PDF GAME NOTES
   The Chris Willis era of University of North Alabama football could not open on a bigger stage as his sixth ranked Lions host No. 5 ranked Texas A&M-Commerce Thursday at Braly Stadium at 6 p.m..
    Willis has taken the reigns of a program that he has helped guide to seven conference championships and 12 playoff appearances in his 15 years at the school. With few returning starters, the Lions were still selected as the favorite to win a fifth straight Gulf South Conference title and are ranked sixth nationally in the pre-season American Football Coaches Association Division II poll.
    Across the field, the Lions of Texas A&M-Commerce have won three straight Lone Star Conference championships and are pre-season favorite to win a fourth. Texas A&M-Commerce returns 53 lettermen and 14 starters, including quarterback Luis Perez who threw for 3,326 yards and 32 touchdowns last season. TAMC also returns eight starters on the defensive side.
    "You might think you would like to open with a lesser opponent where you can work out the kinks in the first game, but I don't mind playing a quality team," said Willis. "It will help us gauge where we're at. Last year when we opened at Jacksonville State and we knew that it was going to be a tremendous challenge for us but it was a game that helped us get ready for the GSC schedule and really showed us where we were at."
    Willis said from what he has seen on film, Texas A&M-Commerce is worthy of its high national ranking.
    "They certainly look the part of a Top 10 team," Willis said. "They are long and athletic and talented like a lot of the GSC teams we play. They play in a good football conference and I've been told that their quarterback has NFL ability and will probably be the best passer we face all year.
    "Defensively, they have a very similar look to us in that they have a lot of team speed and are very athletic. We are definitely playing one of the best teams in the nation right out of the gate. With the number of new people that we have, we have got to be ready to go from the first snap of the first game."    

    North Alabama has just five starters and 32 lettermen returning but has a wealth of experienced back-ups and a solid group of newcomers.
        UNA's offensive efforts will be led by two-time All-GSC and pre-season All-American receiver Dre Hall who already owns the majority of the school's receiving records and is on the verge of breaking three others. He caught 80 passes for 1,179 yards and nine TDs a year ago.
    Defensiively, two-time All-GSC defensive lineman Freddie Reed is the lone returning starter on that side of the ball but he is joined by numerous experienced defenders including safety Dorsey Norris, lineman Eddquerion Harris, corner Maurice Carnell and linebacker Johnnie Anderson.

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    Historical numbers favor the UNA Lions but have no actual bearing on the game.
    UNA is 9-1 all-time against schools from the Lone Star Conference. The Lions have won their last eight straight regular-season games and last 18 straight regular-season games at home.
    North Alabama also hasn't lost a season-opener at home since 1999 and - since UNA joined the Gulf South Conference in 1971 - the Lions have lost just 17 non-conference games at Braly, with a 69-17 home record against non-GSC schools.
    UNA is 40-24-4 all-time in its previous 68 season-opening games. The Lions lost last year's opener 31-12 on the road at Jacksonville State, but had won their previous 13 straight openers dating back to 2003.

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    A charter member of both the Gulf South Conference and the NCAA Division II, this will be UNA's final season as a GSC and NCAA Division II member as the Lions begin their transition to Division I and FCS status in 2018-19. UNA's .635 all-time winning percentage ranks 12th best in Division II history. The Lions 13 GSC football titles are more than any school in conference history. The school's 21 NCAA Division II Playoff appearances are tied for the most by any school in the division's history and the Lions 35 all-time post-season wins rank second in Division II history.  
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    After a week off, North Alabama will travel to face 11th ranked Valdosta State on Sept. 16 in a game that will be broadcast on ESPN3 as the GSC Game of the Week.