CARROLLTON, Ga. – After a difficult opening that saw them have to fight their way out of a 10-0 hole, Austin Peay State University's football team scored 24 unanswered points to defeat West Georgia at University Stadium to snag its second road win in United Athletic Conference play this season.
The Govs (7-2, 2-1 UAC) took the game to the ground, rushing 45 times for 186 yards against the Wolves (1-6, 0-2 UAC). Redshirt junior quarterback Chris Parson scored twice rushing, becoming the second player in Austin Peay history to record back-to-back 20-touchdown seasons, while junior Courtland Simmons added another score on the ground on a day that saw him tally more than 100 yards total offense (77 rushing, 46 receiving).
The Governors' defense lived in the West Georgia backfield all afternoon, hassling Wolves quarterback Colton Fitzgerald with six sacks and numerous pressures. While the Wolves were able to move the ball through the air, passing nearly 50 times for more than 330 yards as a team, Austin Peay's defensive tenacity made the West Georgia attack entirely one-dimensional.
The win marked the third-straight in the series for the Govs, and their second in Carrollton. Austin Peay now is 6-2 on the season for just the sixth time in program history, and first since 2023, and have shown resilience in the face of adversity; the Govs now are 8-2 in their last 10 games following a loss when ranked in the top 25.
First Quarter
The Governor offense struggled to find the gear in the first quarter; in atypical fashion, Austin Peay managed just 10 first-quarter yards and punted four times in the opening 15 minutes.
The Wolves turned two of those punts into points. On West Georgia's first drive, the Governors forced a 49-yard field goal, which Logan Lopez tucked inside the upright to give the Wolves an early lead.
On the next drive, West Georgia found the end zone. After the Govs put the Wolves into third-and-10, Colton Fitzgerald hit DK Daniel across the middle, and he knifed 55 yards through the defense for his third score in as many games.
Second Quarter
Austin Peay got a fortuitous bounce early in the second quarter. West Georgia muffed a punt, which long snapper Iker Sarabia fell on deep in Wolves territory. However, the Govs lost a fumble inside the West Georgia 10-yard line, squandering their best scoring chance to that point in the contest.
The next opportunity would not go to waste. After a West Georgia punt, Parson hit Simmons out of the backfield on the first play from scrimmage for a 43-yard gain into Wolves territory. The Govs picked their way inside the 10-yard line, and Parson called his own number on a designed run to the left, scoring the 21st rushing touchdown of his Austin Peay career from seven yards out.
The Wolves would threaten again late in the quarter, but the Austin Peay defense held firm. West Georgia drove down to the Austin Peay one-yard line and, facing fourth-and-goal, elected to go for a touchdown rather than the chipshot field goal. With West Georgia operating out of a modified wishbone formation, linebacker Eli Jones read the run to the right perfectly and dropped Justin Montgomery behind the line to hold the Wolves scoreless on the drive and send the teams into the locker room with West Georgia hold a 10-7 lead.
Third Quarter
The third quarter featured two game-changing turnovers for the Govs. The first, a Trevor Hardy interception, gave the Austin Peay defense momentum. The second, a strip-sack and recovery by Caleb Merritt, stopped a West Georgia drive in the Austin Peay red zone after a lengthy Wolves gain.
The Governor offense began a methodical drive after the Merritt recovery, marching 76 yards on eight plays. Big receptions by Isaac Kareem-Maman (25 yards) and Marvin Sims (20) helped the Govs march into the red zone, and Parson punched it in from a yard out to put the Govs in front heading into the final quarter.
Fourth Quarter
On the first play of the fourth quarter, West Georgia again faced a fourth-and-short, and again elected to test the Governor defense. This time, it was junior defensive end Demoris Jenkins who made the Wolves pay, rushing unabated off the edge for the sack to give Austin Peay possession.
This led to a 34-yard Hamilton DiBoyan field goal, which put the Govs ahead 17-10. After forcing a West Georgia punt, Austin Peay began asserting its dominant will in the trenches; an eight-play, 66-yard drive—all on runs—ended with a one-yard Courtland Simmons plunge to give the Govs a 24-10 victory.
What Made the Difference
Austin Peay's front-seven gave nothing to West Georgia; the Wolves ran 21 times for just 8 yards, with a long of nine yards. In addition to the six sacks, Austin Peay stopped West Georgia within two yards of the line of scrimmage seven times.
Up Next for the Govs
Austin Peay hits the road for one more ahead of the bye week, traveling to Florence, Alabama next week for a 6 p.m. contest against North Alabama.
