CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – On its 81st Homecoming, Austin Peay State University's football team used a dynamic aerial attack and opportunistic special teams to roll to a 42-17 victory against New Haven, earning the Governors a program-record 10th consecutive home victory.
Redshirt junior quarterback Chris Parson was once again efficient through the air, going 19-for-23 passing for 308 yards and four touchdowns. In doing so, he became the first player in program history to post back-to-back games with a completion percentage of 80 percent or higher.
Parson once more found his favorite targets early and often, with Jaden Robinson, Marvin Sims and Denver Harper—much more on him later—combining for 11 catches and 262 yards. Sims finished with six catches for 141 yards, the most receiving yards by a Governor this season.
The win pushes Austin Peay to 5-1 on the season, its first 5-1 start to a season since 1977 and one of just three seasons in program history to see the Govs get out to a 5-1 or better start.
First Quarter
The Govs got out to a quick start, needing just six plays to score on the opening drive. On the first play from scrimmage, Parson found redshirt freshman receiver Denver Harper for 29 yards to the middle of the field; five plays later, he dialed Harper's number again from 10 yards out to give the Govs an early lead.
The visitors answered with a long march of their own. New Haven moved the ball 75 yards in 12 plays, with a third-down hold on the Govs keeping the drive alive early and a Zaon Laney 31-yard rush putting the Chargers on the doorstep. Niko Boyce, in his first start, found Tommy Troy on a fade to the right corner to tie it back up.
Austin Peay's answer was not long in the making. On the first play following the New Haven kickoff, Parson hit Marvin Sims coming across the formation, and Sims did the rest of the work – a juke opened space on the sideline and Sims took it up the right side of the field and into the end zone from 65 yards out.
New Haven would tack on a field goal late in the first quarter to make it 14-10 after 15 minutes.
Second Quarter
After the teams traded punts to open the second quarter, the Govs lined up for a second-and-seven from the 34. Parson rolled right and hit Jaden Robinson on a deep pass down the right side. Robinson used his physicality to break a tackle and his speed to fly toward the end zone for a score.
Late in the second quarter, the Denver Harper Show moved into new territory. With under four minutes to go, Harper ranged back for a punt, let it bounce a time or two, picked it up and began breaking tackles and dancing through defenders. Eighty-two yards later, Harper had his second punt return score of the season and the Govs held a 28-10 lead.
It would get better for Harper two minutes later. The Chargers would attempt a long field goal which came up well short. Harper, back deep for just such an occasion, took the ball out of the end zone and pulled an Auburn—109 yards to the house (officially 100 yards thanks to NCAA stat-keeping software) to become the first player in the history of the program to score two special teams touchdowns in the same game.
Third Quarter
Neither team managed a score in the third quarter. Austin Peay proved the stingier defensively coming out of halftime, allowing a mere 39 yards in the quarter, including just one yard on six carries on the ground.
Fourth Quarter
The Govs put a bow on their scoring efforts early in the fourth quarter. Parson rolled right and found a wide-open Ben Marshall in the end zone for his first-career touchdown as a Gov.
A second Boyce-to-Troy scoring play put New Haven on the board, and over their season average of 11 points, to end the scoring night and send the Homecoming crowd out of Fortera Stadium celebrating a 10th consecutive home win.
The Difference
One team had Denver Harper, and the other team did not. Considering Harper put up three touchdowns and 227 all-purpose yards—and needed just six touches to amass that staggering number.
Up Next for the Govs
The end of a three-game homestand brings Tarleton State to town for a matchup between two top-10 titans. One of the biggest games in program history kicks off at 6 p.m. from Fortera Stadium next Saturday.
