C.APE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (September 6, 2025) – Despite a strong rushing performance and a pair of turnovers for the defense, the University of North Alabama football team slipped in a 30-21 road loss against Southeast Missouri on Saturday in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
UNA (0-2) led after the first quarter following a one-yard touchdown sneak by quarterback
Ari Patu, but SEMO (1-1) proceeded to take a 13-7 lead into the break. The Lions had a pair of touchdown in the fourth quarter but were unable to mount a true comeback.
The Lions rushed for 280 yards, which marks the most since UNA's win over No. 10 Abilene Christian last season. The rushing total is also the most in a road game since 2022.
Eight Lions rushed at least once in the contest, led by yards per carry guru
Jalyn Daniels with four touches for 70 yards. On the first drive of the game, Daniels broke off a 45-yard run. Entering at quarterback for most of the second half,
Destin Wade led the team with 14 carries and finished with 67 yards, including a 22-yard scamper.
Seniors
LT Sanders and
Jayvian Allen combined for 97 rushing yards.
The defense also had some bright spots, including a pair of forced fumbles by redshirt senior
Davon Martin. The defensive back had a hard hit to knock one loose in the first half, which was recovered by redshirt freshman
Jamari Payne. In the second half, Martin came from his boundary as the last line of defense, saving a touchdown by stripping the ball and scooping it up himself.
Martin is the first UNA player in the FCS era to force two fumbles in one game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER
North Alabama 7, SEMO 0: The Lions and Redhawks traded their first two offensive possessions with three punts and a missed UNA field goal. The Lions took over with just under four minutes to go in the opening frame, capping a seven-play, 62-yard drive with a QB sneak by
Ari Patu. The play came on 4th-and-1, as Patu followed a lead block from defensive lineman
Fred Vili in a special package.
Ian Vachon sailed through the PAT.
SECOND QUARTER
North Alabama 7, SEMO 3: The Lions racked up three sacks and
Davon Martin forced a fumble recovered by
Jamari Payne in the first half, keeping SEMO at bay until the 6:17 mark of the second quarter. The Redhawks took advantage of two penalties and settled for a 29-yard field goal by Justin Keller to get on the board.
SEMO 10, North Alabama 7: Adam Watford booted a 51-yard punt to place SEMO on its own 22. On the second play of the ensuing drive, a 51-yard run by Cole Ruble put SEMO near the redzone. Six plays later, a three-yard QB keeper by Jax Leatherwood gave SEMO its first lead of the game with 2:12 to go in the half.
SEMO 13, North Alabama 7: With under two minutes to go, SEMO received a punt from Watford and drew a 15-yard facemark to move up to midfield. The drive continued after a pair of third down conversions, but UNA kept SEMO out of the endzone with a pass breakup near the endzone by
Tae Martin. This forced SEMO to kick a field goal to end the half at 13-7.
THIRD QUARTER
SEMO 16, North Alabama 7: SEMO's Cole Ruble took the opening kickoff of the second half 47 yards, setting up a 48-yard field goal from Keller after a third-down stop by UNA just two minutes into the drive.
SEMO 23, North Alabama 7: The Lions were stopped short on a 4th-and-1 QB keeper by
Ty Watkins, allowing the Redhawks to take over at their own 41 yard line. Leatherwood completed a 55-yard pass to Cam Pedro to extend the lead.
FOURTH QUARTER
SEMO 30, North Alabama 7: The Lions drove into the redzone to end the third quarter, but were stopped at the 14-yard line after going for it on fourth down. The Lions stopped SEMO on the ensuing drive, but the next one resulted in a touchdown pass from Leatherwood tight end Andrew Civey.
SEMO 30, North Alabama 13: With 3:20 left in the game, junior wide receiver
KJ Fields capped a seven-play, 75-yard drive with his first career touchdown catch. From 23 yards out, quarterback
Destin Wade floated one towards the left corner pylon for Fields, who came down with it. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful.
SEMO 30, North Alabama 21: Martin forced his second fumble of the game with 2:26 left to play, scooping his own force and putting the Lions near midfield. From there, Wade engineered a six-play drive that ended with a seven-yard touchdown pass to senior
Justin Pegues. Wade ran an option play on the two-point conversion attempt, breaking a tackle and spinning into the end zone.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- The 280 rushing yards are the third-most in the Dearmon era and the most in a loss since rushing for 356 yards against EKU in 2022.
- UNA finished with four sacks — all in the first half — for 24 lost yards. Five players accounted for the sacks, including Jyheam Ingram, Seth Hampton, Demarcious Robinson, Avery Howard and E.J. Colbert.
- Ingram and Hampton each led the Lions with seven tackles. Defensive end Fred Vili added six tackles with one for loss.
- SEMO now leads the all-time series for the first time ever following wins in back-to-back seasons. UNA had the series lead since 1956 before SEMO tied it in 2024.
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The Lions are now 26-24-2 all-time against current members of the Big South-OVC alliance and 6-5 against schools from the state of Missouri.
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Senior Justin Pegues scored his first touchdown for the Lions and led the Lions with 115 all-purpose yards. Junior KJ Fields scored his first career touchdown with a 23-yard snag.
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Junior Adam Watford punted five times for an average of 43.8 yards, including two punts inside the 20 and one that went 51 yards.
COMING UP NEXT
The Lions will play the first of their final five games at Braly Stadium next Saturday, welcoming Northeastern State from the Division II ranks. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. As part of the "Final Season at Braly" celebration, UNA will welcome back any players, coaches, staff or spirit squad members from 1949-1989 for a special reunion. To register,
click here.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
