NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—Eric Benson kicked a 29-yard field goal with two seconds remaining to lift Tennessee State to a 37-34 victory over Austin Peay on Saturday night.
Benson’s field goal helped hold off an upset bid from Austin Peay (0-7, 0-4 Ohio Valley Conference), which rallied from a 27-12 halftime deficit to tie the game at 34 on P.R. Morris’ 11-yard interception return with 11:18 remaining in the game.
Javarris Williams rushed for 195 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries to lead Tennessee State (6-1, 3-0). His 3-yard touchdown run gave the Tigers a 34-20 lead with 9:15 remaining in the third quarter.
Theo Townsend, who had 27 carries for 150 yards, scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to pull the Governors to 34-27 with 3:20 left in the third before Morris’ interception return tied it.
Austin Peay’s T.C. Jennings was 12-for-17 for 167 yards and two touchdown passes. He threw a 53-yard scoring pass to Adrian Mines and a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jon Sanders.
Mines finished with six catches for 97 yards.
Tennessee State’s Antonio Heffner had seven carries for 72 yards and was 7 of 12 for 108 yards.
Benson also kicked field goals of 26 and 31 yards.
Head to Head - Week 8
| Team | Total Yds | Pass Yds | Rush Yds | First Downs | 3rdD% | Pen./Yds | Turnovers | Time of Poss. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Peay | 340 | 167 | 173 | 21 | 66.7% | 5/29 | 2 | 29:01 |
| Tennessee State | 485 | 108 | 377 | 24 | 30.0% | 15/125 | 2 | 30:59 |