FLORENCE, Ala. – The No. 2-ranked North Alabama Lions scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to seal a 34-24 win over the Delta State Statesmen on Thursday.
Quinton Andrews' 40-yard interception with 10:04 remaining in the game put the exclamation point on the win for Lions (8-0), who improved to 5-0 in Gulf South Conference play.
The game was televised on GSC-TV Live and broadcast regionally on Cox Sports and Charter Sports Southeast to more than 10 million homes across the southeastern U.S.
Tim Hicks rushed for 180 yards and a touchdown to lead the Lions. Quarterback Harrison Beck threw for 213 yards and three touchdowns, including two to T.J. Porter.
The Statesmen (3-4) fell to 2-3 in the GSC. They are now 10-3 all-time in televised games, and have dropped five of their last seven meetings against North Alabama.
Junior wideout
Trevar Deed (Phoenix, Ariz./Eastern Arizona CC) rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns for the Statesmen. He was also Delta State's leading receiver, catching 15 passes for 115 yards. Senior quarterback
Garrett DeWitt (Destin, Fla./Fort Walton Beach HS) completed 38 out of 55 pass attempts for 250 yards with one touchdown.
The Lions needed wasted little time making their presence felt as Hicks reeled off a 39-yard touchdown run 35 seconds into the game, capping a three-play, 68-yard drive. The Statesmen, however, withstood the early momentum and pieced together a 16-play, 76-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown from Deed with 7:42 remaining in the period.
After forcing the Lions on to punt on their next possession, the Statesmen were knocking on the door again thanks to a 81-yard punt return by
Todd Bradford (Selma, Ala./Auburn University) to put Delta State on the North Alabama 2-yard line. Two plays later, Deed was in the end zone again to give the Statesmen their first lead of the game with 5:49 remaining.
The two teams would trade touchdowns again before the quarter was over. The Lions needed barely more than a minute to tie the game on Mico McSwain's 56-yard touchdown reception from Beck. The Statesmen would retake the lead when
Derek Freeman recovered his own fumble in the North Alabama end zone after catching a 10-yard strike from DeWitt.
Ball control would again play into the Statesmen's favor in the second period, as Delta State capped an 11-play, 89-yard drive with a
Matt Dean (Cleveland, Miss./Cleveland HS) field goal with 8:26 remaining in the period that knocked more than five minutes off the clock.
The Statesmen would end up winning the battle for time of possession by more than 15 minutes.
The Lions cut the lead to three with seven-yard touchdown pass from Beck to T.J. Porter with 4:17 remaining before halftime. Dean's 40-yard field goal attempt in the final minute of the second quarter was wide, and the Statesmen took a 24-21 lead into the locker room.
While Delta State was able to move the ball in the second half, the Statesmen were unable to punch the ball in the end zone or send it through the uprights as the Lions put the clamps down in the final 30 minutes.
Porter's second touchdown reception of the night, this one from five yards, put the Lions ahead for good with 12:13 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Statesmen return to action one week from Saturday when they host the Southern Arkansas Muleriders at Parker Field-McCool Stadium in Cleveland. Kickoff time is scheduled for 3 p.m.
