FLORENCE, Ala. -- All that separated Azusa Pacific from an upset of Division I FCS North Alabama was a 38-yard field goal as time expired, as Chandler Carrera delivered the game-winner to lift the Lions past NCAA Division II's No. 24-ranked Cougars, 37-35.

The dramatic finish was the seventh lead change of a back-and-forth battle which was delayed by two hours and 30 minutes due to thunderstorms in the area. It was Carrera's fifth field goal of the night, and it pushed North Alabama past Azusa Pacific, which scored a touchdown and go-ahead two-point conversion to take a 35-34 lead with 1:16 left.

Azusa Pacific quarterback Tyrone Williams Jr. threw for a career-high 401 yards on and five touchdowns on 22-of-34 passing, but the Cougars coughed up five turnovers which led to 21 points for North Alabama, which did not give up a turnover in the game.

With the defeat, Azusa Pacific is now 3-1 overall, while North Alabama also improves to 3-1 on the year.

How It Happened: Azusa Pacific put together five touchdown drives but also committed five turnovers, which allowed North Alabama to score five times in the second half after the Lions took a 9-6 lead in a low-scoring first half.

The Cougars rallied from a 14-point deficit with 8:48 left in the game to take the lead with just over a minute to go. Williams went 4-for-4 passing as he engineered a 7-play, 75-yard scoring drive in less than three minutes to cut the Lions' lead to 34-27. A three-and-out from the Cougar defense gave the ball back to Williams and the offense with 4:16 to play, and a 56-yard completion to Gaige Allen helped set up Williams' fifth touchdown pass of the night, an eight-yard strike to Brandon Jackson that pulled Azusa Pacific within one, 34-33, with 1:16 remaining.

The Cougars left the offense on the field for a two-point conversion attempt, and Williams found Weston Carr in the end zone to push Azusa Pacific in front, 35-34. North Alabama responded with a nine-play, 64-yard drive over the final 1:16, giving Carrera a chance to win the game with his fifth field goal of the game. He split the uprights from 38 yards as time expired to lift the Lions to the victory.

Turning Point: In a game highlighted by seven lead changes, North Alabama enjoyed the only two-score lead of the game after executing a trick play for a 35-yard touchdown pass thrown by wide receiver Niko Morris. After receiving a backwards lateral, Morris led Terence Humphrey into the end zone with a long pass, and that gave the Lions a 34-20 lead with 8:48 left in the game.

After Azusa Pacific stormed back to take the lead, North Alabama quarterback Christian Lopez completed 4-of-6 passes for 64 yards on the game-winning drive, including a 26-yard toss to Andre Little to convert third-and-19 from the Azusa Pacific 47-yard line. That set up Carrera's game-winning field goal from 38 yards out.

Azusa Pacific Standouts: Williams completed six passes of at least 20 yards, including four completions of at least 34 yards each. Each of his four longest completions went to different receivers, including a 75-yard touchdown strike to Carr on the Cougars' first play from scrimmage. Jackson led all receivers with nine catches for 129 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Carr had two receptions, both touchdowns, for 97 yards.

Adrian Shocks led the defense with 12 tackles, including a nine-yard sack, which nearly resulted in a defensive touchdown when the ball came loose and was picked up by the Cougars' Tevin Krall with empty space in front of him. However, the play was whistled dead by an official who ruled that the fumble occurred after the quarterback's forward progress had been stopped. The very next play was the third-and-19 conversion on Lopez's 26-yard pass, which gained a first down and helped set up the Lions' winning field goal.

North Alabama Standouts: Lopez completed 17-of-37 passes for 238 yards and one touchdown, and Damon Cox led the Lions' rushing attack with 12 carries for 91 yards. Defensively, UNA was led by Christon Taylor, who registered 1.5 tackles for loss, forced one fumble, and recovered two fumbles. KJ Smith added both of the Lions' interceptions to go with five tackles.

What's Next: Azusa Pacific returns home to continue Great Northwest Athletic Conference play with consecutive home games against Humboldt State (Sept. 29) and Central Washington (Oct. 6). The Oct. 6 clash against last year's GNAC champion Central Washington will also play to a national broadcast audience on ESPN 3.

Quotable:

"We have a team with a lot of fight and belief in itself, but tonight's game showed us that we have to take care of the details even more right now. When you play a Division I FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) school which has a tradition of being a Division II power, you have to take care of little details. We want to be a powerhouse Division II program, and we have to be a team that grows into that and takes care of the details." -- Head Coach Victor Santa Cruz

"One of the great things is our team's resilience. When things get tough, we just keep playing football. We have a team that's mentally tough, and one of the things we have to figure out to become even tougher is to take care of the football even better. In a game like this, we needed to find a turnover, but I'm extremely proud of our guys for how they responded to adversity tonight." -- Santa Cruz

"The lightning delay already had the game going late, and when we scored that last touchdown we had a lot of momentum. On the road, you go for it; you don't blink, you just go for it. We just needed to be able to close the deal in the last minute, but that was a game with two great football teams that just kept swinging." -- Santa Cruz