CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – After a long offseason, football is finally back. The Austin Peay Governors are set to kick off the 2026 season against the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs on Thursday night at Fortera Stadium.
This will be the first season-opening home game for the Govs since 2019, and it’s also the first Thursday night game for the Govs since 2019. The Govs opened the 2025 season on the road at Middle Tennessee State, in what ended up being a historic win for the program. Now, the Govs will try to get the 2026 season started off on a positive note in front of their hometown fans.
Ahead of this Week 0 matchup, let’s dive in and find out some more about the Govs’ first opponent.
What to know about Gardner-Webb
Gardner-Webb plays in the OVC-Big South Conference, which features teams the Govs are familiar with, such as Tennessee State and UT Martin. In 2025, Gardner-Webb finished with a 7-5 overall record and a 5-3 mark in conference play. The Runnin’ Bulldogs finished tied for third in the conference.
This offseason, Gardner-Webb has undergone some big changes. The team has a new head coach in Kris McCullough, after previous head coach Cris Reisert stepped down to take a role at Toledo. The Runnin’ Bulldogs do return some key players, though, such as quarterback Cole Pennington, running back Carson Gresock, and linebacker Cahari Haynes.
Pennington just so happens to be the son of former NFL quarterback Chad Pennington, who played college football at Marshall University.
In the OVC-Big South preseason coaches poll, Gardner-Webb was picked to finish fourth in the conference.
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This will be the fourth all-time meeting between the Govs and Runnin’ Bulldogs. The Govs won the most recent matchup in 2023, walking away with a 41-14 victory at home. Gardner-Webb won the first-ever matchup in 2007 and the second-ever matchup in 2008.
Notably, one of the Govs’ most important playmakers, tight end Jackson Head, played at Gardner-Webb before coming to Austin Peay.
Game prediction: Govs win
In 2025, Gardner-Webb had one of the best offenses in the OVC. The team finished 2nd in the conference in rushing offense, 2nd in passing offense, and 2nd in total offense. Two of the main pieces from that unit, Pennington and Gresock, are back, so it can be assumed the offense will still be efficient.
On defense, the Runnin’ Bulldogs were more mediocre. The team finished 7th in the OVC and 85th in the FCS in total defense a year ago. This is a unit that you can move the ball on, so the Govs’ loaded offense shouldn’t have a tough time.
First games are always hard to predict because we haven’t seen anything yet. However, there’s no denying the overall talent disparity in the Govs’ favor. The Runnin’ Bulldogs might keep it close in the first half, but the Chris Parson-led offense should pull away in the second half. Austin Peay will be big favorites in this game, and it won’t be surprising if the Govs come out looking like they have something to prove.
The game is 6 p.m. Thursday at Fortera Stadium. For tickets, go to the Austin Peay page on Ticketmaster. or call 931-221-PEAY (7329).
After Gardner-Webb, the Govs will begin preparing to take on Vanderbilt in Week 1.