By: Colby Wilson, Assistant Director of Athletics/External Relations & Communications
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – After a solid home-opening win against Gardner-Webb, the Austin Peay State University football team takes to the road for the first time in 2026 when the 14th-ranked Governors make the short trek down Interstate 24 to take on SEC foe Vanderbilt in a 6 p.m., Saturday, tilt at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville.
In the opener against Gardner-Webb, the Governors set the tone with a balanced offense and aggressive defense. Redshirt junior signal-caller Chris Parson averaged 22.0 yards per completion, going 14-for-21 for 308 yards and a score, while Austin Peay piled up 175 yards on the ground and spread the ball around, with five Govs (Parson, Courtland Simmons, Isaiah Groves, Kaden Williams and Corey Richardson) garnering multiple touches out of the backfield. Simmons, Parson and Groves each scored rushing touchdowns, while Simmons (11 carries, 73 yards) found paydirt twice against the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Parson, who earned the first Tennessee Sports Writers Association Offensive Player of the Week honor for 2026 with his work, continued to build off an impressive 2025 campaign that saw him earn preseason UAC Offensive Player of the Year honors. Through 13 games, Parson now has five 300-yard passing efforts, already tied for second-most in Austin Peay history.
A revamped Austin Peay defense rolled out seven newcomers in the starting 11 last week. This infusion of new skill accounted for five tackles for loss, an interception, three pass break-ups and five quarterback hurries against Gardner-Webb.
Saturday's game will be carried on SEC Network+, with Courtney Lyle and Rene Ingoglia 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 Van Stokes call all the action. ESPN Clarksville's coverage begins with a live pregame show at 5 p.m.
NOTABLY
#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 Vanderbilt game, sophomore Kelton Crisp (usually wearing No. 12 on the defensive line) will wear the No. 0 for the Govs.
Leap Year
Head coach Jeff Faris looks to keep the momentum from his second-year improvement at Austin Peay, which saw a three-win improvement from Year One (4-8) to Year Two (7-5)—tied for the fifth-largest leap by a second-year head coach in FCS in 2025, alongside former Gardner-Webb head coach Cris Reisert, who left after the season to become the offensive coordinator at Toledo. Eight-or-more victories in 2026 would make Faris just the second head coach (out of 22) in the 90-year history of Austin Peay to improve their win total each of their first three seasons.
New Faces
The Govs welcome their share of newcomers into the ranks each year, with 58 newcomers to the 2026 roster. Of these, 36 made their debuts in the opener against Gardner-Webb, including wide receiver Marvin Sims (three catches for 78 yards; Western Kentucky transfer), linebacker Canaan Williams (team-high 10 tackles; Kent State transfer), linebacker Eli Jones (seven tackles, team-high 1.5 tackles for loss; Western Kentucky transfer), safety Ta'Ron Haile (third-quarter interception; Syracuse transfer) and cornerback Quan Peterson (team-high two pass break-ups; Newberry transfer).
PREVIEWING THE COMMODORES
The Series
The Govs are 0-2 against the Commodores in a series that began in 2013. In the 2015 edition, Rashaan Coleman scored Austin Peay's lone touchdown on a 14-yard strike set up by muffed punt giving the Governors a short field. Future NFL player Trent Sherfield caught 16 passes for a Commodore-record 240 yards during the contest. The Governors are playing their 17th all-time contest in the Music City, entering play 3-13 all-time in Nashville.
Preseason Outlook
After the first 10-win season in program history, the Commodores were picked to finish 12th in the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll. Head coach Clark Lea returns one of the nation's most experienced rosters in terms of snaps played (29,203) and starts on the roster (397) despite the loss of 2025 Heisman runner-up Diego Pavia at quarterback.
Offensive Options
Getting the first chance to replace Pavia will be redshirt senior Blaze Berlowitz, with five-star freshman Jared Curtis slated to also take some snaps for the Commodore during Vanderbilt's regular-season opener. 2025 starting tailback Sedrick Alexander is back after leading the Commodores with 11 rushing scores, and receiver Junior Sherrill (54 catches, 784 yards, 7 TDs) should see an uptick in targets after Tre Richardson (transferred to Louisville) and Eli Stowers (second-round pick by the Eagles) departed the program.
Defensive Definition
Opposing teams were able to throw on the Commodores in 2025, with Vanderbilt surrendering 249.4 yards per game through the air (116th in FBS) and securing only eight total interceptions on the season. Senior defensive back Martel Hight led the way with four picks and will be back patrolling the secondary for the Commodores, with edge rusher Miles Capers (team-high 4.5 sacks) and linebacker Nick Rinaldi (3.5 sacks, team-high nine quarterback hurries) in charge of the pass rush.
Up Next for the Govs
It will be back to The Fort for the Govs when they host Morehead State in a 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 12 contest at Fortera Stadium. This game will serve as First Responders Day, as we honor Montgomery County Emergency Management Services personnel for their service and dedication.
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.
To follow all Governors sports and get live stats, schedules and access to your ticket account, download the new-and-improved Lets Go Peay app for iOS and Android.
