Chris Parson's 3 TDs lead Austin Peay past UT Martin 35-12

Chris Parson threw for 254 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 82 yards and two scores as Austin Peay scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to beat UT Martin 35-12 on SaturdayByThe Associated PressSeptember 26, 2026, 5:14 PMCLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- Chris Parson threw for 254 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 82 yards and two scores as Austin Peay scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to beat UT Martin 35-12 on Saturday.The Governors (4-1), ranked No. 13 in the Stats Perform poll, trailed 12-7 at halftime before scoring 21 points in the third quarter.Parson gave Austin Peay the lead with an 18-yard touchdown run with 10:58 left in the third. Eight seconds later, Ta’Ron Haile returned a Tate Surber interception 18 yards for a touchdown to give the Governors a 21-12 lead.Parson then connected with Marvin Sims for an 8-yard touchdown to make it 28-12. Sims added an 8-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring.Parson completed 17 of 21 passes without an interception. Sims caught four passes for 58 yards and a touchdown.UT Martin (1-4) took a 2-0 lead on Malik Brown’s first-quarter safety before Surber threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Kaleb Costner. Brandon Sims added a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter.Surber finished with 175 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.Popular ReadsAustin Peay: Hosts New Haven next Saturday.UT Martin: Has a bye week before traveling to Tennessee State on Oct. 10.___Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here.Sponsored Content by Taboola