GOVS COMMODORES POSTGAME NOTES

Notes and quotes following Austin Peay's 28-9 loss against Vanderbilt, Sept. 5, at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville.

FROM THE TOP

• The game between Austin Peay and Vanderbilt was called with 2:16 remaining in the fourth quarter in agreement with both head coaches due to inclement weather in the area.
• Austin Peay held the Commodores to 28 points, the fewest points Vanderbilt has scored against an FCS opponent since dropping a 23-3 game to ETSU.
• Austin Peay led Vanderbilt 6-5 at the end of the first quarter. It is the first time the Commodores have trailed at the end of any quarter against an FCS program since its 2021 game against ETSU.

CAPTAINS/COIN TOSS

• Captains Jackson Head, Chris Parson, Markell Redding, and Courtland Simmons took the coin toss for the Governors.
• Austin Peay won the coin toss and deferred its option to the second half. Vanderbilt elected to receive the opening coin toss.
• Austin Peay won the coin toss for the first time this season.
• The Governors fell to 0-1 this season and 4-8 under head coach Jeff Faris when winning the opening coin toss.
• Weather in Nashville at kickoff: 99 degrees, partly cloudy skies, winds north at six miles per hour.

SERIES UPDATE            

• Austin Peay fell to 0-3 all-time against Vanderbilt, with all losses coming in Nashville.

GOVS VS. THE FBS

• Austin Peay fell to 2-33 all-time against FBS opponents.
• The Govs now are 0-10 all-time against Southeastern Conference opponents.
• Austin Peay's 19-point margin of defeat is the third-closest game it has played against an FBS opponent and the closest in a loss since a 38-27 defeat at Western Kentucky (8/28/22).

THOSE ARE THE BREAKS

• Austin Peay fell to 0-1 this season and 0-8 all-time under head coach Jeff Faris when trailing at halftime.
• Austin Peay fell to 0-1 this season and 1-10 all-time under Faris when trailing at the end of the third quarter.

OFFENSIVE SPARKS

• Austin Peay's 178 offensive yards are the most by an FCS team against Vanderbilt since 2023.
• Quarterback Chris Parson finished the game with 116 passing yards and one passing touchdown.
• Marvin Sims led the Govs with six receptions for 55 yards.
• Sims' six catches are the most by a Gov this season and the most by a Gov since Shemar Kirk's nine receptions against Central Arkansas last season (11/8/25). Sims now leads APSU with nine catches for 133 yards on the season.
• Denver Harper scored the Governors' lone touchdown of the evening with his 24-yard catch in the first quarter. It was Harper's second-straight game with a touchdown.
• Harper now leads APSU with two receiving touchdowns this season, while his four receptions and 132 yards are second on the team this season.
• Austin Peay did not turn the ball over for the first time since last season's game against Utah Tech (9/27/25).

DEFENSIVE STANDS

• Austin Peay held Vanderbilt to 28 points – the first time it has been held to less than 40 points against an FCS team since its 2021 loss to ETSU.
• The Governors' three touchdowns allowed are the fewest by an FCS team against the Commodores since the aforementioned game against ETSU.
• The Governors held Vanderbilt to the fewest rushing yards (179) against an FCS opponent since 2022.
• APSU forced a Commodores' turnover on downs in the fourth quarter. The Govs now have forced a turnover on downs in five-straight games dating back to last season's game against Central Arkansas (11/8/25).
• Ta'Ron Haile led Austin Peay with a career-best 10 tackles, including seven solo stops. Entering Saturday's game, Haile had seven-career tackles with three solo stops.
• Markell Redding was second on APSU with a career-best eight tackles and five solo stops.
• Malik Denkins and Jefferson Bretanys Desca paced the Govs with 1.5 tackles for loss.
• Caleb Merritt had five tackles on his birthday.

SPECIAL TEAMS SYNOPSIS

• Hamilton DiBoyan's 51-yard field goal with 1:33 in the first half was his first as a Governor and the eighth of his career. It surpassed his previous career long of 47 which came last season against Coastal Carolina (9/20/25) while he was at South Alabama.
• DiBoyan's 51-yard field goal was the longest by a Gov since Carson Smith's 53-yard field goal against Tarleton State (10/26/24).
• Austin Peay stopped a two-point conversion attempt on Vanderbilt's third-quarter touchdown. It is the first two-point conversion the Govs have stopped since last season's home finale against Samford (11/15/25).
• Logan Leftrick punted five times with an average of 42.8 yards and three punts of 50-plus yards.
• Leftrick's long punt of 52 yards was his longest since a 61-yard punt against Tarleton State last season (11/22/25).

GOVS COMMODORES POSTGAME QUOTES

Austin Peay head coach Jeff Faris 

Opening statement… "Never okay with this outcome. You know, the way that our team trains, we expect to win in any environment. There are a lot of things we need to clean up, but I am proud of our team's effort. I think we're close, but we made too many of what I would characterize as first-game mistakes today, which can't happen in the second game, and give the credit to Vanderbilt. They're so well-coached. They're talented, they play hard, they do things right. But I love our team."

On the pass game… "We have tremendous confidence in our receiving group. Obviously, our quarterback and our ability to protect, and going into the game, we expected more cover three and a little bit less man on normal downs. They challenged us, and I think our guys made plays, like with the touchdown to Denver Harper. They brought them all, and he did a great job beating man coverage. I think we've got really, really talented playmakers outside, and the quarterback can get it to them. So, when guys want to challenge us, I think it creates opportunities for us."

On the team's discipline… "Our discipline, we were not that way a year ago. I think one of our biggest improvements from year two to year three is the discipline factor. Our guys are a mature group who love one another and just do things right. We're not perfect. We got a lot of growing to do, trust me. I'm the most competitive person. I'm not good with this outcome, but I'm just proud of who these kids are becoming. That's a good football team we just played, and we have to keep improving in a lot of ways. I'm proud of where we're headed from a discipline standpoint. We're not there yet. We got a lot of work to do, but we're much improved."

Austin Peay defensive back Ta'Ron Haile

On the long drives on defense… "We don't really think about it. We just know that, however long it takes, we just have to make sure we get them off the field and don't let them in the end zone. Just play hard every play. No matter if we're out there for 12 plays or three plays. Just give it all you got."

On seeing two different quarterbacks… "No, it was kind of the same when he was passing the ball; we just knew we had to be in the right spots at the right time, and stop the run game as well."

Austin Peay quarterback Chris Parson

On his early success in the air… "Yeah, just falling back on the things that we worked on throughout the week, the looks that we saw as far as watching film and things like that. Our scout team did a really good job of giving us a look throughout the week, so we know what we're going to get from this Vanderbilt team. They're very well-coached, so we just had to make sure we were on point. And so, starting off, we came out hot. We've just got to find a way to sustain, especially in the second half."

On the team's discipline… "Yeah, we had six last week, I believe, and so for us, that's six too many. We want to be a disciplined football team; we want to play this game the right way. That starts with just having discipline and everybody doing their job at a higher level. We lessened the penalties today, but that's still too many. When you play against a great team like Vanderbilt, a very well-coached team, a disciplined team, a team that plays very hard, you can't have any room for error. We'll be better moving forward."