NORTH ALABAMA GAME NOTES | TENNESSEE TECH GAME NOTES
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
FLORENCE, Ala. – It's been a long time since Tennessee Tech has faced North Alabama in football with the last contest between the two schools dating back to 1959 when the school was still referred to as Florence State.
Sixty-two years later – and five years into their Division I existence – the Lions have had a tough go of things in 2022, posting a 1-8 record and finishing winless in the burgeoning Atlantic Sun lineup.
Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles are showing promise, taking back-to-back contests against Eastern Illinois and Lindenwood to close out Ohio Valley Conference play.
Tech (3-6, 2-3 OVC) will try to make it three in a row on Saturday as they travel to Florence to take on the Lions. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. Roger Ealey and Dylan Vazzano will have the call on 98.5 KISS FM, while the game will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
The Lions' record is a bit of a misnomer. While its lone win came in a 49-17 victory over Virginia-Wise, UNA's record includes two overtime games and four games that were decided by one possession, falling by three points to Indiana State, six to Kennesaw State, three to Eastern Kentucky and three to Austin Peay.
North Alabama can also score points – averaging 31.9 points per game. The Lions also have the second-best rusher in all of the Football Championship Subdivision in ShunDerrick Powell. He's rushed for 1,322 yards this season with 17 rushing touchdowns – the most in the FCS – and averages 146.9 yards on the ground and 171.44 all-purpose yards.
Their offense isn't just limited to the ground though. Quarterback Noah Walters ranks 54th in the country in passing with 1,792 yards, averaging 199.1 per game. He ranks in a tie for 21st in passing touchdowns with 17 as Takairee Kenebrew is 26th in receiving touchdowns (7).
Their challenge is inherent in their conference lineup – facing the Atlantic Sun offensive units in Kennesaw State, Jacksonville State, Eastern Kentucky, Central Arkansas and Austin Peay will put a lot of yardage on the stat sheets and see a lot of points on the wrong side of the scoreboard. UNA is allowing an average of 40.3 points per game and ranks 118th out of 123 teams in total defense (486.1 yards per game).
The Lions elected to go with a change of leadership after the loss to Central Arkansas, ending Chris Willis' run with the team with a 20-34 record. Ryan Held, the team's associate head coach and offensive coordinator, was named the interim coach. His first game last week was a 38-35 loss to Austin Peay in their A-Sun finale.
In that game, the Govs pulled together 544 yards of offense. UNA led 14-0 before Austin Peay charged forward for 31 unanswered points. The Lions cut it back within three – 31-28 – with 9:27 remaining in the game as Walters scored on a 23-yard quarterback keeper, but APSU pulled away once more with a Drae McCray 13-yard touchdown catch.
With 16 seconds left, Demarcus Lacey caught a 32-yard touchdown from Walters to make it a three-point game once again. The Lions were able to recover the onside kick, but time ran out on the resulting drive to end UNA's rally, falling 38-35.
Powell rushed for his fourth 200-yard game of the season with 207 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns, breaking the regular-season record.
The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, won their 50th Homecoming game last week with a thrilling finish against Lindenwood as Josh Reliford broke up the potential game-winning two-point conversion pass from Cade Brister with 14 seconds remaining in the game. Reliford also had one of Tech's record-setting 10 sacks in the contest and forced a fumble as he was named the Tennessee Sports Writers Association's Defensive Player of the Week.
True freshman running back O.J. Ross was also named the OVC's Newcomer of the Week with 93 all-purpose yards, including a 56-yard completion from Jeremiah Oatsvall to Willie Miller to Ross, setting up Ross' three-yard touchdown run on the next play.
The Golden Eagles rushed for 303 yards – the most since their 2013 game against Cumberland as David Gist rushed for his eighth 100-yard game in his career – the sixth-most in program history. He currently has 2,302 career rushing yards and needs 13 to tie Jason Ballard (2000-03) for the fifth most yards. He also has 3,401 all-purpose yards and currently trails No. 7 Henry Sailes (3,589) in the category. He needs 22 points to tie Derek White and Wayne Anderson for No. 10 in career scoring at 180. Gist also has four receiving touchdowns and 195 yards on 23 catches.
Oatsvall has thrown for 1,899 yards and 17 touchdowns – tied for 21st in the FCS with UNA's Walters – and averages 211 yards per game. He's also rushed for 378 yards and three more touchdowns.
Bradley Clark has moved into the team lead in receiving yardage with 262 yards and three touchdowns on 25 catches, while Willie Miller (255 yards) and Heath Price (153 yards) also have three touchdowns caught.
Seth Carlisle has the team lead in tackles with 82 total, ranking fourth in the OVC with a 9.1 per-game average. Reliford ranks seventh in the league with 64 stops.
The Golden Eagles return home next week for their season finale against North Carolina Central. Tickets for the Senior Day contest are on sale now – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or visit TTUsports.com.
Photo | Emily Armstrong
