Conventional wisdom told Gainesville coach Bruce Miller to punt on fourth-and-1 inside his own territory.

His players convinced him otherwise.

The ensuing failed conversion allowed visiting Lanier (6-0, 5-0 Region 8-AAAAA) to take over and eventually secure a 16-8 win that puts the Longhorns squarely in the driver’s seat for a second straight region title.

“Yes, I would have changed it,” said Miller. “I got talked into it. I shouldn’t have gotten talked into it. But that’s my decision as a coach and I’ll take the blame for that.”

Down 3-0 midway through the third quarter, Miller said he was pressed by his players to go for it on fourth down at Gainesville’s 28 instead of punting.

The gamble failed. Gainesville (4-2, 4-1) fumbled on the ensuing run play, which allowed Lanier the chance to score a game-clinching touchdown on the following drive.

Lanier quarterback Tahj Tolbert tossed a 25-yard pass that found Juwuan Jones in the back of the end zone for a 10-0 advantage following Noah Thomas’ 22-yard field goal to open the second half.

Soon after, senior defensive tackle Derrick Brown bullied his way in for a score from a yard out to give the Longhorns a 16-0 lead in the fourth quarter.

Gainesville’s Messiah Dorsey (20 carries, 91 yards) cut the Longhorn lead in half with less than eight minutes remaining when he scurried in for a 3-yard touchdown before completing a 2-point conversion pass to Tae Turner.

But the comeback ran out of gas when the Red Elephants went four-and-out on their final possession.

Lanier picked up 284 total yards, including 253 on the ground, while Gainesville was held to just 193 total yards.

The Longhorns have now pulled off two dramatic wins over the Red Elephants, including last year’s 26-23 victory that was sealed by a last-minute field goal.

Lanier was able to secure its first region championship following the win in Sugar Hill. Still, Brown doesn’t want his team to get carried away with this year’s important road victory.

“At the end of the day, there’s still four games to go,” he said. “We’ll move on from this and keep on getting better.”

Brown, a five-star All-American with 25 major Division I offers to his name, lived up to all of his own high expectations. He sacked Dorsey (13-of-24 passing, 77 yards) within the first five minutes of the first quarter, blocked a Chandler Staton punt late in the third quarter, then finished off Lanier’s ensuing drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown, the senior’s first of the season.

The senior even got to have his dominant night in front of Auburn University head coach Gus Malzahn, who made the trip to Gainesville to see his recruit. Brown will be visiting Tennessee this weekend.

“Derrick just seems to find a way to make himself so athletic, so effective for every play each game,” said Lanier coach Korey Mobbs. “It was definitely good for him to get points early in that second half.

The first half featured three missed field goals, including two from Lanier and one from Gainesville.

Lanier’s first attempt was from 42 yards out, but the snap flew over Noah Thomas’ head, and he was forced to fall on the ball near midfield. Thomas again had a chance in the second quarter from 36 yards, but the kick was shanked wide left.

On their final drive of the first half, the Red Elephants drove from their own 9 to Lanier’s 42 before kicker Chandler Staton’s kick from 58 yards out fell just short.

Gainesville was unlucky not to have taken a lead heading into the break. Dorsey found wide receiver Tae Turner (3 receptions, 19 yards) in the end zone from 32 yards out on the final drive before halftime, but the touchdown was waved off, thanks to a holding call. The Red Elephants racked up six penalties for 55 yards in the first half.

Down 16-0, Dorsey finished a three-minute, 65-yard drive when he ran into the end zone from 3 yards out. He cut the lead in half when Turner recovered a tipped pass on the 2-point conversion.

However, Lanier’s effective running game chewed several precious minutes off the clock as Gainesville tried to muster up a definitive stop.

Marcella Baity (24 carries for 160 yards) and Marcko Baity (27 carries for 127 yards) were responsible for 16 of Lanier’s 18 first downs.

“I felt like we needed to try and stop it,” said Miller. “They just had a really good running game tonight.”

Longhorns 16, Red Elephants 8

Stat that matters: 6 minutes. Lanier was able to complete a 14-play drive that lasted six minutes in the third quarter to earn a field goal and its first lead of the game. The long drive kept Gainesville from having the time necessary to complete its comeback.

Game changer: Derrick Brown. His early sack set the tone for Lanier’s defense, which held Gainesville to less than 200 yards. He’d later block and punt and score his first offensive touchdown of the season.

Turning point: On fourth-and-1, Gainesville fumbled the ball and gave up possession to Lanier on Gainesville’s 28-yard line. The Longhorns were able to convert the error into a touchdown when quarterback Tajh Tolbert found Juwuan Jones on the far edge of the end zone a few plays later.

Up next: Gainesville visits Clarke Central on Friday; Lanier is host to Heritage (Conyers).