Austin Peay falls 28-9 on road to Vanderbilt at FirstBank Stadium – Main Street Media of Tennessee

Sunday, September 6, 2026
CLARKSVILLE
WEATHER
Austin Peay football suffered its first loss of the season after a 28-9 road loss to Vanderbilt Saturday at FirstBank Stadium.
The Governors led 6-3 midway through the first quarter after a 24-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chris Parson to Denver Harper. It was the only Governors’ touchdown of the night. 
The game ended with 2:16 left in the fourth quarter after entering a lightning delay. 
Let’s take a look at the main storylines from the game. 
Vanderbilt dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides
Vanderbilt won the time of possession by 11 minutes over Austin Peay and rushed for 187 yards as a team. 
Five different players carried the ball at least once, and three rushed for more than 30 yards. Both of Vanderbilt’s scoring drives lasted at least nine plays, and all of them ate at least 5:13 of game clock.
Austin Peay head coach Jeff Faris said he expected Vanderbilt to run the ball, but he did not expect to only have the ball on offense three times in the first half. 
The Commodores’ defense had five sacks, four quarterback hits and five tackles for loss. Austin Peay only rushed for 62 yards and had 178 yards of total offense. 
“I think you have to try and establish the run (on offense), and they (Vanderbilt) are also really good at receiver,” Faris said. “That also leaves yourself susceptible to big plays down the field. Their longest play was 18 yards. That’s incredible by our defense. 
“They do have a size advantage, but I had a lot of confidence in our offensive and defensive lines. Even when runs aren’t necessarily busting for 30 yards we have to continue to be intentional to run the football.” 
Governors played clean despite loss
Austin Peay’s offense never entered the red zone and only scored six points on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Chris Parson to Denver Harper in the first quarter. 
But the Governors only committed three penalties and did not turn the ball over. 
They kept two drives alive with short runs on fourth down, but Vanderbilt’s defense was able to get off the field at the right times to prevent touchdowns. 
Austin Peay went 1-of-10 on third down and 2-of-3 on fourth down. 
Parson finished the game 12-of-21 passing for 116 yards and a touchdown. He had -19 rushing yards on nine attempts. 
“We just got to execute at a high level,” Parson said. “I feel like we had a really good gameplan going into the week, just watching tape and just being coached up by our coaches. We knew it was going to come down to execution. 
“We started off fast on the first drive. We’ve got to find a way to sustain, especially in the second half. That starts with me, and we’re going to watch this film and find a way to respond.” 
Jeff Faris gameplanned for Blaze Berlowitz and Jared Curtis
Vanderbilt quarterback Blaze Berlowitz started against Austin Peay and passed for 149 yards on 11-of-16 while rushing for 45 yards and a score. He led all three of the Commodores’ scoring drives 
“We studied what they (Berlowitz) had done at New Mexico State. Obviously Berlowitz had played in six games a year ago, but we had a plan for both,” Faris said. “They’re both gonna be very, very good quarterbacks and good players. What they do offensively presents a lot of challenges.” 
Former Nashville Christian quarterback and two-time Division II-A Mr. Football winner and state champion Jared Curtis was 7-of-9 passing for 60 yards in his college debut with the Commodores. 
He also had 22 yards rushing on three attempts. 
Curtis first entered the game with 1:32 left in the first half and led a four-play, 21-yard drive that ended in a punt. He did not return to the game until the 13:22 mark of the fourth quarter but led Vanderbilt’s offense the rest of the way. 
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