NORMAL, Ill. (September 19, 2025) – A battle between two of the top run-game teams in FCS football will take place on Saturday in Illinois, as the University of North Alabama Lions close the non-conference schedule against the No. 4 Illinois State Redbirds.
 
The Lions have the fifth-ranked rushing offense in FCS with 244.7 rushing yards per game, while the nationally-ranked Redbirds have the third-ranked rushing defense with just 79.3 yards per game allowed. UNA also ranks 17th in rushing defense, while ISU ranks 31st in rushing offense.
 
Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. from Hancock Stadium.

For a list of "things to know" for Saturday's game, click here.
 

GAMEDAY INFORMATION 
North Alabama vs. No. 4 Illinois State
Date: Saturday, September 20
Time: 12 p.m. CT
Location: Normal, Illinois 
Stadium: Hancock Stadium
Capacity: 13,391
TV: ESPN+ (Kurt Pegler, Clay Harbor, Kalia Butler)
Radio: Roar Lions Productions ("Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray, Bryan Neece, 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 has a 1-2 record following a 49-21 win over Northeastern State in the team's final home opener at Braly Stadium on Saturday. UNA has scored six of its nine touchdowns on the ground this season, while the other three have come through the air via quarterback Destin Wade. The Lions rank top three in the United Athletic Conference in both rushing and rush defense.
 
ABOUT THE REDBIRDS: Illinois State is one of the top teams in what many consider the top conference in FCS — the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Redbirds are 2-1 this season with a 35-3 loss to nationally-ranked SEC opponent Oklahoma and wins over Morehead State (41-13) and Eastern Illinois (42-30). Illinois State ranks fourth in the AFCA FCS Coaches Top 25 and sixth in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25.
 
SERIES HISTORY: This will be second all-time meeting between UNA and Illinois State. The Redbirds won the first meeting in 2024 by a 24-17 final in Florence. The Redbirds were ranked No. 22 at the time of play. Saturday's game will complete a home-and-home series between the two opponents.
 
BATTLE OF 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 conferences 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.
 
RUNNING WILD: UNA rushed for 301 yards against NSU last week, the highest rushing total for UNA since 2023. The Lions added 199 passing yards for an even 500 yards on the game. This marks the fifth time UNA has totaled 500 or more yards in three seasons under head coach Brent Dearmon. UNA also had five rushing touchdowns for the first time since the 2022 home opener against UVA-Wise.
 
KICKING IT WITH IAN: UNA kicker Ian Vachon was named the UAC Specialist of the Week Monday following his performance in a 49-21 win over Northeastern State. The redshirt junior connected on all three of his field goals in his Braly Stadium debut, including a 22, 27 and 55-yarder. The 55-yard field goal broke the all-time school record last set in 2014 by Taylor Pontius, who kicked a 54-yarder as time expired to defeat Valdosta State.
 
TAE DAY: True freshman Tae Martin had a breakout game at defensive back for the Lions against Northeastern State. He recorded four tackles with three solo, a sack, an interception and three pass break-ups. He was the only player for either team with more than one pass break-up, including two on third down. The sack and interception were both collegiate firsts for the former Reeltown High School standout. In high school, Martin won state championships in football, track & field and baseball.
 
TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF: Last season, UNA struggled to protect the football and ranked towards the bottom of FCS in most turnover categories. However, this season has been a different story, as the Lions rank 19th in FCS in turnover margin, 15th with just two turnovers lost (including one on special teams) and 34th with four turnovers gained.
 
SLOWING DOWN THE RUN: The Lions are among the leaders in both rushing offense and rushing defense. UNA ranks 17th in FCS with just 112.3 rushing yards allowed per game. Last week against Northeastern State, the Lions allowed just 17 rushing yards on 16 attempts for 1.1 yards per rush. The RiverHawks lost 36 yards on sacks and tackles for loss. Demarcious Robinson, Tae Martin and Jyheam Ingram all recorded sacks in the win.
 
QUITE A TANDEM: The Lions had four running backs score in last week's win, led by preseason all-conference pick Jayvian Allen with eight carries for 91 yards and two scores. He is flanked by fellow redshirt senior Jalyn Daniels with 13 carries for 154 yards and a score over three weeks, ranking second to Allen's 174 yards for the season. Daniels averages a team-high 11.8 yards per carry, scoring a 36-yard run last week. LT Sanders has 11 carries for 90 yards this season, while Jalen Fletcher had 19 carries for 75 yards.
 
RUSHING AT THE TOP: Allen, Daniels and Wade all rank among the top 100 rushers in
FCS and among the top 11 rushers in the UAC. Wade is accomplishing this from the quarterback position, leading the Lions in rushing after the first two weeks before Allen took the team lead in week three.
 
SWARMING THE BALL: Seven Lions have double digit tackle numbers this season, led by Demarcious Robinson with 18 tackles in three games. He also has a team-high 11 solo tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. Fellow linebackers Seth Hampton and Jahbari Hill rank second and third on the team with 13 and 12 tackles, respectively.
 
WATCH OUT FOR WATFORD: Junior punter Adam Watford leads the UAC with 45.3 punt yards per game, booming 15 punts so far this season. He has five punts over 50 yards, four fair catches, three inside the 20 and just one touchback. He currently ranks 10th among all FCS punters in net yardage.
 
UAC ROUNDUP: All nine members of the UAC play this week, starting with UNA's day game at Illinois State. The other eight members play under the lights, headlined by No. 14 Abilene Christian facing No. 18 Austin Peay in conference play. Kickoff from Abilene is set for 6 p.m. An undefeated No. 3 Tarleton State will host Chattanooga, while No. 22 West Georgia also looks to remain unbeaten in its UAC opener at home against EKU. Utah Tech will host Northern Iowa in another UAC-MVFC matchup, while Central Arkansas travels to Sac State and Southern Utah is at No. 9 UC Davis.
 
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.