How Austin Peay football made program history at Fortera Stadium with win over Samford
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Among the songs that played on the Fortera Stadium speakers after Austin Peay football’s final 2025 regular-season home game was, appropriately enough, Flo Rida’s 2015 hit, “My House.”
With a 30-16 win over Samford on Senior Day on Nov. 15, these Governors (7-4, 4-3 United Athletic Conference) etched their name in program history by finishing off a perfect regular season at home. It’s the first time they have gone 6-0 at Fortera (then known as Clarksville Municipal Stadium) since 1949.
“The credit goes to all the players,” coach Jeff Faris said. ” . . . The ability to send the seniors out the right way is something that we talked about all week, and I’m just happy we’re able to do that for those guys.”
The Govs have had five undefeated regular seasons at home: 1940, 1949, 1964, 2023 and 2025. In 2023, they went 5-0 at Fortera but lost to Chattanooga in the first round of the FCS playoffs.
“Extremely thankful for our fan base,” said quarterback Chris Parson, who threw for 265 yards and a touchdown. “They showed up big-time for us. This was something that I was really attracted to when I was in the portal and I was considering Austin Peay, just the town, how they support the Govs . . . Coach Faris has been saying all year, we want to go undefeated at home.”
APSU beat Middle Tennessee State 34-14 in Murfreesboro in its season opener on Aug. 30, but has lost its four road games since. The Govs will have to find a way to translate their success in Clarksville for their regular-season finale on Nov. 22 against No. 6 Tarleton State (9-1) in Stephenville, Texas, which could be a must-win for their FCS playoff hopes.
“We talk about climbing the mountain,” Faris said. “The higher you get, the Coach (Nick) Saban quote, the more treacherous it gets. We’ve played really well on the road. We beat a Group of Five team by 20 points. We gotta play our best football game, we have to have our best week of preparation. I’m excited. These guys are juiced, and they’re excited. Confidence is not our issue, I can promise you that.”
Austin Peay defense has ‘breakthrough’ game
The Governors, who had given up 31.1 points in their past seven games, allowed their fewest points since a 42-10 win over Utah Tech on Sept. 27. Samford ran for 57 yards on 33 attempts, an average of 1.7 per carry, and was outgained 363-330 despite holding the ball for more than 37 minutes.
APSU broke through the Bulldogs’ line of scrimmage with ease, totaling 11 tackles for loss, four quarterback pressures and four sacks. The Govs forced two fumbles, and Montreze Smith returned an interception for a touchdown in the second quarter. They also held Samford out of the end zone on three straight plays at the 1-yard line.
“I think it’s a breakthrough performance,” Faris said. ” . . . We did not do a great job offensively staying on the field. We put our defense in some tough positions. But they just continued to fight.”
Govs hold off challenge from Samford under interim coach
Samford, whose coach, Chris Hatcher, was fired on Nov. 8, came in 1-9 overall (1-7 Southern Conference). But Faris exercised caution with his team leading up to the game. He referenced how multiple FBS teams with interim coaches had pulled off major upsets already in FBS — UAB defeating Memphis, UCLA winning three games in a row, and even Florida, which nearly took down Georgia after Billy Napier’s dismissal.
Faris praised interim coach Scot Sloan for the Bulldogs’ preparation and intensity. Despite trailing 27-3, they rallied in the fourth quarter and had a chance to cut APSU’s lead to just seven points after recovering a late onside kick.
“I challenged our guys,” Faris said. “Like hey, that may give them a spark, but no one plays harder than us, no one loves each other more than we do, no one has more grit.”
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on X/Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: How Austin Peay football made program history at Fortera vs Samford
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos