FLORENCE, AL (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Austin Peay State University football team went down to Florence on Saturday to take on the North Alabama Lions. This was a big spot for the Governors, as they entered with a 6-2 record and were looking to add another win ahead of their bye week.
The Lions entered this contest with a 4-3 record and a 1-1 mark in conference play, while the Govs entered with a 6-2 overall record and 2-1 in conference play. The Govs and Lions have become big rivals in every sport, so we knew coming in this would be a tough game.
There wasn’t much offense in the first half, but the second half was a different story. Ultimately, the Govs pulled out a hard-fought 27-21 victory, improving to 7-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play. Now, let’s look back at how the win happened.
Second half offense, turnovers
If you’ve been keeping up with Austin Peay football this season, you know the team has been prone to slow starts. In this game, the Govs got an early interception from Eli Jones, which led to an early touchdown and 7-0 lead.
However, that’s where the offense ended in the first half for the Govs. The good news is, the Lions couldn’t do much on offense, either. UNA quarterback Destin Wade did some damage with his legs, and freshman wide receiver Xavier Johnson made his presence known. Johnson caught a touchdown pass in the second half which made it a 7-7 game at halftime.
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The second half couldn’t have been a more different game. Earlier in the third quarter, UNA running back Roderick Taylor Jr. found the end zone on an 11-yard run, making it a 14-7 game. Just a few minutes later, the Govs had a solid drive that stalled out, but Hamilton DiBoyan connected on a 43-yard field goal to make it a 14-10 game.
Then, at the end of the third quarter, chaos reigned. With just over two minutes to play in the quarter, Chris Parson had an electric run, making multiple people miss, to score a touchdown and put the Govs back in front, 17-14. Just one minute later, though, Wade hit Johnson for a 74-yard touchdown to put the Lions back in front 21-17. Then, after just one more minute, Parson hit Denver Harper for a 41-yard score, putting the Govs back in front 24-21.
The fourth quarter ended up being a defensive battle again, as neither team could do much on offense. With under three minutes to play, DiBoyan came through again with another clutch field goal, extending the Govs’ lead to 27-21. That would end up being the final score as a late fumble from UNA essentially ended the game.
Standout players
This was a full team effort, but there are four players who deserve a special shoutout: Chris Parson, Denver Harper, Marvin Sims, and David Portu.
Parson’s stat line isn’t going to look that impressive, but he’s just a winner. He evaded pressure, made big throws when he needed to, didn’t make any mistakes, and made big plays with his legs. The quarterback ended with 215 pass yards, 61 rush yards, and three touchdowns.
Harper and Sims both caught six passes and had one touchdown each. Harper ended with 98 yards, while Sims ended with 94. Both receivers came up huge and moved the chains at critical points. The two receivers had to step up big with Jaden Robinson out once again, and they both did.
Finally, David Portu was a huge difference-maker for the defense. Portu collected seven tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. Portu’s sack and forced fumble came on a crucial third down and halted a promising UNA drive.