Down 14-0 for the first time this season, on the road no less, that's where the Austin Peay football team found itself 6:25 into the first quarter against North Alabama at Braly Stadium in Florence, Alabama. 

After a 1-7 start to the season, North Alabama made a change in leadership for its football team last Sunday and had an interim head coach leading the way for the first time against the Governors… beware of the new coach bump. 

A team that changes head coaches in the midst of a season is a dangerous team with new energy and nothing to lose, and Austin Peay head coach Scotty Walden knew that. "I'll give credit where credit is due, UNA, to be in the situation they are in, give those guys a lot of credit for playing so hard and believing," said Walden. "That's always a deal, you have an interim coach, and that first game is always full of energy, and we knew they were going to fight, and they were going to believe."

So, the Lions came out swinging with 41-yard and 33-yard scores to go up two touchdowns early in the first quarter against the Govs, who had trailed by 17 points earlier in the season against Eastern Kentucky before storming back to win by 11 at Fortera Stadium, but had never been down 14-0 and especially not on the road. 

However, Walden noticed something on his team's sideline when they went down 14… "I think the biggest key to that, and we talked about it all week, is playing fast not frantic," said Walden. "I think our team did a great job not playing frantic or panicked and we trusted our training. You know, we have been just kind of echoing this message all week: trust our culture, trust our process, and trust who we are. I really felt like they [North Alabama] came out 14-0 and I didn't feel like any panic on the sideline, everybody kept their poise and every person on the sideline was like, hey, we just need a spark here."

Ask and you shall receive. A 20-yard kick return by Kam Thomas set the Govs up on the 29 to start the drive. Then a 17-yard pass from DiLiello to McCray followed by a 39-yard CJ Evans Jr. run had the Governors on the North Alabama 15-yard line. Four plays later, Evans Jr. punched it in from three yards out and the Governors were on the board. 

"And then the offense got going and got that touchdown, I think it really just gave our defense confidence," said Walden. "And then our defense started stoning them and our offense stayed in a rhythm. That middle portion [of the game] was really cool to see the complimentary football being played there."

That complimentary football saw the Austin Peay defense force North Alabama to punt on its final four drives before the half. The Governors held the Lions' offense to just 89 yards while forcing a pair of three-and-outs on those four drives and to top it off, freshman defensive back Jaden Lyles blocked one of the North Alabama punts and set the Governors offense up on the Lions' 46-yard line. 

While the Govs defense was putting the clamps on the North Alabama offense, the Govs offense was in full-go mode. Maddux Trujillo hit a field goal with 7:58 left in the first half to bring the back deficit back to four points and then a three-yard Jevon Jackson touchdown run gave the Govs a lead they would not relinquish. With 2:53 left in the first half, the Governors scored again, with DiLiello finding James Burns for a six-yard strike to build a 10-point, 24-14, lead at the half. 

After the half, nothing changed for the Govs defense on its first two drives. North Alabama ran 14 plays, gained a total of four yards, and punted twice more. In between those punts, the Governors sandwiched a 2-play, 75-yard scoring drive that saw former track star Kellen Stewart use every bit of that speed to outrun the North Alabama defense on a 69-yard touchdown toss.

Down 31-14, after Austin Peay scored 31-unanswered points, North Alabama found its rhythm again and found the end zone on back-to-back drives. All of a sudden, it's 31-28 Govs. 

The Govs needed an answer and they found just that, marching 57 yards down the field on nine plays in 3:27. The final play of the drive saw DiLiello hit Drae McCray at the 10-yard line, McCray spun out of one tackle and shrugged off another at the goal line as he extended the Govs' lead back to 10 points. 

But with 6:25 still left in the game, the Governors would still have to fend off a late Lions charge. North Alabama was able to find the end zone with 16 seconds remaining – 38-35 – and then they even recovered the on-side kick to have one last shot, but a Shamari Simmons interception on the game's final play capped the Governors' come-from-behind road win. 

Winning in college football is never easy, winning on the road – no matter where it is – is a whole other challenge. So, the Governors close the season with three-straight games on the road, they won the first and need another big win at Kennesaw State this weekend. When it comes to winning on the road, style points don't matter, walking away with another one in the win column is the only thing that does.

You've only got two more guaranteed chances to watch Scotty Walden and Co. this season. If you want to see the Governors' season continue after that, a win at Kennesaw would make a big difference in making that happen. So, hop in the car on Friday or Saturday and make the four-ish hour drive to Kennesaw, Georgia. If you're already in the Metro Atlanta Area, then join us at Fifth Third Stadium, Saturday. If you help the Governors pick up a second-straight road win and take down the Owls, you just might get another chance to see them play again after the season finale in Tuscaloosa.