ATHENS, Ga. – Austin Peay State University's football team battled four quarters with No. 3 Georgia, but ultimately dropped a 28-6 decision, Saturday, at Sanford Stadium.

After Georgia (2-0) elected to receive the opening kick, Myles Wiley forced a fumble on the Bulldog's fourth play from scrimmage and Ellis Ellis Jr. fell on it for Austin Peay's (1-1) first takeaway of the season.

The Bulldog responded with back-to-back touchdown drives to lead 14-0 just over a minute into the second quarter. Chris Parson went 5-for-5 through the air following Georgia's second score and drove APSU into field-goal position, where Carson Smith connected on a 44-yard attempt to cut into the deficit.

The Govs' defense forced its first three-and-out on the Bulldogs' next possession, but had its drive end following an interception at its own 34-yard line. Despite the mishap, the Govs surrendered just a single yard on a five-play UGA drive, including back-to-back passes for negative five and negative six yards, respectively.

Following an APSU punt, Georgia took over on its own 45 and drove to the APSU one-yard line in six plays with 41 seconds remaining. Austin Peay's defense then held the Bulldogs on its own one for five-straight plays, and Charles Crews III made a third-down stop in the backfield on the final play of the first half to keep the score 14-3, Bulldogs.

Parson ended the first half 9-for-10 with 69 yards through the air. Kamari Maxwell led APSU's receiving corps with three catches and 41 yards, while Corey Richarson paced the ground game with two ruses for 12 yards.

Trevor Hardy led the defense through the opening 30 minutes with four tackles, while he, Crews III, Davion Hood, and Jaycob Neely all had a tackle for loss.

After an hour and 46-minute weather delay, the Bulldogs forced an APSU three-and-out and capitalized with a seven-play touchdown drive to extend the lead to 18.

Wiley forced his second fumble of the afternoon midway through the third quarter, which set the Govs up for a 43-yard field goal by Smith.

The Govs drove to the UGA two-yard line on the first play of the fourth quarter, but a pass from Chris Parson to Jackson Head fell a yard short of paydirt. The Bulldogs responded with a 17-play, 99-yard drive that amassed eight and a half minutes for the final score of the game.

Parson finished the game 16-for-23 yards and 151 yards, with his 70.0 completion percentage being the third-best by an FCS quarterback against Georgia, and the highest since Murray State completed 74.3% of its passes against Georgia in 2019.

Ellis Jr. finished with a game-high 11 tackles and eight solo tackles, while Neely paced the team with 1.5 tackles for loss and Wiley recorded both of APSU's takeaways with a pair of forced fumbles.

Gunnar Stockton led Georgia's passing game, going 26-for-34 with 227 yards. Frazier led the Bulldogs on the ground with 69 yards and a rushing touchdown. CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson led the Bulldogs' defense with seven tackles, with Allen also pacing the team 1.5 tackles for loss.

With a pair of road games to open the 2025 season now behind it, 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.

Scoring Summary

APSU 0, UGA 7 – 10 plays, 80 yards, 5:16

The Bulldogs rushed seven times on their second offensive drive. UGA quarterback Gunner Stockton completed a 13-yard pass to Colbie Young on second-and-five. It then advanced to the APSU 45 with a 17-yard reception by Zachariah Branch. Six of UGA's next seven plays came via the ground, with Dwight Phillips Jr. setting the Bulldogs up at the 10-yard line. Two plays after Phillips Jr.'s rush, Chauncey Bowens scored from two yards out.

APSU 0, UGA 14 – 9 plays, 56 yards, 4:56

Georgia took over on its own 44-yard line following a 41-yard punt by Gavin Myers. After picking up 19 yards on its first three plays of the drive, a 19-yard completion from Stockton to Talyn Taylor put UGA on the APSU 18. The Bulldogs later picked up five yards on third-and-three from the APSU 11, before Nate Frazier scored the Bulldogs' second rushing touchdown from two yards out.

APSU 3, UGA 14 – 8 plays, 48 yards, 4:42

Following UGA's second score, Chris Parson went 5-for-5 for 49 yards through the air, with his first pass being a 13-yard completion to Kamari Maxwell. He found Maxwell again for 26 yards on the fourth play of the drive, with Maxwell making a back shoulder grab over a Bulldogs' defensive back. After losing a yard over its next three plays, Carson Smith trotted out and connected on a 44-yard field goal.

APSU 3, UGA 21 – 7 plays, 60 yards, 2:41

After holding Austin Peay to a three-and-out on the first drive of the second half, the Bulldogs took over on their 30-yard line. A 12-yard pass from Stockton to Young was followed by a nine-yard rush by Frazier and a nine-yard reception by Young, which put the Bulldogs on the APSU 39. The Bulldogs' final three plays of the drive were rushes, with the final being a 14-yard rushing score by Bowens to extend the Bulldogs' lead.

APSU 6, UGA 21 – 4 plays, 5 yards, 1:57

Myles Wiley's second forced fumble set the Govs up at Georgia's 31-yard line. After gaining five yards over its next three plays, Carson Smith connected on his second field goal of the afternoon, coming from 43 yards out.

APSU 6, UGA 28 – 17 plays, 99 yards, 8:43

After stopping the Governors on the shadow of their own goal line, the Bulldogs drove the length of the field, with 12 of its 17 plays on the drive coming on the ground. After setting itself up in the red zone following a 16-yard pass from Stockton to Humphreys, four of UGA's next five plays came on the ground, with the final being a one-yard score by Frazier.