No. 14 Austin Peay Pulls Away Late To Upend No. 17 UWF, 38-16

September 20, 2026

Despite entering Saturday night as the home favorite, No. 17 University of West Florida could not overcome an early deficit and miscues, falling 38-16 to No. 14 Austin Peay at Pen Air Field.

A crowd of 5,712 watched Austin Peay (3-1) jump out to an aggressive start in the first half and thwart UWF’s comeback attempts down the stretch with timely defensive stops and a backbreaking pick-six.

The Governors wasted little time making an impression. Midway through the opening frame, Chris Parson hit Jaden Robinson on a 61-yard touchdown strike down the right sideline to break the ice. Just over two minutes later, following a Markell Redding interception of UWF quarterback Ty’Ray Davis, Denver Harper ripped off a 41-yard scoring sprint on an end-around to put Austin Peay up 14-0.

Parson widened the gap to 21-0 on the second play of the second quarter with a 10-yard scamper into the end zone.

The Argos (2-1) responded when Davis engineered a 6-play, 76-yard march, highlighted by a 54-yard gallop from running back Markel Townsend. Davis capped the drive himself with a 10-yard rushing touchdown to get West Florida on the board at 21-7.

Austin Peay pushed its advantage back to three possessions when Courtland Simmons punched in a 5-yard touchdown run with 5:09 remaining in the half. UWF capitalized on a turnover on downs late in the period, setting up an 18-yard Reid Grek field goal as time expired to cut the margin to 28-10 at the break.

The Argos came out firing in the third quarter, controlling the tempo on an 11-play, 83-yard drive that chewed up nearly seven minutes. A 48-yard pass from Davis to Tyshon Mansell set up a 1-yard touchdown toss from Davis to Avery Giddens, pulling the Argos within 28-16 after a missed extra point.

UWF seemed poised to trim the deficit further early in the fourth quarter after marching deep into Governors territory, but Austin Peay’s defense stood tall, stopping Davis on fourth-and-1 at the 25-yard line for a turnover on downs.

The Governors answered with a methodical drive that culminated in a 37-yard field goal by Hamilton DiBoyan with 6:42 left, stretching the lead to 31-16.

Any hopes of an Argo comeback were extinguished moments later. With backup quarterback Donovan Leary in the game, Austin Peay defensive back Justin Wimpye stepped in front of a pass and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown with 4:26 remaining, sealing the 38-16 victory.

Townsend paced the Argo attack with 93 yards on nine carries, while Davis added 118 yards through the air and a touchdown pass alongside his rushing score. Austin Peay’s balanced offense churned out 235 rushing yards and was led defensively by Malik Denkins, who recorded eight tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and a sack.

Next Saturday, the Agros will travel to Southeast Missouri State.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FRONT FEATURE, Sports, TOP sports