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LIONS RETURN TO THE ROAD TO FACE CAMPBELL SATURDAY
FLORENCE, Ala. -- For the fourth time in the first five weeks of the 2018 football season, the University of North Alabama will be on the road, this time in Buies Creek, N.C., to face Campbell University.

North Alabama and Campbell will both enter the game with 3-1 records and it will be UNA's first game against a Big South Conference school since making the move to the Football Championship Subdivison (FCS) this season. The Lions won't officially join the Big South until 2019.

"Campbell is a very good 3-1 football team," said UNA head football coach Chris Willis. "This is their first year of scholarship football and obviously they have done a good job recruiting. They have some outstanding players. Their quarterback is a dual-threat, they have two really good receivers and two different style running backs that are both effective for them.

"They are also very sound on defense," Willis added. "They are good at what they do, they have good size and they will be one of the best teams we will face this year."

Campbell has wins over Chowan, Georgetown and Shaw and lost a hard-fought game to Coastal Carolina, 58-21. The Fighting Camels have a balanced offense, averaging 398 yards per game with 164 of that coming on the ground and the other 234 through the air.

Quarterback Daniel Smith has thrown for 922 yards and seven scores and has rushed for 209 yards and five TDs.

Campbell is one of four first-time opponents on UNA's 2018 football schedule. The Fighting Camels join Southern Utah, Azusa Pacific and Jackson State as first-time opponents for the Lions. Campbell will the 91st different school that UNA has faced in its football history.

North Alabama has an all-time 6-5 record against college football teams from the state of North Carolina and four of those meetings were in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. UNA has had its most meetings with UNC-Pembroke, downing the Braves four straight seasons from 2013-16. The Lions' last trip to play in the state of North Carolina was a 27-6 win at Pembroke in 2014.

This year's North Alabama team has mounted fourth quarter comebacks to post  all three of its wins, including a dramatic win last Saturday against Azusa Pacific when Chandler Carrera booted a 38-yard field goal as time expired for the 37-35 win.

In the season-opener at Southern Utah, UNA mounted two fourth quarter comeback drives, including the game-winner when Christian Lopez hit Dexter Boykin from one yard out for the winning TD with just 12 seconds left.  

On September 8 at Alabama A&M, UNA trailed 20-18 early in the fourth quarter when Maurice Burton, Jr. sacked the A&M quarterback and caused a fumble that the Lions recovered. Three plays later the Lions scored on a 30-yard pass from Lopez to Jakobi Byrd for the 25-20 win.

Lopez has directed all three of the comeback drives and has thrown for 787 yards overall with six TD passes. He also has 67 yards rushing and two TDs.

Senior running back Damon Cox rushed for 91 yards against Azusa Pacific and leads UNA with 297 yards for the season. UNA's quartet of redshirt-freshman receivers,  Andre Little, Dexter Boykin, Jakobi Byrd and Cortez Hall,  continue to impress and have combined for 50 catches for 670 yards and seven touchdowns through the first four games.

On the defensive side, UNA's numbers are not impressive but the Lions have gotten the stops and big plays when needed to boast a 3-1 record. The Lions have actually been outscored by 20 points this season but have won three of their four contests. After creating just three take-aways in the first three games of the season combined, the UNA defense stepped up with five against Azusa Pacific. Those turnovers played a key role in UNA's win.

Kickoff for Saturday's game at Barker-Lane Stadium is set for 5 p.m. Central.