Birmingham, AL—The
University of North Alabama football team has
been picked as the pre-season favorite to win
another Gulf South Conference football crown in
2007 in voting by the league's head coaches.
UNA received six
first-place votes and 95 total points in the
voting. Valdosta State followed, finishing
second (89) via three first-place nods. Delta
State and Henderson State shared the two
remaining first-place votes, but DSU edged HSU
for third place, 89-84. Only two points
separates the fifth through seventh spots with
Harding garnering 56 points, followed by
Arkansas Tech (55) and West Alabama (54).
Southern Arkansas finished eighth (33), while
West Georgia (30), Ouachita Baptist (19), and
Arkansas-Monticello (15) completed the poll.
North Alabama won
its eighth GSC football crown last season and
finished 11-1 overall before falling in the
quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II playoffs.
With more than 40
lettermen and 13 starters back, the Lions should
again be a contender this season.
The Lions lost a
wealth of talent from that team - including
All-American receiver and kick returner Anthony
Merritt, All-American center JoJo Bates and six
other first-team All-GSC picks.
The good news for
the Lions is that UNA returns 13 starters, led
by All-GSC performers Covington Wright (TE),
Lyle Atkinson (P), Michael Johnson (LB) and Yuta
Fukuda (PK).
UNA head coach Mark
Hudspeth, the 2006 GSC Coach of the Year, said
the Lions kicking game could be as good as it
has ever been, and the team has strength on both
the offensive and defensive lines.
Five Lions were
picked for pre-season All-GSC honors. Tight end
Covington Wright and tackle Tez Thigpen were
chosen on offense. Lineman Tim Hunt and
linebacker Michael Johnson were named to the
pre-season All-GSC defense. UNA punter Lyle
Atkinson was the pre-season All-GSC punter,
after earning All-GSC honors at the end of the
2006 season.
UNA opens its 2007
season at home on Sept. 8 against Tusculum at 6
p.m. at Braly Stadium.
The 2007 campaign
should add another exciting chapter to GSC
Football. The league brings back its GSC-TV Live
Football Game of the Week regional television
package for the third year in a row, adding a
new twist this season. This year’s schedule
offers 10 games, including the usual nine
Thursday night slate, and the addition of one
Saturday contest. One of the GSC’s most heated
rivalries finally hits the airwaves when
cross-street rivals Henderson State and host
Ouachita Baptist meet in the 76th annual "Battle
of the Ravine" on November 1st. |
