Football opens season on ESPN this Saturday - University of North Alabama Athletics (2024)

Drew Barton

Football 8/23/2024 10:00:00 AM

Lions to play SEMO in FCS Kickoff at 6 p.m. in Montgomery

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (August 23, 2023)– The University of North Alabama football team will play in the first primetime game on ESPN this season, as the Lions battle Southeast Missouri on national television on Saturday, August 24 at 6 p.m.

This marks the third time in a year's span the Lions will play on a national network. On August 26, 2023, UNA played Mercer at the FCS Kickoff on both ESPN and ESPNU. In the final game on Nov. 18, the Lions played No. 4 Florida State on The CW.

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

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
North Alabama vs. Southeast Missouri
Date:Saturday, August 24
Time: 6 p.m.
Location:Montgomery, Ala.
Stadium:Cramton Bowl
Capacity:25,000
TV: ESPN (Jay Alter, Rocky Boiman, Morgan Uber)
Radio:WLX 98.3 / 103.5 FM("Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray, Bryan Neece)
Live Stats:StatBroadcast
Tickets:Click Here
Social Media:@UNAFootball

UNA Game Notes|Opponent Game Notes|UAC Website


NOTABLES

YEAR TWO: The Lions enter their second season under head coach Brent Dearmon. UNA finished seventh in the United Athletic Conference last season with a 3-8 overall record. The Lions are on the upswing with 44 returning lettermen, 18 returning starters and a heavy mix of newcomers expected to contribute right away.

ABOUT THE LIONS: The Lions have eight of 11 starters back on defense, seven of 11 back on offense and three on special teams. Among those are preseason all-conference selections Takairee Kenebrew and Edwin White Schultz, who was named UAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year by the league's head coaches. UNA returns four of its top five receivers from last season and three starters on the offensive line, but will have new faces at the quarterback and running back positions atop the depth chart in Stanford transfer Ari Patu and Tennessee Tech transfer Jayvian Allen, respectively. On defense, four starters return on the defensive line, three starters are back at linebacker and nearly the entire secondary returns. The Lions added key pieces such as linebacker Jackson Bratton from UAB and Travis Collier from Jacksonville State, among others. Special teams will be headed up by sixth year senior kicker Sam Contorno and graduate transfer Scott Payne from MTSU, as well as sophom*ore punter Adam Watford after netting all-conference and Freshman All-American honors last season.

ABOUT THE REDHAWKS: SEMO enters 2024 after finishing 4-7 overall and 3-3 in the Big South-OVC last season. Prior to last season, the Redhawks won a conference title in 2022 with a 9-3 record and made their fourth-ever FCS Playoff appearance. SEMO is receiving votes in the AFCA/Hudl Coaches poll this week, returning seven starters on offense and five on defense. In total, 60 players return for 11th year head coach Tom Matukewicz. The offense is led by third year starter Paxton DeLaurent, who threw for 1,792 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. He and starting center Zack Gieg are on the Stats Perform Walter Payton Preseason Watch List. On defense, linebacker Bryce Norman is a preseason All-American and has led SEMO in tackles for three-straight seasons.

SERIES HISTORY: This will be the second all-time meeting between UNA and SEMO. The first meeting happened 68 years ago in 1956, where the Lions cruised to a 61-13 win in Florence.

UNA AGAINST THE SHOW ME STATE: The Lions have a 6-3 record against the state of Missouri, playing games against five different schools from the state over the years. All three losses have been at the hands of Division II power Northwest Missouri State, including the 2016 National Championship game. Meanwhile, UNA is 2-0 against Central Missouri State and Missouri State and 1-0 against SEMO and College of the Ozarks. The last time UNA played any of those four schools came in 1992.

TV GAMES: This will be SEMO's first time on the ESPN mothership, but not the first time on a linear network. For North Alabama, this will be the eighth time on an ESPN station, as the Lions hold a 3-5 record in those games. Those three wins all came during the national championship three-peat in 1993, 1994 and 1995. In total, UNA is 32-21 in televised games, not including ESPN+ or ESPN3.

UNITED AS CAN BE: The Lions are proud members of the United Athletic Conference, which was officially branded in 2023 as an alliance between football members from the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) and Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Although Stephen F. Austin abruptly departed the conference this offseason, the league remains intact with nine member institutions with the addition of former Division II school West Georgia.

18-WHEELER ROLL ON: The football program received a generous donation from Greg Trapp and Single Source Logistics in Russellville last week, as the Lions have a UNA-branded 18-wheeler to transport equipment to football games this season. The new rig was wrapped by Cre8tive Graphics and is sponsored by Game one and Adidas. The truck will roll out for the first time this Friday.

SAME STAFF: A rare achievement in today's landscape, UNA head coach Brent Dearmon retained nearly every staff member this offseason, including both coordinators Brock Caraboa and Kevin Wewers. As far as position coaches, the only position to fill this offseason was the quarterback room, which Dearmon decided to take on himself. Dearmon is an accomplished passer in his own right, setting records while playing at Bethel University in Tennessee.

IN-STATE PRIDE: The coaching staff put a major emphasis on recruiting locally and recruiting talent within the state of Alabama. The roster currently lists 73 players from the state of Alabama, as well as 33 from surrounding states, including 12 from Florida, 11 from Tennessee, seven from Georgia and three from Mississippi.

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL: Beyond the Alabama seal, the Lions have players from California, New York, Texas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Arkansas, North Carolina, Illinois and Louisiana on the roster. Additionally, UNA added three players beyond the continental United States, including offensive linemen Anthony Faiivae from American Samoa and Dominic Braesch from Germany. The Lions also added tight end and longsnapper Braden Forscutt from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

KENE-BREWING FOR A LONG TIME: Seventh-year wide receiver Takairee Kenebrew announced in January that he would be returning as a graduate student to finish his career. After joining the team in 2018, he received a redshirt, a medical redshirt and a COVID waiver. Since then, he has played three full seasons in 2021, 2022 and 2023 with 98 career receptions for 1,838 yards and 26 touchdowns. The 26 scores are a career school record at UNA, which he set with a TD last season at No. 4 Florida State. He ranks eighth in all-time receiving yards at UNA.

NEXT ON THE DOCKET: After the FCS Kickoff, UNA heads to FBS opponent Memphis on August 31 at 6 p.m. The home opener will be against Illinois State on Sept. 7 at Braly Stadium.

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visitwww.roarlions.comand follow UNA Athletics onFacebook,TwitterandInstagram.

Let's ROLL ON to Montgomery 🛞
We're excited for our first trip with the new rig!#RaiseTheROAR | #RoarLions 🦁 pic.twitter.com/w7C8hCzgdY
See Also
LaLiga Camps is established in Spain: a commitment to grassroots football & education at the Centro ESC MadridThe Official Site of the Detroit LionsUNA Football Notebook: First Week of Camp - University of North Alabama AthleticsAcademy Camps | LAFC.com
— North Alabama Football (@UNAFootball) August 23, 2024