CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – On the University's 81st Homecoming, the Austin Peay State University football team will host a first-time foe as a top-10 team when the ninth-ranked Govs welcome Northeast Conference opponent New Haven into Fortera Stadium in a 4 p.m. kickoff.
Saturday's game will be carried 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 Knox Rives call all the action. ESPN Clarksville's coverage begins with a live pregame show at 3 p.m.
Last week, the Govs rallied from a halftime deficit by putting 28 unanswered points on UT Martin, ultimately cruising to a 35-12 victory over the Skyhawks. Redshirt junior quarterback Chris Parson led the charge for the Govs, accounting for 93.1 percent of Austin Peay's total offense (254 yards through the air, 82 on the ground) on his way to United Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in 2026. Parson also set a career-high by completing 81.0 percent of his passes, the fifth-best showing in program history.
The Governor defense held UT Martin to just 297 total yards, the second time in three games an Austin Peay opponent failed to crack 300 yards on offense. Defensive back Ta'Ron Haile returned an interception for a score, marking the first time since 2023 Austin Peay scored defensive touchdowns in back-to-back games and the first time in program history the Govs have back-to-back games with a pick-six.
Austin Peay enters the weekend as the No. 1 scoring offense (36.0 points) and No. 1 scoring defense (16.0 points) in the UAC; the Govs are one of five programs in FCS (Illinois State, Jackson State, South Carolina State, Stephen F. Austin) leading their conference in scoring offense and scoring defense.
NOTABLY
Defend the Fort
Austin Peay finished the 2025 regular season with a 6-0 record at home, 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 posted 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' six wins at home also matched the 1949 and 2019 OVC Championship teams for the most wins at home in a season in program history. After a win at The Fort against Morehead State, Austin Peay's nine-game winning streak at home is now the longest streak in program history and stands tied for the fifth-longest active streak in FCS.
#WeWILL
Each week, one Austin Peay player is chosen to wear the No. 0 jersey in honor of Will Hardrick, who tragically passed away in May 2025. Each Monday of the season, head coach Jeff Faris selects the player who best exemplifies Hardrick's character and work ethic to wear the No. 0 jersey that week. For the New Haven game, defensive back Ta'Ron Haile (normally No. 26) will wear No. 0 for the Govs.
Defending the Fort
Throughout its program-record, nine-game home winning streak, the Governors are outscoring opponents by an average of 26.4 points per game, with just a single game - a 41-38 win against Central Arkansas last season - being decided by less than two scores. During the winning streak, the Govs have held five opponents to less than 100 combined rushing yards, with no team amassing 200 yards on the ground. The Gov also are holding opponents to 3.0 yards per carry on the ground.
QB1 Milestone Tracker
The UAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and a Preseason All-American, Chris Parson. In just 17 games under center for APSU, Parson ranks top 10 in program history in: passing yards per game (1st, 240.6), rushing touchdowns for a quarterback (2nd, 18) completion percentage (2nd, 63.8), rushing yards for a quarterback (5th, 909), passing yards (6th, 4,090), touchdown passes (t-6th, 30) and overall rushing touchdowns (8th, 18). The reigning UAC Offensive Player of the Week, Parson had his sixth-career multi-rushing touchdown performance which was highlighted by a 66-yard score in the first quarter, the longest carry by a quarterback in APSU's digital record-keeping era. The redshirt junior signal caller leads the UAC and ranks second in the FCS in yards per attempt (11.56), yards per completion (17.53), and passing efficiency (185.5), all of which currently are single-season program records.
PREVIEWING THE CHARGERS
First Meeting
For the first time since 2024, Austin Peay will meet multiple new foes on the gridiron this fall, traveling to West Florida and hosting New Haven. The Govs are now 9-5 against first-time opponents over the last five seasons and 9-2 against first-time FCS opponents. The Govs have not lost at home to a first-time FCS opponent since October 26, 2024 against Tarleton State—a contest which also took place on Austin Peay's Homecoming.
Preseason Outlook
In just its second season transitioning to FCS from Division II, the Chargers were picked last in the eight-team NEC. New Haven and Mercyhurst are ineligible for the NEC autobid to the FCS playoffs during their transition period.
Offensive Options
New Haven has applied a liberal amount of Zaon Laney during the first five games of this season; the 5-8 back has already toted the ball 74 times for 271 this season, a hard-earned 3.7 yards per carry. The Chargers have five receivers with more than 100 yards on the season but none with more than 200, not even leading receiver Nate Burleson II, son of longtime NFL receiver and CBS studio analyst Nate Burleson.
Defensive Definition
With former Austin Peay defensive coordinator Mark Powell at the helm, the Chargers are guaranteed to be a rough-and-tumble defensive outfit. Senior Irv Briggs has been a destructive force off the edge, with 5.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks and a forced fumble to lead the outfit. Linebackers Frederick Borkey and Ricky Encarnacion have combined for 81 tackles through five games, even with Encarnacion missing the South Dakota State game on September 12.
UP NEXT FOR THE GOVS
The finale of this homestand stands as one of the most consequential games in recent program history – against consensus top-10 foe Tarleton State. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m., Oct. 10, from Fortera Stadium on Community Night.
Season and single-game tickets are on sale now by calling 931-221-PEAY. For news, updates, and future ticket information, follow Govs football on X (@GovsFB), Instagram (@GovsFootball), and Facebook, or stay tuned here at LetsGoPeay.com.
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