PDF Game Notes
FLORENCE, Ala. -- The University of North Alabama football team will close out its 2019 season on the road Saturday in Boiling Springs, N.C., against the Runnin' Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. Central.

In North Alabama's first season with a full FCS schedule, Gardner-Webb will be the seventh school on UNA's 2019 slate that the Lions will be playing for the first time. North Alabama has already played Western Illinois, Montana, Presbyterian, Charleston Southern, Kennesaw State and Monmouth for the first time earlier this season.

At 3-7 overall, UNA head coach Chris Willis said a win in the series finale would send the Lions into the off season on a positive note.

"This is our last game of the season and the last game of our senior's careers, so we want to sell-out and lay it all on the line and finish strong," Willis said. "We haven't won a game on the road yet this season so if we can go up there and pull one out, it would be big for us going into recruiting."

While the Lions are 0-5 on the road this season, UNA has faced four nationally ranked teams on the road and three are ranked in the current AFCA Top 15.

Gardner-Webb also brings a 3-7 record into the game and the Runnin' Bulldogs have lost their last four straight.

The Lions and Bulldogs have very similar numbers through 10 games, with UNA averaging 25.4. points and allowing 33.9; while Gardner-Webb averages 24.3 and allows 35.8. Both teams average over 200 yards passing and 100 yards rushing and are allowing over 200 yards per game on both the ground and in the air.

GWU quarterback Kalen Whitlow has thrown for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns and Javin Cagle leads the ground attack with 835 yards and eight TDs. Izaiah Gathings leads a strong receiving corp with 48 catches for 786 yards and eight touchdowns.

UNA quarterback Christian Lopez accounted for five touchdowns in UNA's 49-38 loss at Monmouth last Saturday, throwing three TD passes, rushing for one score and catching a pass for another. He has 2,253 yards and 14 TDs passing this season and has thrown for 4,437 yards and 28 TDs over two seasons at UNA.  

The UNA offensive line contines to battle a rash of injuries but redshirt freshman Jacob Gentle returned to start at Monmouth after missing several games. The Lions have just two seniors on their two-deep on the interior line.

North Alabama has an all-time 7-6 record against college football teams from the state of North Carolina, with four of those meetings
in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. The Lions are 3-6 all-time in games played in the state of North Carolina.

North Alabama has turned the ball over in seven of its ten games this season but the Lions are 3-0 in the three games where they did not lose a turnover - Western Illinois, Presbyterian and Campbell.

At 3-7 overall, North Alabama has suffered its first losing season in football since 2002. That broke a streak of 16 straight seasons with a .500 record or better. Three of UNA's 2019 losses have been by a touchdown or less. The Lions lost to Alabama A&M 31-24, Hampton 40-34 and Charleston Southern 25-20. UNA's four losses by more than seven points were all to nationally ranked teams on the road.

North Alabama's strength of schedule in 2019 is ranked 39th out of 126 FCS programs in the latest NCAA statistics. The Lions schedule is the second toughest faced by a Big South school, with Charleston Southern ranked 10th. UNA's schedule is ranked tougher than nine of the Lions' 11 opponents have faced this season.