NORMAL, Ill. (September 18, 2025) – The University of North Alabama football team has one game standing in the way of a bye week and United Athletic Conference play, as the Lions travel to No. 4 ranked Illinois State on Saturday in Normal, Ill.
 
Here are the top things to know for Saturday's road game.
 
1. KICKOFF: The Lions and Redbirds will kickoff at noon central at Hancock Stadium.
 
2. TICKETS: Tickets are available at this link. For more information on pricing, ticket purchase policies and the clear bag policy, click here.
 
3. PARKING: Public lots are $10 per game and are available for purchase through the Illinois State Ticket Office. All individual parking passes entitle the buyer to first come, first serve access to designated lots. Parking passes can also be purchased the day of the event in designated lots, but are subject to availability. Tailgating is allowed in all lots except the North University Garage (NUG) and tailgating access opens at the times listed on our ticketing website as event start time. For a parking map, click here.
 
4. MUGSHOTS WATCH PARTY: Fans who are not making the trip to Illinois are encouraged to join our watch party at Mugshots in Downtown Florence. The broadcast will begin at 12 p.m. Mugshots is the official UNA Watch Party location for away football games this season.
 
5. WATCH ON ESPN+: Saturday's game will stream on ESPN+ with Kurt Pegler, Clay Harbor and Kalia Butler on the call. Fans can tune in at 12 p.m. at this link or on the ESPN app.
 
6. NEW RADIO HOME: This season, the Lions are on the fastest growing digital radio platform in college football, The Varsity Network. The broadcast is also available on Facebook, X, YouTube, Twitch and roarlions.com/watch. Fans can choose their preferred method at this link. "Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray, color analyst Bryan Neece and sideline reporter Chase Glover will be the radio broadcast team for Saturday. The Countdown to Kickoff Presented by Bank Independent begins at 11 a.m. followed by kickoff at 12 p.m.
 
7. LIVE STATS: Fans who are interested in following live stats can do so via StatBroadcast.
 
8. SERIES HISTORY: This will mark the second all-time meeting between UNA and Illinois State. Last season was the first meeting, as then-No. 22 Illinois State defeated the Lions by a 24-17 final at Braly Stadium. After trailing 14-3 at the half and 24-10 in the fourth quarter, UNA quarterback Ari Patu scored on a rushing touchdown to pull within seven. The UNA defense made a stop and had a chance to tie in the final two minutes, but a fourth down pass in the redzone fell incomplete and allowed the nationally-ranked Redbirds to escape with a win.
 
9. UNA vs. THE PRAIRIE STATE: The Lions are 1-2 against the state of Illinois all-time, including a 56-31 loss to Eastern Illinois in 1980 and a 26-17 win over Western Illinois in 2019. Eastern Illinois was Illinois State's opponent last week, as the Redbirds won 42-30. All three of UNA's games against this state have been at Braly Stadium. This will be UNA's first time playing football in Illinois.
 
10. TWO TOP CONFERENCES: The Lions and Redbirds represent strong FCS football conferences. According to the Massey Ratings, the Missouri Valley Football Conference is the top ranked conference in FCS football with a 6.48 rating. The United Athletic Conference ranks second with at 6.22, slightly edging the Big Sky in third with a 6.21. A combined 12 teams from both conference are either ranked or receiving votes in the Stats Perform FCS Poll, including 10 that are in the Top 25. The top four of the AFCA poll is controlled by both conferences with NDSU and SDSU owning the top two spots, Tarleton State in third and Illinois State in fourth.
 
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.