FLORENCE, Ala. (September 12, 2025) – Saturday will mark the
beginning to an
end for a historic era of University of North Alabama football.
The Lions will play their home opener at Braly Stadium for the 77th — and final — time this Saturday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. as they welcome Northeastern State to Florence. UNA is celebrating with a "Final Season at Braly" celebration, honoring all decades of the program throughout the season. The Lions will have a new home in 2026 with the construction of
Bank Independent Stadium on campus.
For a list of "things to know" for Saturday's game,
click here.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
North Alabama vs. Northeastern State (OK)
Date: Saturday, September 13
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Florence, Alabama
Stadium: Braly Stadium
Capacity: 14,215
TV: ESPN+ ("Voice of the Lions"
Benjamin Ray, Bryan Neece, Lynden Blake)
Radio: Roar Lions Productions (Jordan Campbell, Jacob Tucker,
Chase Glover)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Click Here
Social Media:
@UNAFootball
UNA Game Notes |
Opponent Game Notes |
UAC Notes
NOTABLES
ABOUT THE LIONS: North Alabama enters with an 0-2 record following a 30-21 road loss to SEMO, who is receiving votes in the FCS national polls. Despite the loss, UNA ran for 280 yards and currently ranks 18th in FCS with 216 yards per game.
ABOUT THE RIVERHAWKS: The Lions go from a road game with the Redhawks to a home battle against the RiverHawks. Northeastern State enters with a 1-1 record following a season-opening win at Saginaw Valley State (28-21) and a tight home loss to Missouri S&T last week (27-24). Saginaw Valley was receiving votes in the Division II rankings at the time. The RiverHawks are currently the only full, non-transitional independent football program in Division II. Northeastern State is led by second year head coach Darrin Chiaverini.
SERIES HISTORY: This will be first all-time meeting between UNA and NSU. This is the second and final first-time opponent on UNA's schedule, joining Western Kentucky as new opponents. The rest of UNA's schedule includes familiar FCS foes with two non-conference and eight from the United Athletic Conference.
LEVELING UP: For Northeastern State, UNA will be the first FCS opponent since 2011. Meanwhile, the Lions will face a Division II opponent for the first time since 2022. That season, UNA hosted UVA-Wise for its home opener and defeated the Highland Cavaliers by a 49-17 final.
DUAL THREATS: Although UNA is ranked among the nation's leaders in rushing, the top rusher does not come from the running back room. Redshirt sophomore
Destin Wade, who has split time at quarterback with graduate student
Ari Patu, is the team's leading rusher with 101 rushing yards on 19 attempts, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Patu has 78 yards gained when taking out sacks and has the team's only rushing touchdown this season.
THE STABLE: The Lions have three running backs with at least six carries this season, led by preseason all-conference selection
Jayvian Allen with 19 carries for 74 yards. Switching the pace, redshirt senior
Jalyn Daniels has eight carries for 99 yards to average a whopping 12.4 yards per carry, including a long of 45 against SEMO last week. Senior transfer
LT Sanders has six carries for 60 yards to average 10.0 per carry, including a 42-yarder at SEMO.
DAVON THE DEFENSIVE PRESENCE: Redshirt senior cornerback
Davon Martin made history for the Lions last week against SEMO, forcing two fumbles with one recovery to go with four solo tackles. Martin is the first Lion at the FCS level to force multiple fumbles in the same game. Martin started his football career at Middle Tennessee in 2020 and played two seasons, one of which was while current UNA coach
Brent Dearmon was the offensive coordinator.
A LION FROM THE SOONER STATE: UNA is 4-0 all-time against teams from the state of Oklahoma, including one win against Central Oklahoma in 2011 and three wins over Langston College dating as early as 1979 and as recent as 2014. All four of those games were at Braly Stadium. The Lions have one player on the current roster from the Sooner State, sophomore linebacker
Tango McCauley Jr. He finished with 92 tackles during his senior year at Del City High School. He currently has eight tackles as a Lion, including four against WKU and four against SEMO.
COACHES ON THE SILVER SCREEN: Both teams in Saturday's game have a connection to both the Arena Football League and to Hollywood. Following an NFL career that started in 1999 with the Cleveland Browns, Northeastern State head coach Darrin Chiaverini played in the AFL where he retired as a wide receiver with the Austin Wranglers in 2005. While in the AFL, he and other players from the league were casted by Adam Sandler for "The Longest Yard." Chiaverini was a wide receiver for the guards and caught a touchdown pass in the movie.
The AFL and Hollywood connections do not stop there. UNA head coach
Brent Dearmon also played indoor football for three teams in the mid-to-late 2000s, including a stint with the Tennessee Valley Vipers in 2008.
Another coach on Dearmon's staff, Director of Football Performance Tiger Jones, was a standout receiver in the AFL from 2007-16 — most notably with the Philadelphia Soul. He ranks third in league history for receiving yards, fourth in all-time receptions and sixth in touchdown catches. While in the AFL, Jones was casted for a role in the movie "Woodlawn" that hit theatres in 2015.
UAC ROUNDUP: All nine teams from the UAC are in action this week, including one conference matchup between No. 3 Tarleton State (3-0) and Central Arkansas (1-1) in Conway, Ark. Another key matchup takes place near the Atlanta area, as No. 25 West Georgia (2-0) will battle ETSU. No 13. Abilene Christian (1-1) and Eastern Kentucky (1-1) will play FBS opponents, while No. 22 Austin Peay (1-1) will host Morehead State. Southern Utah (1-1) will host nationally-ranked Northern Arizona, while Utah Tech travels to No. 8 Idaho.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
