FLORENCE, Ala. (September 6, 2024) – Football is back in Florence, as the University of North Alabama gears up for its 2024 home opener against No. 21 Illinois State this Saturday at 6 p.m. inside Braly Stadium.
For a list of "things to know" for Saturday's game,
click here.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
North Alabama vs. No. 21/22 Illinois State
Date: Saturday, September 7
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Florence, Alabama
Stadium: Braly Stadium
Capacity: 14,215
TV: ESPN+ ("Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray, Bryan Neece)
Radio: WLX 98.3 / 103.5 FM (Jordan Campbell, Jacob Tucker, Chase Glover)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Click Here
Social Media:
@UNAFootball
UNA Game Notes |
Opponent Game Notes |
UAC Website
NOTABLES
ABOUT THE LIONS: North Alabama is off to an 0-2 start following losses to Southeast Missouri and FBS opponent Memphis. However, UNA seeks its third straight home-opening win on Saturday, defeating UVA Wise in 2022 and Chattanooga in 2023. The Lions offense is led by junior running back
Jayvian Allen, who ran 13 times for 100 yards and a score in the season opener before missing last week's game with injury. He is hopeful to return to the lineup this weekend. Redshirt senior
Kobe Warden leads all receivers with eight catches for 84 yards. Fellow redshirt senior
Gregory Reddick leads the defense with 19 tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss over two games.
ABOUT THE REDBIRDS: Illinois State enters ranked No. 21 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and No. 22 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll. Similar to UNA, the Redbirds opened the season last weekend with a 40-0 loss to an FBS opponents, playing at No. 25 Iowa. The Redbirds are led by four preseason All-Americans, including linebacker Amir Abdullah on the Stats Perform First-Team and running back Mason King on the Stats Perform Third-Team. Wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz and offensive lineman Hunter Zambrano was named to the Phil Steele FCS Preseason All-American Team. ISU finished 6-5 last season, including one possession losses to nationally-ranked North Dakota, Northern Iowa and Youngstown State.
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the first all-time meeting between the two sides. Illinois State is the only first-time opponent on UNA's schedule this season. The Lions own an 8-8 record against schools currently in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, while the Redbirds are 7-4 against members of the United Athletic Conference. UNA is also 1-1 against schools from the state of Illinois, most recently a win over Western Illinois in 2019. The Redbirds will face an Alabama school for the first time in program history on Saturday.
RUN GAME RENEGADES: The UNA defense is one of the top 30 teams in FCS for rushing defense, giving up just 117.5 yards on the ground per game. A bright spot from the Memphis game, UNA limited the Tigers to just 59 rushing yards on 26 carries for just 2.3 yards per carry.
NO CUPCAKES: The Lions will face an opponent that's either ranked or receiving votes for the sixth straight time, dating back to the last three games of last season. This includes No. 20 Austin Peay, No. 25 Central Arkansas, FBS No. 4 Florida State in 2023 and SEMO (receiving votes), Memphis (receiving votes) and No. 21 Illinois State. Last season, UNA had the second toughest strength of schedule in the nation according to the NCAA cumulative metric.
BACK IN BRALY: The Lions have an all-time record of 277-129-8 at Braly Stadium, which has been UNA's home since the program was re-established for good in 1949. Since moving to the Division I level, UNA has a 12-14 record at home. Last season, UNA claimed a 41-27 win over Chattanooga, who finished nationally ranked in the top 15 and made the second round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs. The Lions also defeated Utah Tech later in the season by a 31-30 final in a thriller.
REDDICK WRECKING OPPONENTS: Redshirt senior
Gregory Reddick has been the key factor in UNA's secondary, leading with 19 tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss. Last week at Memphis, Reddick had seven solo tackles. He was named Co-Defensive Player of the Week by the UAC in Week 0 with a game-high 12 tackles against SEMO in the FCS Kickoff.
BRATTON FITTING IN: A former player at UAB in the American Athletic Conference, redshirt senior linebacker
Jackson Bratton made his debut for North Alabama last week with 10 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss against SEMO. Last week at Memphis, the former American standout faced a former conference foe and played both sides, making a catch in an offensive package against the Tigers.
LIONS FROM ILLINOIS: UNA has two players on the roster from the state of Illinois, including tight end
Doug Myers from Oakwood and defensive end
Zacchaeus Dixon of Zion. Dixon moved from Illinois to Alabama and played locally at Mars Hill High School. Myers will wear No. 40, while Dixon will be in No. 90 on Saturday.
NEXT ON THE DOCKET: Next week, the Lions are back on the road against UT Martin. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Hardy M. Graham Stadium.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
