CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The formula has not changed.
Chris Parson balls out, and the Govs win.
Austin Peay State University's football team rode a 308-yard passing day from the United Athletic Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and stymied the Gardner-Webb rushing game en route to a 35-17 season-opening victory at Fortera Stadium, Thursday night.
Parson was a tidy 14-for-21 passing on the day, with one score through the air and another on the ground. The Govs ground game was impeccable, with Austin Peay tallying 175 yards rushing, led by 73 yards and two scores from Courtland Simmons.
As a unit, the Govs posted 473 yards of total offense, the 12th time during Faris' tenure, and controlled the clock all evening, finishing with a 36:41 advantage in time of possession.
First Quarter
For another 30-point outing – Austin Peay's fourth-straight 30-point game and 13th of the Faris era – the start was surprisingly pedestrian. Austin Peay punted on its first drive and Gardner-Webb embarked on a 16-play, 73-yard drive that ended in a short field goal to give the Runnin' Bulldogs an early lead.
The Govs struck back, and they struck back hard. A Parson catch-and-run toss to tight end Jackson Head chewed up 49 yards and moved the Govs deep into Gardner-Webb territory. A Parson 15-yard scramble, another 12-yarder to Head and a Gardner-Webb roughing the passer call put the Govs on the one-yard line, and Simmons punched it in for the Govs first score of 2026.
Second Quarter
The Runnin' Bulldogs took a brief lead on a 43-yard strike from Cole Pennington to Jalile Bost, but the Govs responded in kind. Parson hit Marvin Sims Jr. on a 53-yarder to get the Govs into the red-zone. A Parson scramble put the Govs on the goal line, where it was Isaiah Groves' turn to find paydirt. His one-yard plunge was his second career score and gave the Govs a lead they would never relinquish.
Later in the second, following a Gardner-Webb turnover on downs, Parson needed just three plays to give the Govs some cushion. He hit a wide-open Denver Harper in stride for a 49-yard score to put the Govs up 21-10 going into halftime, part of a three-catch, 108-yard performance from the redshirt freshman from Harper in just his second career collegiate game.
Third Quarter
A promising early third-quarter drive for Gardner-Webb was snuffed out by a Ta'Ron Haile interception near midfield, and the teams spent much of the third quarter trading field position before Austin Peay found the end zone via the ground game twice more. Another Parson heave to Harper, this one for 47 yards, put the Govs inside the five-yard line, and Parson punched in a rushing score from four yards out.
Simmons ended the scoring for Austin Peay with a 19-yard run straight up the middle; the Madison, Tennessee native produced his second career multi-score game and the first by an Austin Peay running back since Javious Bond against North Alabama (Oct. 25, 2025).
Fourth Quarter
Gardner-Webb scored touchdown early in the fourth before the teams traded lengthy, late drives resulting in turnover on downs and Austin Peay subsequently knelt out the clock for the win.
What Made the Difference
While Gardner-Webb was forced to adopt a more pass-based approach in the second half once the Govs went up multiple scores, the Governors gave the Runnin' Bulldogs no avenues in the ground game. Austin Peay surrendered just two rushing yards on seven attempts over the final 30 minutes, and surrendered just 32 rushing yards on 20 carries to the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Up Next for the Govs
A trip down Interstate 24 awaits Austin Peay next week; the Govs will travel to West End Avenue for a date with Vanderbilt Saturday, Sept. 5, at 6 p.m. at FirstBank Stadium.
