CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – It’s just now Week 2, but the Austin Peay football team already has two games under its belt. The Govs played Gardner-Webb at home in the opener, coming away with a convincing 35-17 victory. Then, last weekend, the Govs made the trip down to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt, losing 28-9.
The team is now preparing to take on the Morehead State Eagles at Fortera Stadium this weekend, so let’s look at four observations about the 2026 Govs football team.
QB Chris Parson is as advertised
Coming into the season, Chris Parson arguably had more hype than any quarterback in the FCS, and it’s easy to see why. The star quarterback had one of the best single seasons from Austin Peay passer in 2025, and the expectation was that he’d perform similarly in 2026.
While it’s not the largest sample size, Parson looks as advertised. Against Gardner-Webb, Parson completed 14 of 21 passes for 308 yards and one touchdown. The quarterback also rushed for 31 yards and a touchdown.
Against Vanderbilt, Parson had to deal with an SEC defensive line in his face for much of the night. Still, Parson led the team on an efficient touchdown drive to open the game and didn’t turn the ball over throughout. Expect to see some big numbers from Parson against Morehead State in Week 2 considering he dominated against the Eagles last season.
| SPORTS REPORT: Sign up for the new weekly Clarksville sports newsletter
Offensive line has to be better
Coming into this season, it seemed like the offensive line could be a real strength for the Govs. The team returned star tackle Joshua Sales Jr., and transfer additions like Joshua Miller and Jeff Burton looked like perfect plug-and-play options. Unfortunately, the unit has struggled through the first two games, albeit one of the games was against an SEC front.
Through two games, the Govs have allowed a whopping eight sacks. Nobody else in the UAC has allowed more than five sacks so far. The Vanderbilt game is understandable, but this unit also allowed three sacks and 10 tackles for loss against Gardner-Webb. It’s definitely something to keep an eye on going forward. The UAC has some very strong defensive fronts, so let’s hope the Govs can improve in this area quickly.
Surprise wide receiver standouts
Heading into the season, it seemed like the Govs’ would be relying heavily on wide receivers Jaden Robinson and Nate Garnett Jr., who both made plays last season and returned to the team for 2026. However, Denver Harper and transfer addition Marvin Sims have made their impact felt.
Through two games, Sims has nine catches for 133 yards. Harper, meanwhile, has four catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Harper’s progress has been nice to see, as he was on the team last year, but only appeared in one game. We know Robinson and Garnett will make plays for the Govs in 2026, but it’s nice to know they aren’t the only receivers Parson can count on.
Run and pass defense have had their moments
In the opener, Austin Peay’s run defense was the story. The unit held Gardner-Webb to 20 carries for just 32 net yards in a dominant showing. The defensive front also got into the backfield in that game, coming away with six tackles for loss and two sacks.
In the Vanderbilt game, the pass defense was the more impressive unit. Vanderbilt rushed for 187 net yards and two scores on the ground, but they only ended with 209 passing yards and no passing touchdowns. Keeping an SEC passing attack in check like Austin Peay did is definitely a positive to latch on to.
So, we’ve seen the pass and run defense both put-up elite performances in back-to-back weeks, but we’ve yet to see both be on at the same time. If that can happen, the Govs can legitimately have one of the best defenses in the UAC, and maybe, in all of the FCS.