Football

Nationally Ranked Austin Peay-Tarleton State Matchup Named Stats Perform FCS Game of the Week

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The United Athletic Conference’s (UAC) matchup between No. 3 Tarleton State and No. 9 Austin Peay - the conference’s first-ever top-10 matchup, has been named as the Stats Perform FCS Game of the Week.

Tarleton State, which has been in the top-five in the polls all season, is led by quarterback Kaden Anderson, who already has a 400-yard passing performance this season and leads the UAC in total offense per game (281) and passing average per game (269). Marquis Willis has been Anderson’s go-to this season; the senior wideout leads the conference in receptions per game (6.00) and ranks second in receiving yards per game (95.00).

Austin Peay has been an offensive force this season, outscoring opponents 222-97 behind playcaller Chris Parson. The senior quarterback currently ranks atop the conference in passing efficiency (198.77) with 11 touchdown passes through six games. Denver Harper has stepped onto the scene in a big way for the Govs, leading the conference in scoring touchdowns (9) and ranking third in all-purpose yards per game (97.50).

Saturday’s matchup is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT in Clarksville, Tenn. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.

Requests for interviews should be directed to:
Claire Johnson, Senior Director, Strategic Communications & Content
Unisun Sports / claire.johnson@unisunsports.com

About the United Athletic Conference

The United Athletic Conference (UAC) was established in 2023 as a single-sport football conference through a partnership between the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) and the former Western Athletic Conference. In July 2026, the ASUN and UAC formed Unisun Sports to further strengthen the conference, which now features eight football-playing member institutions: Abilene Christian University (Abilene, Texas), Austin Peay State University (Clarksville, Tenn.), the University of Central Arkansas (Conway, Ark.), Eastern Kentucky University (Richmond, Ky.), the University of North Alabama (Florence, Ala.), Tarleton State University (Stephenville, Texas), the University of West Georgia (Carrollton, Ga.) and the University of West Florida (Pensacola, Fla.).