Smith and Barnes make history at Austin Peay with 31-17 victory against North Alabama

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    Florence, Ala. โ€” Austin Smith delivered a stellar performance, passing for 406 yards and four touchdowns while achieving a remarkable completion rate of 88.5%. His strong effort helped propel Austin Peay to a 31-17 victory over North Alabama on Saturday, marking a game where the Governors never found themselves behind.

    The scoring started for Austin Peay (4-5, 3-3 United Athletic) with a 37-yard field goal from Carson Smith. Soon after, Austin Smith launched a 57-yard touchdown pass to Jaden Barnes, followed by another scoring throw of 31 yards to the same receiver. To wrap up the first half, Smith connected on a 14-yard pass to Romon Copeland Jr., which established a commanding 24-3 lead at halftime.

    In the third quarter, North Alabama made adjustments and cut the gap to just one touchdown. Quarterback TJ Smith scored on a 14-yard run just a minute and a half into the quarter. Later, with 5:40 remaining in the third, he threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Ben Harris, narrowing the score to 24-17.

    However, Austin Peay regained control of the scoreboard when Smith completed another touchdown pass to Barnes for 49 yards with 7:21 left in the game, cementing the final score at 31-17. The efficient Austin Smith completed 31 of 35 passes, while Barnes recorded 12 receptions for an impressive 241 yards and three touchdowns.

    Smithโ€™s completion percentage is a new single-game record for the program, surpassing the previous mark of 87.5% set by Jesse Kellogg in 2003. Barnesโ€™ reception tally ties him for second-most in a single game in program history, alongside Drae McCray, Pat Curran, and Michael Farrell. Additionally, his 241 receiving yards stands as the second-highest in the programโ€™s history, only behind Harold Robertsโ€™ 250 yards achieved in 1969.

    On the other side, TJ Smith of North Alabama tallied 278 passing yards and added 62 rushing yards to his performance for the Lions (3-6, 3-2). Austin Peay has now claimed victory in the last three encounters with North Alabama, following a closely contested 38-35 game in 2022 and a 49-39 win the previous season.

    Despite the recent successes for the Governors, North Alabama maintains a lead in the all-time series, holding a record of 14-7 against Austin Peay.