Austin Peay football's upset bid falls short in loss to Tarleton State on homecoming

Austin Peay football's bid for its first winning streak under coach Jeff Faris fell just short.

The Governors lost 27-17 to FCS No. 8 Tarleton State on Saturday at Fortera Stadium, their first defeat since a loss at home to Southern Utah in September.

“We’re never disappointed," Faris, APSU's first-year coach, said. "When we give everything we have for our program, there’s never any reason to hang our heads . . . Our guys understand that we’re building this the right way. The trajectory isn’t always linear.”

After beating West Georgia and Utah Tech for a pair of road conference wins thanks to solid defense and rushing, APSU (3-5, 2-3 United Athletic Conference) managed only 62 yards on 31 carries against the Texans (7-1, 4-0) and gave up 436 yards of offense.

Govs quarterback Austin Smith went 21-for-39 for 255 yards, his second-highest total of the season. Jaden Lyles had 13 tackles and an interception to lead APSU's defense. Kicker Carson Smith hit a season-long 53-yard field goal.

Austin Peay will be on the road Nov. 2 at North Alabama (3-5, 3-1).

MORE: How Jeff Faris began path to becoming Austin Peay football coach under David Cutcliffe

Govs' secondary comes up big

Austin Peay moved up to second in the UAC in interceptions, with 10 for the season, after picking off Tarleton State quarterback Victor Gabalis three times.

In the second quarter, Jesse Johnson III jumped a route and returned the interception 53 yards into Texans territory before being stripped of the ball. Lyles, a Lipscomb Academy product, recovered the fumble at the TSU 13 to set up Romon Copeland Jr.'s 1-yard touchdown run.

Lyles had an interception in the third quarter. Smith completed long passes to Copeland and Corey Richardson on the ensuing drive, which La'Vell Wright capped off with a 2-yard run to tie the score at 17.

Ellis Ellis Jr., a sophomore from Hendersonville, broke up passes in the end zone at the end of the second quarter and midway through the third, saving APSU eight points by holding the Texans to field goals on both possessions.

Kendyle Ball had the Govs' other interception.

Mixed bag for APSU on defense

The Governors prepared well for Tarleton State running back Kayvon Britten.

Britten, who entered the game as the leading rusher in FCS with 1,160 yards, gained 106 yards but averaged only 3.5 per carry and didn't have a rush longer than 12 yards. Britten had eclipsed the 150-yard mark in five of the previous seven games and hadn't been held to less than 5.2 yards per carry.

“He’s arguably one of the best players in football," Faris said. "You gotta be perfect against anybody who’s of that value. Our defense played their tails off.”

However, Austin Peay gave up big plays in the passing game. Gabalis threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Darius Cooper in the second quarter. He also had a 39-yard pass to Cody Jackson in the fourth quarter, which set up a 12-yard touchdown run by Britten to put Tarleton State ahead 10.

Govs' 2019 team honored

Austin Peay's 2019 team, which won the program's first conference championship in 42 years, was recognized during Saturday's homecoming festivities. Members of that team were honored on the field during a timeout in the first quarter.

Coached by Mark Hudspeth, the Governors went 11-4 overall and 7-1 in Ohio Valley Conference play to qualify for the FCS playoffs for the first time. APSU defeated Furman and Sacramento State to reach the quarterfinals, where it lost to Montana State.

Austin Peay, which also won a conference title in 2023, has been competitive with a pair of top-10 teams at home — Southern Illinois and now Tarleton State — before losing. This season's Govs believe "little things" are all that separates them from the level of the 2019 and 2023 teams.

“Every game we play is really on us and how we go out and execute," Copeland said. " . . . We’re a good football team, but taking care of the little things is going to make us a great football team.”

Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Austin Peay football's upset bid falls short in loss to Tarleton State on homecoming