FLORENCE, Ala. (August 12, 2023) – The University of North Alabama football team took their practice to the game day gridiron on Saturday, holding an open scrimmage inside Braly Stadium in front of the public and media.
 
This edition of the UNA Football Notebook will cover highlights from the scrimmage, while continuing to highlight position groups. Saturday's spotlight is on the defensive line.
 
ABOUT THE SCRIMMAGE
 
Following stretches and a handful of individual drills, the Lions began the team portion of the scrimmage. The offense and defense went head-to-head for nine drives with standouts emerging on both sides of the ball.
 
The Lions displayed a balanced offense on its nine drives, totaling 410 yards with 223 through the air and 187 on the ground. UNA's four quarterbacks combined for 20-of-30 passing and three touchdowns without an interception. Many players got involved on the receiving end of those passes, with 13 players catching at least one pass.
 
Returning sophomore Noah Walters, redshirt junior transfer TJ Smith and returning redshirt sophomore Ben Harris each engineered a pair of scoring drives and threw for one touchdown. Smith went 7-for-12 for 98 yards, while Walters finished 5-for-8 for 64 yards and Harris went 5-for-7 for 34 yards. Freshman Isaiah Tate also led a drive and went 3-for-3 for 27 yards.
 
Eight Lions recording at least one rushing attempt, including a pair of touchdown runs by sophomore Jalyn Daniels and freshman Dennis Moody. Daniels had the most exciting rush of the day, breaking off a 55 yard touchdown run down the left side. Moody scored on an eight yard run and added a 10 yard run and a seven yard run.
 
Other key rushers include redshirt junior Parker Driggers with three carries for 35 yards and redshirt freshman Maleek Pope who emerged on the final drive with five carries for 31 yards — one of which resulted in a fourth down conversion and another that went 18 yards.
 
Receiving-wise, senior Dakota Warfield led the group with four receptions for 72 yards and a score. His 15-yard touchdown catch capped off a seven-play, 75-yard drive to open the scrimmage. He also had a 32 yard catch for a drive-extending third down conversion.

Graduate transfer Winston Sweeting also had four receptions, totaling 37 yards and a score. The other touchdown catch came from redshirt junior Kobe Warden, as the former Brooks High School standout caught one in the corner from Smith for a 33 yard score.
 
The UNA defense also had much to celebrate during the team period, including three-straight stops on the fourth, fifth and sixth drives of the scrimmage. The first two of those stops was a three-and-out, while the other ended with a sack on 3rd-and-4 by redshirt sophomore Aidan Robinson.
 
Eight players had a tackle for loss in the scrimmage, including key stops by junior transfer Amauri Floyd, returning junior Kam'ron Green and redshirt freshman defensive back Keenan Hill during the three-and-outs. Green also had a QB hurry in the scrimmage.
 
The defense did not have a turnover in the team scrimmage, but immediately set the tone in the second half of practice with an early interception by Hill to start situational drills.
 
Redshirt freshman kicker Nathan Ogletree attempted the lone field goal of the afternoon, sailing a 34 yard field goal through the uprights.
 
ABOUT THE DEFENSIVE LINE
 
'The Purple Swarm' currently lists 18 players on the defensive front, including nine returners from last season. Among the returners are two statistical leaders for the Lions last season, one of which is junior Kam'ron Green who led UNA with four sacks and ranked second with 5.5 tackles for loss. Green transferred to UNA last season from UCF.
 
Additionally, the Lions bring back senior Philip Ossai, who led the team with 7.5 TFLs while adding a pair of sacks. Ossai, who wore No. 48 last season in honor of his family ties to the NFL, will make the jersey swap to No. 44 to honor 1995 Harlon Hill winner Ronald McKinnon.
 
"I've been getting a lot of love from the community," said Ossai. "I'm excited to take on this mantle for the team. I want to honor the legacy of my family but also honor the legacy of Ronald McKinnon. I talked to him briefly and he's a great guy who did everything the right way to get to where he is right now. I feel that I'm trending in the right direction."
 
Perhaps the most experienced player in the room is redshirt junior Tyler Antkowiak, a Trussville, Ala. native who has played in each of the last 24 games for UNA over three seasons.
 
The group is coached by Thomas Johnston, who joined the staff last December after coaching at Alabaster (Ala.) High School. Johnston lettered three seasons at UAB as a linebacker, earning freshman all-conference honors in 2017 and winning a Conference USA championship the following season.
 
Today's interviews include Ossai, Antkowiak and Coach Johnston.

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