Football: Three Matchups to Watch: Vanderbilt vs. Austin Peay – The Vanderbilt Hustler

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Football is back on the West End! Vanderbilt Football will look to get the ball rolling against Austin Peay this Saturday.  
Coming off a historic season, with ranked wins over South Carolina, LSU, Missouri and a special appearance from ESPN’s College GameDay, Vanderbilt has seized the national stage. Now, with Blaze Berlowitz starting at quarterback, along with new faces including receivers Ja’Cory Thomas and Cole Adams as well as defensive talents in Ricardo Jones and Brian Allen Jr. 
The biggest question circulating around the Commodores is how the offense will function without Heisman finalist Diego Pavia. With Berlowitz getting the first snaps, and five-star recruit Jared Curtis on the side, the ‘Dores have promising options to keep production coming from behind the line.  
Let’s take a look at three key things to watch for as Vanderbilt takes on Austin Peay. 
In today’s age of College football, having a quarterback that not only can attack from the air, but also hurt defensive units with their ability to run is a valuable skill that keeps coordinators guessing when calling plays. With the introduction of more dual-threat QBs in the SEC, Austin Peay will bring the first test to the Commodores defense in trying to cover someone with this skillset. Chris Parsons, a 5’11 quarterback from Brentwood, Tennessee, leads the helm for the Governors, as he put up 339 all-purpose yards in their Week 0 matchup against Gardner-Webb. Out of High School, Parsons committed to play at Mississippi State and was rated as a 3-star prospect. After receiving limited minutes there, he transferred back to his home state to lead Austin Peay. 
While Vanderbilt’s defense has faced several talented dual-threat quarterbacks in the past, and has spent the last two seasons training against Diego Pavia in practice, facing a quarterback who can do it all Week 1 is always a challenge. The Commodores will have to adjust some of their man-to-man style attack in the secondary to account for Parsons’ ability to break the line and take the ball up field himself.  
Vanderbilt’s defense will be taking the field for the first time this fall, and it is headlined by a lineup of veteran returning players from last year. However, there are some new faces on the roster, as well as some players who haven’t seen the field in some time. 
Defensive lineman Issa Ouattara will be returning for his fifth season for the Commodores. After missing most of the 2025 campaign with a shoulder injury, the now-healthy Ouattara is projected to be one of Vanderbilt’s best players on the defensive line. Standing at 6’ 7 and weighing 315 pounds, his elite combination of strength and size makes him a key player to watch on Saturday and throughout the Commodores’ season.  
Jones is a junior transfer safety, coming from Clemson. Last season, he recorded six interceptions for the Tigers, including a pick-six to ice Clemson’s season finale versus South Carolina. Jones brings an explosive presence to Vanderbilt’s defense and possesses high-level one-on-one defense, allowing Vanderbilt to move him around the field. Jones’ one flaw is his physicality, but his big-play ability makes him a key player to follow on Saturday. 
Allen transferred to Vanderbilt from Iowa and will start on Vanderbilt’s defensive line. Coming in as a graduate student, Allen is now changing sides after helping Iowa beat the Commodores in last year’s ReliaQuest Bowl. Allen is a physical rusher who will be a solid contributor this year in Nashville.  
While almost all indicators point to an easy victory for the Commodores, is there any chance that Austin Peay can complete the massive upset?  
While the data is limited on teams in the top-40 (Vanderbilt is 32nd-ranked in the AP Poll), FCS teams have only beaten AP Poll top-25 teams six times, with the most recent instance occurring when Montana beat 20th-ranked Washington in 2021. This does give Austin Peay a slight tinge of hope, as other FCS schools have beaten better teams (5th-ranked Michigan lost to Appalachian State in 2007). However, the odds are stacked extremely heavily against the Governors, with ESPN giving Vanderbilt a 96% chance to win the game. Vanderbilt has also never fallen to a school outside of the FBS, and this game will likely result in a Commodore victory.  
Vanderbilt will face Austin Peay at 6 p.m. CDT this Saturday, Sept. 5, at FirstBank Stadium.
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