MONTGOMERY, Ala. (August 24, 2023) – Football season is still over a week away for some teams — but not for the North Alabama Lions.
 
For the first time ever, UNA will play in the "Week 0" FCS Kickoff game when it faces Mercer on Saturday, August 26 at 2:30 p.m. inside the historic Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. UNA and Mercer will be the first two FCS teams to play this season.
 
Whether fans make the trip down to the state capitol, watch the nationally-televised game on ESPN's flagship station or listen live to UNA's local broadcast team on WLX Radio (98.3 / 103.5 FM), here are some things to know.
 
1. FIRST IN THE NATION: The Lions and Bears will be the first college football game to kick off in the United States this season. The only game before North Alabama and Mercer is a battle across the pond between No. 13 Notre Dame and Navy at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.
 
2. THE MAIN EVENT: UNA and Mercer will air on ESPN's top channel Saturday afternoon, marking the first regular season game to be nationally televised on the network's flagship station for UNA. The Lions have appeared three other times on ESPN, including the 1985 national title game and both the 1993 and 1995 national championship wins.
 
3. MORE WORLDWIDE LEADER FACTS: Though this will be UNA's first time since 1995 on the main channel, the Lions have played three times on ESPN2 and once on ESPNU. The last nationally-televised game on an ESPN national network was the 2016 Division II National Championship game against Northwest Missouri State. In fact, UNA's last three ESPN games were against NWMSU. The other was the 1994 national championship game on ESPN2, where North Alabama defeated Texas A&M Kingsville.
 
4. ABOUT THE FCS KICKOFF: The FCS Kickoff has provided a national showcase for top FCS schools since its launch in 2014. ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, has assumed ownership of the game and will host it at Montgomery's Cramton Bowl. Saturday will be the ninth edition of the game and the sixth-straight kickoff game to be hosted in Alabama's capitol city.
 
5. PREMIUM TICKET INFORMATION: UNA has a section of premium seating available at the Cramton Bowl directly behind the north end zone. Amenities include complimentary tailgate food, general admission access in the east stands, limited field access and two non-alcoholic drink vouchers for $70. For more information, click here or call 256-765-5466.

6. GENERAL ADMISSION: General admission tickets are $20 and can be purchased at this link. North Alabama's fan section will be on the east side of the stadium (Sections N-S) opposite of the press box. Gates 7 and 8 will be the entrances to the UNA section near Hall Street.
 
7. STADIUM INFORMATION: The Camellia Bowl website provides a Cramton Bowl stadium map and a list of items that are permitted and prohibited when entering the stadium. For more information on stadium policies and a stadium map, click here.
 
8. PARKING: General admission parking is available in Lot K and can be pre-purchased here.
 
9. GAMEDAY ATMOSPHERE: Both the Marching Pride of North Alabama and the Mercer University Marching Band will be in attendance on Saturday performing with their teams. The UNA cheer and dance teams will also be in Montgomery, as well as both UNA mascots, Leo and Una.
 
10. UNA NIGHT WITH THE MONTGOMERY BISCUITS: On Friday, August 25, UNA President Dr. Ken Kitts and UNA Director of Athletics Dr. Josh Looney will throw out the first pitch as part of "UNA Night" at the Montgomery Biscuits game. The Biscuits play at 6:35 p.m. against the Mississippi Braves inside Riverwalk Stadium.
  
11. BROADCAST TEAM FOR ESPN: Roy Philpott will have the play-by-play of Saturday's game, while Roddy Jones will be the analyst. Taylor McGregor will serve as the sideline reporter.
 
12. CATCH THE LIONS ON THE RADIO: "Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray and color analyst Bryan Neece will be joined on the sidelines this weekend by former UNA quarterback Jacob Tucker. Lion fans can catch all the action on WLX Radio — 98.3 FM and 103.5 FM in the Shoals or worldwide on the WLX App and at radio7media.com/wlx.
 
13. RADIO PRE-GAME SHOW: The UNA radio broadcast will begin at 1:30 p.m. with the "Countdown to Kickoff" featuring all three members of the broadcast team.
 
14. 75TH SEASON OF UNA FOOTBALL: The 2023 season marks the 75th year of North Alabama Football. The Lions are 42-28-4 all-time in season openers. UNA enters this season with an all-time record of 480-298-16, while boasting 21 NCAA playoff appearances, 17 conference championships and three national championships. This season marks UNA's sixth at the FCS level and just the second as a full-fledged member. This year also marks a new era as the Lions are one of the charter members of the newly-formed United Athletic Conference (UAC).
 
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.