The All State

Media Credit: Lois Jones Govs freshman kicker Isaac Ziolkowsky kicked a 29 yard field goal with five seconds left in the game for the 30-27 victory. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Lois Jones Sophomore QB, Gary Orr, took over in the second quarter and threww for 177 yards and two TD's. [Click to enlarge]

Fans should never leave Austin Peay State University Governors football games early. The last three games the Govs have played have been decided in the last five minutes by seven points or less.

In Cookeville, TN, the trend continued as the Govs defeated the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 30-27 with a field goal in the last seconds of the game.

After two consecutive time outs called by Tennessee Tech coach Watson Brown, freshmen kicker Isaac Ziolkowski lined up for the game winning 29 yard field goal with five seconds left in the game.

Ziolkowsky had missed a 34 yard attempt in the first quarter and had a PAT blocked in the fourth. After a perfect snap, he blasted the game winner high, through the middle of the uprights.

"Isaac Ziolkowsky, he misses one, he gets one blocked and then he goes in and knocks in the game winner after two time outs," said Govs coach Rick Christophel. "It's funny, just like I have been saying all along; we need chances in the fourth quarter and this is what happens."

The game winning field goal was set up by great efforts on both sides of the ball.

Offensively, the Govs kept pace with the Golden Eagles with a balanced attack and no turnovers. They finished the game with 188 yards rushing and 209 yards passing.

Defensively, the Govs made the plays they had to including forcing three TTU turnovers.

Late in the fourth quarter, Golden Eagles quarterback Cass Barnes was scrambling for a first down when APSU sophomore linebacker Chris Haynes stripped him of the ball. Fellow linebacker Josh Hackett recovered the fumble and the Govs took over on the Golden Eagles 45 yard line with 3:02 left in the game.

To move the ball into field goal range and keep the clock running, four of the Govs next six offensive plays were handoffs to senior running back Chris Fletcher.

Fletcher had a season high 30 carries for 147 yards. Comparatively, Golden Eagles running back Derek White, who leads the Ohio Valley Conference in rushing, was held to 95 yards on 20 carries by the Govs defense.

"I think he [Fletcher] stepped it up today," Christophel said. "Chris Fletcher hasn't been playing his best football, I don't think, the last couple of weeks. You have to give a hat's off to the offensive line."

APSU wide receivers Lanis Frederick and Alan Mines also had excellent games. Frederick caught four passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. Mines caught six for 72 and a touchdown.

Frederick and Mines were catching passes from the Govs third quarterback this season, sophomore Gary Orr.

In his first start, freshman quarterback Trent Caffee had trouble early in the game. After completing just two of seven pass attempts for 37 yards, Caffee was replaced by Orr in the second quarter.

Behind 10-0 in the second quarter, Orr provided an immediate spark for the Govs with a 40 yard touchdown pass to Frederick. His first pass of the game made the score 10-6.

At half time, Orr had completed all five of his pass attempts and thrown two touchdowns. He finished the game completing 12 of 16 for 177 yards.

The Golden Eagles quarterback change was not as successful. Starting quarterback Josh Lowery completed 11 of 17 passes for 170 yards before leaving the game because of an injury in the third quarter.

His replacement, Barnes, did not complete a pass but rushed for 60 yards with a touchdown and a fumble.

The win moves APSU (4-2, 2-1 OVC) above TTU (4-2, 2-2 OVC) in the OVC standings, behind their next opponents, Jacksonville State (3-3, 2-1 OVC).

The Govs will face Jacksonville state at home Thursday at 6p.m.

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