RICHMOND, Ky. (October 2, 2026) – The University of North Alabama football team begins conference play Saturday with a road game at Eastern Kentucky. This comes on the heels of a 3-2 start — UNA's best five-game start since the first season of Division I in 2018.
The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ with kickoff set for 5 p.m. CT at Roy Kidd Stadium.
UNA's local radio team will have the hometown broadcast with the longest-tenured radio duo in UNA football history on the call — "Voice of the Lions"
Benjamin Ray and Bryan Neece. Studio host and sideline reporter
Chase Glover will lead The Countdown to Kickoff presented by Bank Independent beginning at 4 p.m. CT. Fans can tune in on all
Roar Lions Productions platforms.
For a list of "things to know" for Saturday's game,
click here.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
North Alabama vs. Eastern Kentucky
Date: Saturday, October 3
Time: 5 p.m. CT
Location: Richmond, Kentucky
Stadium: Roy Kidd Stadium
Capacity: 20,000
TV: ESPN+ (Wes Chandler, Jonathan Duff, Maggie Davis)
Radio: Roar Lions Productions ("Voice of the Lions"
Benjamin Ray, Bryan Neece,
Chase Glover)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Click Here
Social Media:
@UNAFootball
UNA Game Notes |
Opponent Game Notes |
UAC Notes
NOTABLES
A HOT START: UNA is making the most of a milestone season in its history, as the 2026 season marks the 78th overall and the first with an on-campus stadium — Bobby Wallace Field at Bank Independent Stadium. The Lions have a 3-2 record to conclude non-conference play, including a 2-0 record at Bank Independent Stadium. A large portion of credit goes to UNA's defense, which ranks fourth in the nation in sacks per game, sixth in the nation in tackles for loss per game and 11th in rushing defense with just 94.0 yards per game allowed on the ground.
LAST TIME OUT: The Lions won a thriller against Western Illinois last Saturday in Florence, using all 60 minutes to pull out a 23-20 victory. Down 20-16 with under two minutes remaining, UNA put together a 75-yard drive and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 51 seconds to go. UNA quarterback
Destin Wade had the heroic touchdown with a one-yard sneak. Later, WIU drove down to the one-yard line with 12 seconds left, as UNA's
Kamore Harris made a game-saving tackle right at the goal line. The next play resulted in chaos, as a bad snap allowed UNA to make a tackle in the back field. With no timeouts, the Leathernecks could not stop the clock, and UNA finished off the comeback win.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT: EKU had a 1-3 record heading into conference play, falling to FBS Jacksonville State and FCS opponents Western Carolina and Dayton. The Colonels' lone win was a 22-17 victory over Chattanooga at home. They will look to turn things around in league play, ranking last in scoring offense with just 16.0 points per game while allowing 32.0. The strength of the team is rushing offense, as junior running back Brady Hensley — a hometown hero — ranks second in the league with 79.5 rushing yards per game.
SERIES HISTORY: Saturday will mark the fifth all-time meeting between UNA and EKU — all within the last five seasons dating back to 2022. EKU leads with a 3-1 record, but UNA won the most recent matchup last season with a 35-14 victory to cap off the final homecoming game at historic Braly Stadium.
2022 REWIND: This series cannot be talked about without highlighting the first one, as EKU and UNA combined for over 1,000 yards and over 100 points in a 56-53 win by EKU in Richmond. The Lions totaled 571 total yards with 356 on the ground. UNA had 31 first downs, scored seven touchdowns and went 7-11 on third down. The 571 yards ranked 20th in UNA history and first in FCS era history.
ROOKIE SENSATION: Redshirt freshman
Xavier Johnson — a transfer from Memphis — is the nation's leader in receiving yards with 593 over five games. He has won United Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week in four of the first five weeks, becoming the first freshman to win more than three times in UAC history.
MAYBE IT'S AVERY: Redshirt junior
Avery Howard was the UAC Defensive Player of the Week this week and was an honorable mention for Stats Perform FCS Defensive Player of the Week after totaling six tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in a 23-20 win over WIU. He stuffed the stat sheet with five QB hurries, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. Howard has already set the FCS school record with six sacks this season.
WE HAVE A LEADER: Despite a tough game with three turnovers against Western Illinois, redshirt junior quarterback
Destin Wade overcame adversity and engineered the game-winning drive, scoring on a QB sneak with 51 seconds to go. Wade ranks ninth in the country in passing yards per completion with 15.1 yards per completion. He is also one of the top 20 quarterbacks in fewest interceptions thrown and ranks second in the UAC with 224.4 yards per game passing.
DEFENSE ON LOCKDOWN: UNA has one of the top defenses in FCS, ranking fourth in the nation in sacks per game (3.6), sixth in tackles for loss per game (8.6) and 11th in rushing defense with just 94.0 yards per game allowed on the ground.
SPREADING THE LOVE: UNA has 15 players with double digit tackles this season, led by sophomore defensive back
Tae Martin with 31 tackles and a team-high five pass breakups. Howard has 30 tackles and ranks third in the nation in both tackles for loss (10.0) and sacks (6.0). Defensive backs
Kanijal Thomas and
Leo Glover join edge rusher
Cayden Adkins with over 20 tackles apiece. Adkins is also among the nation's leaders with four sacks.
THE D-LINE HEROES: Redshirt sophomore
Kamore Harris perhaps made the biggest play of the game in UNA's win over Western Illinois. With 20 seconds to go, WIU completed a 26-yard pass that looked like the game-winning touchdown. Instead, Harris came from behind the play and tripped up WIU's Ihson Jackson-Anderson at the one-yard line for a game-saving tackle. On the next play, redshirt senior
Joshua White had the tackle after a fumbled snap to put the game away near the goal line.
VACHON IN GOOD COMPANY: Redshirt senior kicker
Ian Vachon made a 46-yard field goal in the 23-20 win over Western Illinois, marking his third field goal of 45 yards of longer since joining the Lions last season. He joins elite company as one of just six kickers in UNA history to have three or more field goals over 45 yards in his career — Michael Schuster, Kevin Henke, J.D. Lane, James Knowles and Nelson McMurrian.
UAC ROUNDUP: There are two conference games in the UAC this week, including UNA's road bout with EKU and a battle between No. 20 ranked West Florida at Abilene Christian. Front-runners Tarleton State and Austin Peay are hosting non-conference games this week with the No. 3 Texans welcoming Chicago State and the No. 11 Govs hosting New Haven.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
