Nacogdoches, TX – Jevon Jackson ran for 141 yards on his final 13 carries, and Cedarius Doss intercepted a pair of passes as the Austin Peay State University (APSU) football team opened United Athletic Conference play with a 22-20 comeback victory against Stephen F. Austin Saturday at Homer Bryce Stadium.
Trailing 20-7 with 3:04 remaining in the third quarter, Austin Peay (2-2, 1-0 UAC) turned the game around on a dime – or a Doss. Cedarius Doss intercepted a pass and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit in half. Doss wasn’t done causing trouble for the Lumberjacks, as he intercepted the first pass on the next SFA drive.
The APSU Govs offense made the turnover pay off with a 12-play, 61-yard drive. Jackson came into his own on the drive, carrying the ball six times for 64 yards. But his biggest run came with the Govs facing a 3rd-and-Goal on the 24-yard line as he broke through the line, fended off a tackle, escaped another would-be tackler, and dove across the goal line to tie the game 20-20.
Austin Peay State University nearly took the lead on its next drive, going 92 yards from its seven-yard line to the SFA one-yard line. However, they couldn’t punch the ball into the end zone with a pair of runs stopped by players slipping on the turf.
Stephen F. Austin (2-2, 0-1 UAC) took over on the one-yard line but also fell victim to the slippery turf. SFA running back Anthony Williams took the handoff four yards deep in the end zone but slipped and fell just inside the goal line for a safety to give the Govs a 22-20 lead.
The APSU Govs looked to build on their lead on the ensuing drive but saw it stall at the SFA 36-yard line, forcing a quick punt by quarterback Mike DiLiello. Stephen F. Austin would move the ball into Austin Peay State University territory at the 48-yard line, but the Govs defense forced an incomplete pass on third down, and Tyler Long batted down a fourth-down pass to end the threat and secure the win.
Doss finished with two interceptions to lead an Austin Peay defense that held Stephen F. Austin to 324 yards and only 36 yards in the fourth quarter. Jevon McIver Jr. led APSU with 11 tackles.
Brian Mauer completed 20-of-38 passes for 167 yards and ran for a touchdown to lead the Lumberjacks.
Next Up For APSU Football
Austin Peay brings the first half of its schedule with a Saturday nonconference game at Lindenwood in St. Charles, Missouri. The game is set to start at 1:00pm.
Scoring Summary
GOVS 0, SFA 7 – After both teams opened with three-and-outs, Stephen F. Austin started its second drive on its 24-yard line. The Lumberjacks matched down the field in 18 plays. Late in the drive, an APSU pass interference penalty in the end zone put SFA on the two-yard line. After the defense held on first down, Mauer broke through the line on a three-yard keeper for the score.
GOVS 7, SFA 7 – After Austin Peay State University held Stephen F. Austin to a field goal attempt that it missed, the Govs defense took over on its 22-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Trey Goodman and DiLiello connected on a stutter-and-go pass play that went for 78 yards – 61 of those yards coming after the catch as Goodman sped away from the defense for the score.
GOVS 7, SFA 14 – Stephen F. Austin responded to the Austin Peay State University big play with one of their own on the first play from scrimmage. Mauer found Kylon Harris on a 47-yard completion, moving the ball to the ASPU 28-yard line. Three plays later, Mauer left the game after suffering an injury (he returned on the next drive), but backup Preston Weeks completed passes of 12 and 14 yards to find the end zone.
GOVS 7, SFA 17 – Stephen F. Austin Peay bottled up Austin Peay State University’s first drive of the second half and started its opening drive of the half on its 32-yard line. Facing a 4th-and-4, Mauer ran 25 yards on a naked bootleg to extend the drive. The Lumberjacks would get to the APSU 14-yard line before a pair of penalties pushed them back to 2nd-and-17. The Govs defense didn’t allow another first down and forced a 35-yard field goal by Chris Campos.
GOVS 7, SFA 20 – Austin Peay State University set up its next drive in excellent field position after Kam Thomas’ 43-yard return to midfield. But SFA intercepted a pass on the drive’s first play to kill the drive and set up shop on the APSU 48-yard line. The Lumberjacks would convert three first downs on the ensuing drive, but the Govs’ defense again forced the drive to stall around the 20-yard line. Campos converted a 39-yard field goal to extend the SFA lead.
GOVS 14, SFA 20 – After a 10-yard holding penalty aided a 46-yard Riley Stephens’ punt, SFA faced the worst starting field position by either team through three quarters – starting on its 13-yard line. The Austin Peay State University defense stuffed a run on the first play, and Cedarius Doss intercepted a pass in no man’s land and ran it back 20 yards for a touchdown.
GOVS 20, SFA 20 – Doss intercepted a pass to end a second straight SFA drive, and his return set up the APSU Govs on their 39-yard line. The drive was a highlight reel for Jevon Jackson, who rushed six times for 64 yards on the drive. But facing 3rd-and-Goal on the 24-yard line, Jackson broke a tackle, juked another tackler, and dove into the end zone for the touchdown to tie the game.
GOVS 22, SFA 20 – SFA took over after the APSU Govs saw a drive stopped at the one-yard line. On its first play from scrimmage, the running back slipped and fell in the end zone for a safety to give the Govs the lead.
