FLORENCE, Ala. (Interstat) — Tucker Parks threw two touchdown passes and Brandon Perez kicked a 37-yard field goal with two seconds remaining as Abilene Christian defeated North Alabama 31-28 in an NCAA Football Championship Division game Saturday at Braly Municipal Stadium. A crowd of 9,186 watched the Wildcats improve to 4-4 and the Lions fall to 4-3. Abilene Christian answered a tying North Alabama touchdown late in the fourth quarter by moving into position for Perez’s decisive kick, capping a back-and-forth contest that featured five lead changes and a review that upheld a critical Lions touchdown.

Parks, a quarterback from Spring, Texas, completed 21 of 25 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns and ran 14 times for 58 yards. Cristian Driver caught five passes for 120 yards and a touchdown, while Jayden York had five receptions for 67 yards and a score. Rovaughn Banks Jr. ran 10 times for 36 yards and added four receptions for 13 yards. Alex Broome scored on a 1-yard run. Perez connected on field goals of 38, 45 and 37 yards, providing the Wildcats with timely points throughout the second half. Larry Benton III added two receptions for 20 yards, and Christian Oku had a 13-yard reception while making five tackles. Abilene Christian’s defense got 11 tackles from MJ Harrell, nine from Boone Morris and eight from Dillon Williams. Javeon Wilcox added six tackles, Hudson Page had five, and Kortlin Rausaw recorded five tackles and a sack. Darius Moore finished with three tackles and a sack, while Santana Miller added two tackles.

North Alabama quarterback Destin Wade completed 15 of 25 passes for 203 yards and ran 14 times for 76 yards and three touchdowns. Snap Reed caught eight passes for 105 yards, Xavier Johnson had three receptions for 73 yards, and Roderick Taylor Jr. ran 13 times for 59 yards and a touchdown. Jalen Fletcher ran three times for 16 yards and caught one pass for 2 yards, while Chris McMillian added seven carries for 19 yards. Nolan Forsha had three tackles and two sacks, Kanijal Thomas made nine tackles, Leo Glover had eight, and Fred Vili recorded seven tackles, one sack and a quarterback hurry. Tae Martin and Avery Howard each made four tackles, while Charles Chappelle, Anthony Young and Kamore Harris added three tackles apiece. Walter Goggins, Mond Cole and Joshua White each finished with two tackles, and Cole and Donovan Nevils shared a half-sack. Charles Mulcahy punted twice for 82 yards.

The Lions struck first when Wade ran 21 yards for a touchdown and Ian Vachon kicked the extra point. Abilene Christian answered quickly as Parks hit Driver for a 76-yard touchdown and Perez added the extra point. Vachon missed a 42-yard field goal later in the first quarter, and Wade then scored on a 6-yard run to give North Alabama a 14-7 lead. Perez made a 38-yard field goal in the second quarter, trimming the deficit to 14-10 at halftime. The Wildcats took the lead early in the third quarter on Broome’s 1-yard touchdown run and went ahead 20-14 on Perez’s 45-yard field goal. Wade’s 9-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, upheld after a review, and Vachon’s extra point put the Lions ahead 21-20.

Abilene Christian regained the lead in the fourth quarter when Parks found York for a 32-yard touchdown and the Wildcats converted the two-point try. North Alabama tied the game with 3:34 remaining on Taylor’s 5-yard touchdown run and Vachon’s extra point. The Wildcats then drove into field-goal range, and Perez made the 37-yard kick with two seconds left to seal the victory. The game featured 59 points, with Abilene Christian finishing with 31 and North Alabama with 28. The Wildcats won after North Alabama had tied the game late, and the final drive gave Abilene Christian its second win in its past three games.

Abilene Christian had entered after a 20-14 victory over Central Arkansas in its previous game, while North Alabama was coming off a 20-16 win at Eastern Kentucky. The Wildcats are scheduled to host West Georgia in their next game, and the Lions are set to host Austin Peay. The victory moved Abilene Christian back to .500 for the season, while North Alabama remained above .500 despite the close loss.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Abilene Christian 43, North Alabama 35, and its ELO system gave Abilene Christian a 63.7 percent probability to win. The actual result came in tighter than the projection, with the Wildcats needing Perez’s final kick to finish off the comeback and secure their fourth win of the season.