Tennessee’s Austin Peay Rolls Past Eastern Kentucky 55-31

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Austin Peay answered last year’s defeat against the Colonels with a 55-31 result Saturday at Fortera Stadium, securing an eighth victory — a mark the program has reached three other times in the past decade — and lifting the Governors to 8-2 overall and 4-1 in the United Athletic Conference.

Kaden Williams set the tone immediately, taking the first kick of the afternoon 100 yards for a score, Austin Peay’s first such return on the game’s opening boot since 2007. Hamilton DiBoyan later added a 32-yard field goal, and Williams burst 33 yards for another score as the Governors closed the first quarter ahead 17-0.

Chris Parson completed 13 of 21 passes for 194 yards and one touchdown and ran 14 carries for 137 yards plus a pair of rushing touchdowns. The junior became the first player in school annals to reach 5,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards, and he now sits alone atop the program’s career total-yardage list. He also is the first Austin Peay quarterback with at least 10 rushing scores in consecutive seasons. Head coach Jeff Faris became just the second coach in the program’s 90-year history to raise his win total in each of his first three seasons.

Eastern Kentucky (3-7, 2-3) climbed back within three points during the third period. Myles Burkett passed for 302 yards and four scores on 21-of-33 passing, connecting with four different receivers, and a 54-yard strike to Brady Hensley made it 34-31 with just over seven minutes remaining in the third. The Governors answered when Parson hit Jackson Head for a 39-yard touchdown, later added a 26-yard scoring run, and Keith Charney took a pick back 25 yards for the last points of the night.

Austin Peay piled up 503 yards, including 309 on the ground, while holding the Colonels to 32 rushing yards, their lowest total of the season. The Governor defense recorded five sacks and seven stops behind the line. Austin Peay visits Abilene Christian on Nov. 14.

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