PDF Game Notes
FLORENCE, Ala. -- With four games remaining in the University of North Alabama's final season of transition to Division I FCS football, the Lions have an opportunity Saturday to continue to build on the momentum of a Homecoming win over Robert Morris when they host Charleston Southern at 2:00 p.m. at Braly Stadium.
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The Lions held leads in five of their first six games, only to see those contests slip away.
In the 42-31 win over Robert Morris, the Lions rolled to a 35-7 lead early and held off the Colonials in the second half.
That same Robert Morris team downed Charleston Southern the week before, 31-24.
The Buccaneers bring a 2-3 record to Florence, coming off a 35-5 home win last weekend over Hampton.
"We've got some momentum coming off a win and we need to get this one and carry that momentum into our bye week, " Â said UNA Head Football Coach
Chris Willis. "As a team we are beaten up, but that is typical for this late in the season. We need to play well Saturday, eliminate mistakes and stay healthy."
Charleston Southern opened the season with an impressive 38-21 win at The Citadel to open the season, but then dropped games to Monmouth, East Carolina and Robert Morris.
CSU quarterback Jack Chambers is the Buccaneers' leading rusher and passer, picking up 251 yards and scoring three touchdowns on the ground, and throwing for 1,530 yards and 12 touchdowns.
He has four prime targets in Cayden Jordan, Garris Schwarting, Geoffrey Wall and Demetrius Jones who each have more than 270 yards receiving this season.
For the season, the Buccaneers are averaging 426 total yards per game with the majority of that (311) coming through the air.
"They have an outstanding quarterback and they do a really good job of putting him in a position to make plays," said UNA Head Football Coach
Chris Willis. "They also will hev the best defensive line that we will have faced this season besides Chattanooga. They are really active and get after you. Plus they are coming off a win."
Defensively, CSU is allowing 25 points and 357 yards oper game.
Much of UNA's offense this season revolves around redshirt freshman running back
Parker Driggers of Brantley, Ala., who had 255 all-purpose yards in last week's win, with 145 rushing, 96 on kickoff returns and 14 receiving.
His three touchdowns against Robert Morris included a 99-yard run, which was the longest run in school history. It broke the record of 97 yards set by Brian Satterfield against Fort Valley State in the 1993 season-opener.
It was also the longest touchdown run in Big South history, surpassing the 96-yard 96-yard run by Gardner-Webb's Narii Gaither against Presbyterian last Spring.
Quarterback
Rett Files of Gulf Shores, Ala., got his third straight start last week and threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns.
He has now thrown for 853 yards and eight touchdowns this season in three games.
UNA is averaging 24 points and 359 yards per game on offense. The majority of that has also come through the passing game, but the Lions picked up 204 yards on the ground last week, with Driggers accounting for 145.
Tyler Price (44) and
Jaxton Carson (34) were also major contributors.
UNA redshirt junior receiver
Dexter Boykin of Fairfield has now caught at least one pass in all 32 career games that he has played in at UNA. The school record is 45 straight games by Dre Hall from 2014-17.
Boykin has four touchdown receptions this season, including two in each of UNA's  games against Campbell and North Carolina A&T. His 15 career TD catches have him ranked fifth best in school history behind Hall, Jason Messing, Michael Edwards and Harlon Hill.
For his career at UNA, Boykin now has 111 catches for 1,752 yards.
Redshirt junior
Cortez Hall of Hoover, Ala., has equally impressive numbers, with 109 career receptions for 1,614 yards and nine touchdowns.
They rank 11th and 12th, respectively, in career receptions at UNA.
After Saturday's game against the Buccaneers, the Lions will have their only open weekend of the season next Saturday before a stretch run that will have the Lions  flying to Monmouth, hosting nationally ranked Kennesaw State and flying to Hampton.
