COOKVILLE, Tenn. -- — A.J. Seay gave North Alabama the lead for good with a 44-yard interception return and the Lions defeated Tennessee Tech 20-7 on Saturday night.

Sam Contorno's 42-yard field goal opened the scoring for North Alabama (2-2). The Golden Eagles (0-3) grabbed a 7-3 lead when Jacquez McGowan picked off Noah Walters and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown with 4:46 left in the first quarter. Roberts answered with his pick-6 off a pass by Ethan Roberts with 70 seconds left in the quarter, giving the Lions a lead they never relinquished.

Backup QB TJ Smith hit Walters for a 26-yard score and a 17-7 lead after three quarters. Contorno capped the scoring with a 32-yard field goal in the final period.

Walters completed 7 of 13 passes for 55 yards with two interceptions for the Lions. Demarcus Lacey carried 23 times for 139 yards.

Roberts completed 6 of 16 passes for 56 yards with three interceptions for the Golden Eagles. Hayes Gibson had 133 yards on 9-of-18 passing.

Tennessee Tech outgained the Lions 296-259 but five turnovers were too much to overcome.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll