle Tennessee were the most they have ever scored against an FBS opponent, topping the 33 points they scored against Middle Tennessee (2010) and Central Florida (2017).

MEET THE GOVS

With just 28 returning letterwinners and 10 players that redshirted a season ago, Austin Peay has 72 newcomers on its 2025 roster. The 72 newcomers are made up of 23 true freshmen and 49 transfers, with 22 players from FBS programs, 16 from FCS, seven from Division II, one from NAIA, and three from junior college. During the 2024 season, the Govs returned 35 letterwinners and 11 redshirts with 63 newcomers consisting of 29 freshmen and 34 transfers.

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 5 against Utah Tech, junior tight end Jackson Head will wear No. 0.

SCOUTING THE TRAILBLAZERS

• Saturday is the third meeting between Austin Peay and Utah Tech; the Govs lead the all-time series, 2-0.
• After going 1-11 overall and 1-7 in the UAC in 2024, Utah Tech was picked to finish ninth in the 2025 UAC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Trailblazers are 1-3 this season, with two one-score losses and one two-score loss all to ranked opponents. The Trailblazers also beat Northern Iowa, who was receiving votes in the AFCA Coaches Poll, in Week 4.
• Utah Tech ranks seventh in the UAC in scoring offense (20.3), rushing offense (144.0), and passing offense (166.8), while ranking eighth in the league in total offense (310.8). Utah Tech also leads the UAC and ranks fifth and 15th in the FCS in sacks (0.25) and TFLs (3.75) allowed per game, respectively. Quarterback Bronson Barben started the first three games for Utah Tech before Reggie Graff, who has played in all four games, started in Week 4. Graff leads Utah Tech and ranks fifth in the UAC in rushing yards per game (61.3); he also is tied with running back Asa Chatman for the team lead with two rushing touchdowns. Barben leads Utah Tech with 39 completions for 394 passing yards, but Graff also leads the team with three passing touchdowns.
• Utah Tech ranks fourth in the UAC in scoring defense (24.5) and passing defense (190.3), and fifth in total defense (355.0) and rushing defense (164.8). Utah Tech also ranks fifth in the FCS and leads the UAC with 3.25 sacks per game, led by linebacker Dallin Havea, who ranks 16th in the FCS and second in the UAC with 3.0 sacks this season. Daylen Love also ranks fourth in the UAC with 2.0 sacks; he is one of 11 Trailblazers to record a sack this season. Utah Tech also ranks 36th in the FCS and third in the UAC with 24 total tackles for loss this season, with 17 players recording a tackle for loss in their first four games.
• Linebacker Will Alovao ranks 11th in the FCS and second in the UAC with 6.0 tackles for loss this season. Alovao has a tackle for loss in all four games and had a career-best 2.5 tackles for loss against No. 8 Idaho in Week 3. Alovao also ranks fifth on Utah Tech with 20 total tackles and is third on the team with 1.5 sacks.

UP NEXT

Austin Peay hosts undefeated, No. 18 West Georgia in United Athletic Conference action at 3 p.m., Oct. 4 at Fortera Stadium in Clarksville, Tennessee. The Week 5 contest between the Governors and Wolves 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.