CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Austin Peay football team hosted the Tarleton State Texans on Saturday in the program’s first-ever regular-season matchup between top 10 teams. The Govs entered the weekend as the No. 9 team in the country, while the Texans entered as the No. 3 team.
Despite less-than-ideal weather conditions and a busy day in Clarksville, a nice crowd came out to witness program history. Unfortunately, the Govs ended up falling just short, losing 40-32. The loss is Austin Peay’s first FCS defeat of the season and moves the team to 5-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
Now, let’s dive in and find out what happened at Fortera Stadium on Saturday.
Slow start, penalties, and special teams doom Austin Peay
To start this game, both teams had to deal with some unfortunate weather conditions. A steady rain was falling at kickoff, and both teams failed to get anything going on their first offensive possessions. The Govs opened up the scoring with a field goal about halfway through the first quarter.
After that field goal was a play that will be talked about for a while. Austin Peay kicked off to Tarleton, and the Tarleton returner botched the return outside of the end zone. The returner bobbled the ball around, and a Tarleton player fell on it in the end zone. The initial thought was that this should have been a safety, but it was ruled a touchback.
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That play changed the momentum of the game, as instead of a 5-0 Austin Peay lead, it ended up being a 7-3 Tarleton lead after they maintained possession and drove down the field. Tarleton added a field goal after blocking an Austin Peay punt to make it a 10-3 lead, as the Govs’ offense struggled to get any momentum.
Down 10-3, the Govs were slated to get the ball back, but the kickoff was botched, and the Texans got the ball right back in plus territory. Tarleton added two more touchdowns in the second quarter, while the Govs added one, making it a 23-10 game at the half.
In the second half, the Govs’ offense finally showed some life. Chris Parson put the team on his back, keeping several drives alive with his legs and routinely made big plays. Entering the fourth, the Govs were in a 30-17 hole. Just when it looked like the Govs might be slipping away, Parson kept finding ways to keep the team alive.
In the fourth quarter, the Govs put up 15 points to Tarleton’s 10, but it ultimately wasn’t enough. The Govs were trailing 40-32 and got the ball back with nine seconds remaining. Parson hit Denver Harper on a quick pass to put the team around midfield with one chance remaining. Parson loaded up for a Hail Mary, and it was a perfectly placed ball that went right through Chance Fitzgerald’s hands, ending the game heartbreakingly.
Takeaways from a tough loss
Losing a game like this stings, but the main takeaway needs to be that Chris Parson is a special player.
The quarterback took the game into his own hands and suffered a beating in the process. Parson ended up throwing for 231 yards and one touchdown, and added 102 rushing yards and two rushing scores. It was as gutsy a performance as you’ll see from a college quarterback, and it deserves to be the main focus.
The frustrating part about this game is that if you remove the special team’s mistakes and the penalties, it’s a different outcome. You just can’t survive a blocked punt, a muffed return, and multiple drive-killing penalties when you’re playing a good team like Tarleton State.
The good news is, this is the Govs’ first FCS loss. At 5-2, the Govs are still in prime position to make the FCS Playoffs. Next up, the Govs have a road game at West Georgia, and then a road game at North Alabama before getting a bye week at the end of the month.