FLORENCE, Ala. (November 3, 2023) – The University of North Alabama football team will host its final home game of the 2023 season on Saturday, welcoming nationally-ranked Central Arkansas to Braly Stadium for a 4 p.m. kickoff.
Saturday's game is Senior Day and will begin two hours earlier than the normal kickoff time.
For a list of "Things to Know" for Saturday's game, including the senior ceremony, ticket and parking information, promotions, tailgating, the Lion Walk, where to watch, how to listen and how to follow live stats,
click here.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Game: North Alabama vs. No. 25 Central Arkansas
Date: Saturday, November 4
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Florence, Alabama
Stadium: Braly Stadium
Capacity: 14,215
TV: ESPN+
Radio: WLX 98.3 / 103.5 FM
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: RoarLions.com
Social Media:
@UNAFootball
UNA Game Notes |
Opponent Game Notes |
UAC Website
ABOUT THE LIONS
- North Alabama is 3-6 overall and 1-4 in the United Athletic Conference, owning FCS wins over Chattanooga, Tennessee Tech and Utah Tech. Chattanooga is currently ranked No. 13 in the FCS Coaches Poll.
- UNA is 2-2 at Braly Stadium this season, hunting its first winning season at home since 2019.
- In the last home game, UNA scored a late touchdown and stopped a go-ahead two-point conversion attempt to hold off Utah Tech for a 31-30 win.
- Last time out, the Lions fell 49-39 at No. 20 Austin Peay. Despite falling behind 17-0 early and 46-18 in the third quarter, UNA stormed back with 21 unanswered points to pull within a touchdown. The Govs nailed a 45 yard field goal with under two minutes to go to make it a two-possession game and ultimately seal it.
- Sophomore quarterback Noah Walters tied a school record with five touchdown passes on Saturday at Austin Peay, matching the record set by Harrison Beck in 2009 and Luke Wingo in 2015. Walters is the only UNA QB in program history to throw five touchdown passes on the road. He also added a rushing touchdown to match Wingo for the most scores accounted for in a single game.
- UNA's largest comeback in school history remains a 24-23 win over West Alabama in 2010, where the Lions overcame a 23-3 deficit with 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. The Lions scored 21 unanswered in the effort at Austin Peay.
- North Alabama remains second of 128 FCS teams in strength of schedule based on total win percentage, according to NCAA.org. Six of UNA's 11 opponents this season are currently ranked, while one other is receiving votes.
- UNA has scored on each of its last 11 redzone trips dating back to Homecoming against EKU. Prior to this, the Lions were 11 for 20 on red zone scoring chances.
- Redshirt senior Takairee Kenebrew is the leading target for Walters with 32 catches for 549 yards and seven touchdowns. He had a 57-yard reception touchdown on a screen pass last week, tying Jason Messing (2004-07) for second all-time on the career receiving touchdown list at UNA at 23. He needs two more to tie Dre Hall (2014-17) for first all-time at 25.
- Moving from wide receiver to running back this offseason, sophomore Demarcus Lacey leads the Lions with 113 rushing attempts for 586 yards and three touchdowns. He also has 21 catches for 121 yards to account for 707 all-purpose yards.
- Redshirt sophomore Edwin White Schultz continues to lead the defense from the safety position with 75 tackles, ranking sixth in the UAC with 8.3 tackles per game.
- Senior Philip Ossai is also a large part of the Purple Swarm defense, leading the Lions with 7.0 tackles for loss, a pair of sacks, four QB hurries, two fumble recoveries and two pass break-ups.
- The Lions are in their 75th season of football in 2023 with an all-time record of 483-304-16.
- This season is the sixth for UNA since transitioning to NCAA Division I and the second as a full-fledged FCS member. UNA has an all-time record of 18-38 versus FCS opponents, but seek their first win over a ranked FCS team after 14 unsuccessful tries.
- The Lions are charter members of the newly-formed United Athletic Conference, along with Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, EKU, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton State, Utah Tech and UTRGV, who will be joining in 2025. Former Gulf South Conference rival West Georgia announced its move to NCAA Division I and will join the league in 2024.
- The Lions are led by first year head coach Brent Dearmon, an Alabama native and offensive guru who made stops at Kansas, Middle Tennessee State and Florida Atlantic. Prior to those places, Dearmon was the head coach at Bethel (TN), where he led the team to a 10-1 record and a top-five NAIA national ranking in 2018.
- North Alabama remains the second-winningest program in the state of Alabama since 1990 with 256 wins in the last 33 years, ranking second only to the University of Alabama with 303 wins. The Lions boast 21 NCAA playoff appearances, 17 conference championships and three national championship victories.
ABOUT THE BEARS
- Central Arkansas enters with a 5-3 record overall and a 2-1 mark in UAC play.
- Last time out, UCA suffered its first loss in league play with a tight 25-23 defeat against Tarleton State at home.
- The UCA defense is led by junior All-American David Walker, who is also the reigning UAC Defensive Player of the Week. Last week against Tarleton State, Walker broke a 20-year-old school record with 6.5 tackles for loss. He ranks fourth in the nation with 14.5 tackles for loss.
- Quarterback Will McElvain leads the offense with 1,770 passing yards and 19 touchdowns. The 19 TDs rank third in the conference and seventh in all of FCS.
- ShunDerrick Powell is the leading rusher for UCA with 882 yards and 110.0 rushing yards per game, ranking atop the league and top 10 in FCS in both categories. He is complimented by Darius Hale and Kylin James with a combined 662 rushing yards as a duo.
- The Bears are led by UCA alum Nathan Brown, who is 35-28 in six seasons at the helm. Last season, he led the Bears to a share of the ASUN Championship. Brown may be a familiar name to UNA fans, as he was a standout quarterback at Central Arkansas back when UCA and UNA battled as Gulf South Conference foes in the mid-2000s. He is a member of UCA's Hall of Fame.
SERIES HISTORY
- Saturday marks the 22nd all-time meeting between the Lions and Bears. Oh my.
- The Lions have a 15-6 record all-time against UCA. Neither team has won more than four games in a row in the series. Additionally, UNA has never lost back-to-back games against UCA.
- The series began in 1951, as the Lions won 32-20 at Braly Stadium. Five more games were played up until 1971, then the series picked back up again in 1993 after a 22 year pause. The foes played every season from 1993-2005 as conference rivals, with UNA owning a 11-3 record in that stretch.
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In 2005, the final meetings before UCA moved up to NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS), Central Arkansas defeated UNA in double-overtime during the regular season, 29-26. The two teams met again in the Division II quarterfinal round, with UNA having the last laugh as Yuta Fakuda sailed a 45 yard walk-off field goal in overtime to eliminate UCA, 41-38. The Lions were eliminated in the semifinals in a heartbreaking 25-24 loss to eventual champion Northwest Missouri State. UNA finished the 2005 season ranked No. 4, while UCA was ranked No. 6.
- After a 17-year hiatus, the two classic rivals met again for their first FCS meeting last season. The Bears rudely welcomed UNA to 'The Stripes' and to Division I with a 64-29 win in Conway.
- The last time UCA visited Braly Stadium was in 2004. The Lions won that game 31-3.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
