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DEFENDING GSC CHAMPS LOOKING FOR ANOTHER BANNER
SEASON
With more than 40
lettermen and 13 starters back from a team that
reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division
II playoffs in 2006, the University of North
Alabama football team hopes to again make a run
at another Gulf South Conference championship
and an NCAA Division II championship in 2007.
UNA went 11-1 last
season, won its eight GSC championship and
advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs for
the third time in the last four seasons.
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.
 With
quarterback A.J. Milwee back after posting an
11-1 record as a starter last season, the Lions
could be a team to be reckoned with.
“We have holes to
fill but we also have a lot of talent back and a
talented group of signees coming in,” said
Hudspeth. “If we can put up similar offensive
and defensive numbers to what we did last
season, we should have a chance to compete at
the highest level in the GSC and Division II.”
That may be a tall
order since UNA averaged an impressive 33 points
and 379 total yards per game last season on
offense, while holding opponents to 13.8 points
per outing. But with outstanding returnees
leading the way at several key positions, UNA
should again be a team to watch on the national
scene.
"Depth at wide
receiver and in the defensive secondary are two
big question marks and we will need our signees
to step up at both positions," Hudspeth said.
The Lions will look
to junior quarterback A.J. Milwee (5-10,
175) of Boaz, Ala., to direct the offense again
in 2006. He threw for 2,039 yards and 16
touchdowns last season and rushed for eight more
TDs.
Although Milwee
missed most of spring practice due to an injury,
he has two seasons experience in the UNA offense
and has played in six NCAA playoff games over
the last two years.
Junior quarterback
Dusty Goodwin (6-1, 206) of Demopolis, Ala.,
also gained valuable experience last season
before being injured. He threw for 301 yards and
six touchdowns, completing 30 of 40 passes. With
Milwee and Goodwin missing significant portions
of spring drills, red-shirt freshman Ret
Tolleson of Bremen, Ga., got extensive work with
the Lions' first string and should also see
action this season.
Behind the
quarterback, sophomore Tim Hicks (5-9, 180) of
Millry, Ala., should lead the way in the running
game. He rushed for 484 yards on 83 rushes last
season and scored seven touchdowns as a
freshman. Hicks is the Lions only returning
running back but has a chance to be among the
best in the GSC, according to Hudspeth.
 UNA's
receiving corp in 2007 will be minus all-time
leading receiver Marcus Lewis and All-American
Anthony Merritt, as well as veterans Patrick
Wilson and Lonnell Dewalt. UNA does return a
big-play threat in Jason Messing 6-1, 200, SR)
of Knoxville, Tenn., who has 81 catches for
1,383 yards and 17 touchdowns over the last two
years. Also back are Trey Gorman (6-0, 170, JR)
of Gardendale, Joemal Campbell (6-1, 170, SR) of
Holly Springs, Miss., and Reggie Hubbard (6-2,
177, SR) of Russellville, Ala. Gorman had 12
catches for 236 yards and two touchdowns last
season, including an 83-yarder against Ouachta
Baptist. Campbell, who also played on the UNA
men's basketball team in 2006-07, had nine
catches for 93 yards. Hubbard, a three-year
veteran, had six catches for 33 yards and one
score.
At tight end, UNA
returns a solid one-two punch. All-GSC selection
Covington Wright (6-6, 260, JR) is back after
making four catches for 43 yards and one
touchdown. Back-up Brandon Alldredge (6-1, 208,
JR) of Alexandria, Ala., is also back after
gaining valuable experience last season.
The offensive line
has experience and depth and could be the real
strength of the UNA offense. Tez Thigpen 6-2,
300, SR) of Holly Springs, Miss., and Michael
Hathorn (6-4, 280, JR) of Corinth, Miss.,
will start at the tackles , with Robert Kakuska
(6-5, 275, SR) of Roswell, N.M., moving over
from the defensive line to provide depth.
J.D. Whited (6-3, 293, SR) of Oneonta, Ala., and
Eric Richardson (6-2, 275, SO) of Florence are
slated to start at the guard positions, with
Luke Chenault (6-2, 270, SO) of Moulton, Ala.,
and Phil Lowery (6-4, 314, JR) of Hatton, Ala.,
as back-ups. Samuel Hathorn (6-3, 275, JR) of
Corinth, Miss., reports back as the starting
center but Mike Horton (6-1, 240, JR) of
Florence should battle him for playing time.
Defensively, UNA
returns six starters from a unit that ranked
ninth in Division II in scoring defense.
 Although
four first-team All-GSC performers from last
season are gone, the Lions return their leading
tackler in Michael Johnson (6-, 230, SO)
of Panama City, Fla. He had 87 tackles last
season, including 6.5 tackles for loss to
spearhead UNA's defensive attack. The team's top
two pass defenders are also back in Bobby
Brooks, III (6-0, 190, JR) of Hoover, Ala., and
Craig Fox (6-0, 185, SR) of Kentwood, La. Brooks
led the Lions with four interceptions for 104
yards last season and Fox added three picks for
40 yards and one touchdown.
The defensive line
has the most depth of any position at UNA. Team
captain Derrick Chatman (5-11, 245, JR) of
Florence and Eric Denson (6-1, 285, SR) of
Brandon, Miss. lead the way at the tackle spots,
and Tim Hunt (6-5, 274, SR) of Mobile, Ala.,
returns after missing the 2006 season. He was an
All-Southeast Region pick as a junior. Also
battling for playing time will be transfer James
Hall (6-4, 238, SR) of Amite, La., Chris Perkins
(6-2, 290) from Itawamba Community College and
D'Arcy Coleman (5-11, 285, JR) of Mississippi
Delta Community College.
At the end
positions, Montrell Craft (6-2 250, SO) of
Millington, Tenn., Antron Dillon (6-4, 235, JR)
of Hammond, La., Dee Pittman (6-4, 230, SO) of
Pensacola, Fla., and Zach Taylor (6-4, 230, FR)
of Madison, Ala., all had impressive springs and
will see extensive playing time. University of
Miami-Ohio transfer Trenaine Sills (6-1, 255)
should also play into the mix at the end.
The linebacker
position will have a revamped lineup led by
Johnson at the starting middle linebacker
position. Senior Jonathan Douglas (5-10, 190,
SR) of Cumming, Ga., will enter fall camp as a
starter at the Sam position. Junior college
transfers Neal Mitchell Jr. of Northeast
Mississippi and Kerry Orr of Itawamba will
battle for playing time. Senior Vince Cary (6-1,
230, SR) of Alpharetta, Ga., sophomore Marcell
Craft (6-1, 255, SO) of Millington, Tenn., and
Mississippi Delta transfer Leroy Collins could
also battle for playing time.
A wealth of
freshman linebackers, including Caleb Anderson
of East Limestone and Hilliard Foster of
Wetumpka, will be counted on for depth.
The defensive
backfield returns three starters in Fox, Brooks
and Keldrick Docher. Docher, a 5-10, 170, SR,
from Weir, Miss., finished fourth on the team in
tackles a year ago with 56 stops. He had one
interception and three tackles for loss. Fox had
42 tackles and Brooks had 41.
Vincent Jackson
(5-9, 160, JR) of Demopolis and Chad Daniel
(5-10, 170, FR) of Sipsey, Ala., will battle for
the other spot. Junior college signees Kelvin
Carter (5-10, 185) of Mississippi Delta and Tony
Osborn (5-10, 180) of Itawamba should also
battle for playing time at the corner position.
E.J. Riggins (5-9, 180, SO) of Birmingham, Ala.,
and freshman signee Harrison Bryant (601, 210)
of Troy, Ala., will counted on to add depth to
the safety position.
 The
UNA special teams should be solid with the
return of starting kicker Yuta Fukuda
(5-7, 170, SR) of Gumma-Machi, Japan, and
starting All-GSC punter Lyle Atkinson (6-2, 160,
SR) of Guin, Ala. Fukuda, a two-year
starter for the Lions, made 12 of 17 field goals
last season and connected on 36 of 40 extra
point attempts. He led UNA in scoring with 72
points. Scott Shurden (5-8, 160, SR) of
Noxapater, Miss., should also compete for
playing time as a kicker. He made his only field
goal attempt and nine of 11 PATs last season.
UNA led the GSC in
punting and kickoff coverage last season.
Jonathan Garcia
(6-3, 220, SO) of Orange Park, Fla., will handle
the long snapping duties.
The Lions open the
2007 season at home against Tusculum on Sept. 8
in their only non- conference game of the
season. UNA then faces a nine-game conference
schedule, with home games against Southern
Arkansas, Ouachita Baptist, Delta State, West
Georgia and West Alabama. The Lions will play
road games at Harding, Arkansas Tech,
Arkansas-Monticello and Valdosta State.
"We are excited
about playing six home games" said Hudspeth. "It
is the first time that we have had that luxury.
Braly Stadium is a great home field advantage,
especially when you average over 10,000 per game
as we did last season.
"The "Lion Walk"
has also turned into a great tradition for our
fans and a great motivator for our players," he
said. I believe that the GSC race will be
just as tough as we expect, with a few of the
bottom teams in the conference being more
competitive," Hudspeth said. "It will be a
challenge every week because defending champs
always seem to get everyone's best shot." |
