CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – After picking up its first win against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent since 1987, Austin Peay State University's football team battles another FBS foe when it takes on No. 3 Georgia in a 2:30 p.m. (CT), Saturday contest at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia.

Austin Peay opened year two under head coach Jeff Faris with a 34-14 win at Middle Tennessee in Week 1. The win against the Blue Raiders was the Governors' first against an FBS opponent since beating Kansas State, 26-22, in the 1987 season opener.

Georgia opened the 2025 season with a 45-7 win over Marshall at Sanford Stadium. The Bulldogs are 106-19 overall and 51-4 at home under head coach Kirby Smart, who is in his 10th year at the helm of the program.

The Govs are 0-8 all-time against the Southeastern Conference and 0-8 all-time against ranked FBS opponents. Georgia, which is ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 3 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, is the highest-ranked team the Governors have played since they played No. 3/4 Georgia in 2018.

After its historic win against Middle Tennessee, Austin Peay has a chance to be the first FCS team to post back-to-back wins against the FBS since Florida Atlantic, which was transitioning from I-AA to I-A, won three-straight against FBS opponents in 2004. The Govs also have the opportunity to be the first FCS program with multiple wins against the FBS in a season since Portland State beat Washington State and North Texas in 2015.

Quarterback Chris Parson led the Govs with 142 passing yards and two touchdowns against MTSU, while also rushing for 34 yards. Austin Smith added 51 yards on three completions and rushed for 13 yards and a touchdown. Shemar Kirk led the Govs receivers with three catches for 69 yards, while Nate Garnett Jr. had two catches for 50 yards. Jaden Robinson also caught two passes for 31 yards and a touchdown, and tight end Jackson Head had three receptions for eight yards and a touchdown.

On the ground, Courtland Simmons led the Governors' offense with 10 carries for 35 yards and a touchdown. Javious Bond also added eight carries for 26 yards and caught two passes for 22 yards in the win at MTSU.

Defensively, Preseason All-UAC defensive back Ellis Ellis Jr. led the Governors with six tackles and three pass breakups, while adding a half a tackle for loss. Defensive backs Raylyn Manley and Myles Wiley each added five tackles, while TJ Cox Jr. had a team-best 1.5 sacks.

As a defensive unit, the Governors limited MTSU to just 153 yards of total offense, with 109 passing yards and 44 rushing yards. The Govs' defense also shut down Middle Tennessee on third down, holding the Blue Raiders to 0-of-12 on third-down attempts.

Preseason All-UAC kicker Carson Smith also went 2-for-2 on field goals, connecting from 40 and 36 yards; he now ranks ninth in program history with 15 career made field goals. Bond also returned a pair of punts for 62 yards, and his 55-yard return in the fourth quarter was the eighth-longest punt return in Austin Peay history.

Saturday's game will be streamed on SEC Network+ and ESPN+ with Clay Matvick, Chase Daniel, and Madison Fitzpatrick 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. ESPN Clarksville will kick off its coverage by re-airing the Austin Peay Football Coaches Show at 12:30 p.m. (CT), followed by pregame coverage, which begins an hour before kickoff.

NOTABLY

DECADE OF THE GOVS

Despite being just halfway through the 2020s, Austin Peay is 12 wins away from matching its 43 wins in the 1980s as the winningest decade in program history. The Governors are 31-25 in the 2020s and their .554 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 15-11 at home during the 2020s, and their .577 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 16-13 record on the road during the 2020s, making this the only decade in program history where Austin Peay has a winning record away from Clarksville.

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 73 newcomers on its 2025 roster. The 73 newcomers are made up of 23 true freshmen and 50 transfers, with 22 players from FBS programs, 16 from FCS, seven from Division II, one from NAIA, and four from junior college. During the 2024 season, the Govs returned 35 letterwinners and 11 redshirts with 63 newcomers consisting of 29 true 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 2 against Georgia, redshirt junior defensive back Ellis Ellis Jr. will wear No. 0.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

• Saturday is the second meeting between Austin Peay and Georgia; the Bulldogs lead the all-time series, 1-0, with a win in the only previous meeting in 2018.
• In Kirby Smart's ninth year at Georgia in 2024, the Bulldogs went 11-3 overall and won the 2024 SEC Championship over Texas, 22-19, before falling to national runner-up Notre Dame, 23-10, in the Sugar Bowl during the CFP Quarterfinals. Georgia, which has won two National Titles and three SEC Championships under Smart, was picked to finish second, behind Texas, in the SEC's Preseason Media Poll.
• Georgia's offense ranked 12th in the FBS and third in the SEC in passing offense (281.0) last season, with Carson Beck accounting for 3,485 of the UGA's 3,934 passing yards. Gunner Stockton, who appeared in five games and made one start last season, completed 45 passes for 440 yards and one touchdown. The Bulldogs also ranked 102nd in the FBS and 15th in the SEC in rushing offense (124.4) last season. Nate Frazier, a 2025 Third Team Preseason All-SEC selection, is UGA's top-returning rusher after recording 133 carries for 671 yards and eight touchdowns last season.
• Last season, Georgia ranked 30th in the FBS and eighth in the SEC in total defense (329.9) and 38th in the FBS and fifth in the SEC in scoring defense (20.6). The Bulldogs had four players – Christian Miller (DL), CJ Allen (LB), KJ Bolden (DB), and Daylen Everette (DB) – named First Team Preseason All-SEC selections by the coaches and media. Allen ranked second on the team last season and is Georgia's top-returning tackler after totaling 76 tackles in 2024. Allen also led UGA with four pass breakups, while Everette led the Bulldogs with three interceptions.
• A transfer wide receiver from USC, Zachariah Branch was the Trojans' first-ever true freshman First Team All-American in 2023 as a kick returner. Branch caught 78 passes for 823 yards and three touchdowns, returned 29 kicks for 547 yards and a touchdown, and returned 29 punts for 406 yards and a touchdown in three seasons at USC. Branch caught three passes for 95 yards and a touchdown and returned three punts for 24 yards in his UGA debut.

UP NEXT

After opening the season with back-to-back road games against FBS teams, Austin Peay returns to Fortera Stadium for its 2025 home opener at 6 p.m., Sept. 1, against Morehead State. The Week 3 contest between the Governors and Eagles will be streamed on ESPN+.

Season and single-game tickets for all six of the Governors' home games at Fortera Stadium are available online at Ticketmaster or by calling the Austin Peay Ticket Office at 931-221-7329.