FLORENCE, Ala. – Tenth ranked North Alabama turned a first-half battle into a blowout as the Lions rolled to a 52-21 non-conference win over North Greenville.
 
UNA led 21-14 in the first half with NGU driving for a potential game-tying score. The Lions held on for a 24-14 halftime lead and rolled to 28 straight points to open the second half and a 52-14 lead.
 
The Lions improve to 5-1 with the win, while the Crusaders fall to 4-4.
 
North Alabama put up 653 yards of total offense, the fourth highest total in school history. Quarterback Jacob Tucker threw for a career-high 378 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for a career-high 132 yards and two additional scores. His 510 yards of total offense was just nine yards shy of the school-record.
 
Receiver Dre Hall also had a stellar night with 10 catches for 162 yards. He tied Michael Edwards UNA record of eight career 100-yard receiving games and the 162 yards was his single-game career high.
 
Despite dominating the first half offensively, the Lions only managed a 10-point, 24-14 lead at the half.  UNA rolled up 411 yards of offense on 43 plays but also turned the ball over three times in the half.
 
Tucker threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 83 yards and another score in the first two periods but was also picked off twice.
 
UNA drove 89 yards for its first touchdown with Tucker hitting Jaylan Jackson with a 56-yard TD pass over the middle. Kevin Henke's kick made it 7-0 at 10:08 of the first quarter.
 
The Lions drove 98 yards in just eight plays for their second score, with Dre Hall pulling in a four-yard pass from Tucker. Henke's PAT made it 14-0 at 6:14 of the first quarter.
 
North Greenville's Tristen Jackson pulled in a short pass from Will Hunter and raced 13 yards to the end zone for the Crusaders' first score at 2:22 of the first quarter. Matt Gravely's kick cut UNA's lead to 14-7.
 
The Lions responded immediately with a 72-yard TD drive in just five plays. Tucker ran 21 yards for the score and Henke's kick made it 21-7 with 11 seconds left in the opening quarter.
 
UNA was driving for a potential score that would have made it 28-7 but Damon Cox fumbled into the end zone on a third-and-goal call  from the one. The Crusaders capitalized, driving 80 yards for a touchdown. Ashton Heard ran three yards for the touchdown and Gravely's kick made it 21-14 with 6:40 left in the half.
 
The Crusaders also had another scoring opportunity in the half but Gravely missed a 21-yard field goal attempt. UNA then drove 57 yards in the closing seconds and Henke drilled a 40-yard field goal with six seconds left to make it 24-14 at intermission.
 
In the third quarter, UNA got a 12-yard TD pass from Tucker to Hagan Scott, a 21-yard Tucker TD run and a one-yard Cox run to push the Lions' lead to 45-14. UNA then added a four-yard Ray Beasley TD run early in the fourth quarter to make it 52-14.
 
NGU's final score came with 4:01 left In the game on a 15-yard pass from Hunter to Demajay Rooks.
 
UNA returns to Gulf South Conference play Oct. 29 at Delta State.