University of North Alabama 2015 Football Notes
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University of North Alabama 2015 Football Notes November 28, 2015 • # 14 UNA vs. #23 Tuskegee • Florence - 11:30 Central LIONS MAKING 20TH PLAYOFF APPEARANCE - 11TH IN LAST 13 SEASONS • The University of North Alabama football program is making a record-tying 20th appearance in the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs after the Lions selection Sunday. Northwest Missouri State joins UNA as the only two programs since Division II was created in 1972 to have advanced to the football playoffs 20 times. • The University of North Alabama football program has advanced to the NCAA Division II Playoffs in 11 of the last 13 seasons (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015). UNA’S ALL-TIME PLAYOFF NUMBERS 20 Playoff Appearances North Alabama 2015 Schedule (9-2) 3 National Championships Sept. 6 .................vs. Miles at Legion Field ...... 34-17 4 Championship Game Appearances Sept. 12 .............*MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE ...... 34-17 9 Semifinal Appearances Sept. 26 .......................... *FLORIDA TECH ...... 55-48 32-16 All-time Playoff Record .667 Playoff Winning Percentage Oct. 3 .............................*at Valdosta State ...... 34-12 24-7 Record at Home Oct. 10 ......................... at Western Oregon ...... 22-24 8-9 Record on Road Oct. 17 .......................... UNC PEMBROKE ...... 62-28 5-1 in Round of 24 Games Oct. 24 ............................ *at West Georgia ...... 10-31 11-4 in Round of 16 Games Oct. 31 ............................... *DELTA STATE ...... 43-17 9-5 in Quarterfinals 4-5 in Semifinals Nov. 7 ....................................... *at Shorter ........ 28-7 3-1 in Championship Games Nov. 14 ......................... *WEST ALABAMA ...... 52-14 NCAA Division II Playoffs SERIES VS. TUSKEGEE Nov. 21 ..................................NEWBERRY ........ 50-7 • UNA is 3-0 all-time against Tuskegee and 1-0 against the Nov. 28 ...................................TUSKEGEE Golden Tigers in the playoffs. The Lions downed Tuskegee 26-7 at Tuskegee in 1979, then defeated the Golden Tigers 25-13 the following year in Florence. The two schools met in the first round UNA IS STATE’S WINNINGEST COLLEGIATE of the 2013 Division II Playoffs in Florence with UNA winning FOOTBALL PROGRAM SINCE 1990, TUSKEGEE IS 30-27. FOURTH * North Alabama has the most wins and best winning percentage TUSKEGEE IN 2015 of any collegiate football program from the state of Alabama since Tuskegee is 9-2 in 2015. The Golden Tigers won their first four 1990. UNA has a 222-86-1 record over the last 25-plus seasons games before suffering a 29-17 road loss at UNC-Pembroke. for a 71.6 winning percentage. Tuskegee is fourth with 203 wins Tuskegee then won another four in a row before falling to Miles and second in winning percentage. 26-23 at home in the last game of the regular-season. Best State Football Records Since 1990 UNA AND TUSKEGEE HAVE COMMON OPPONENTS North Alabama 222-86-1 .......... 72.0 North Alabama and Tuskegee have faced two common oppo- Alabama . 221-96 .......... 69.7 nents in Miles College and UNC Pembroke. UNA defeated Miles Auburn .. 204-99-3 .......... 67.1 34-17 in its season opener in Birmingham and downed UNC Tuskegee 203-84-1 .......... 70.6 Pembroke 62-28 on October 17. Tuskegee lost to both schools, falling 29-17 at UNC Pembroke and 26-23 at home against Miles. LIONS AT BRALY * UNA has an all-time 255-112-8 record at Braly Stadium and the FORMER UNA COORDINATOR LEADS TUSKEGEE Lions are 63-21 at home under Bobby Wallace. The Tuskegee Golden Tigers are coached by former UNA of- fen- * The Lions are 24-7 all-time at Braly Stadium in NCAA Playoff sive coordinator Willie Slater who helped lead the Lions to three Games. NCAA Division II National Championships in the 1990s under * UNA is 6-0 at home at Braly Stadium this season. Bobby Wallace. Slater was also an assistant on Wallace’s staff at Temple. Slater was offensive coordinator at UNA from 1992-99. UNA HAS HAD NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS Slater has a stellar 90-23 record in his 10 seasons as Tuskegee’s * UNA has an all-time 110-33-1 record in non-conference games head coach. Tuskegee has won nine games in eight of Slater’s since joining the Gulf South Conference in 1971. The Lions are 10 years at the school. 65-16 at home against non-GSC schools since 1971, 41-16 on the road and 3-1-1 on neutral fields. 2015 Division II Playoff Pairings First Round - November 21 Super Region 1 #5 Indiana, Pa. def. #4 *Charleston - 47-21 #2 *Slippery Rock def. #7 Virginia Union - 40-21 #3 *Assumption def. #6 Bowie State - 51-29 Super Region 4 #4 *CSU Pueblo def. #5 Indianapolis - 27-14 #2 *Ferris State def. #7 Texas A&M-Commerce - 48-30 #6 Grand Valley State def. #3 *Ashland - 45-23 Super Region 2 #4 *Valdosta State def. #5 Carson-Newman - 61-59 #2 *North Alabama def. Newberry - 50-7 #6 Tuskegee def. #3 *Catawba - 26-16 Super Region 3 #4 *Humboldt def. #5 Augustana - 45-31 #7 Emporia State def. #2 Minnesota State - 51-49 #3 *Henderson State def. #6 Sioux Falls - 23-16 Round of 16 - November 28 Super Region 1 #1 *Shepherd hosts #5 Indiana, Pa. #2 *Slippery Rock hosts #3 Assumption Super Region 4 #1 *Midwestern State hosts #4 CSU Pueblo #2 *Ferris State hosts #6 Grand Valley State Super Region 2 #1 *West Georgia hosts #4 Valdosta State #2 *North Alabama hosts #6 Tuskegee Super Region 3 #1 *Northwest Missouri State hosts #4 Humboldt State #7 *Emporia State hosts #3 Henderson State Quarterfinals - December 5 Super Region 1 - Region Final Super Region 4 - Region Final Super Region 2 - Region Final Super Region 3 - Region Final Semifinals - December 12 Super Region 1 vs. Super Region 4 Super Region 2 vs. Super Region 3 Championship - December 19 Kansas City, Kansas 2015 Lion Notes TUSKEGEE MAKING THIRD PLAYOFF APPEARANCE LIONS MAKING NINTH PLAYOFF APPEARANCE Despite having one of the nation’s most rich college football UNDER WALLACE traditions, Tuskegee had not participated in the NCAA Division II • UNA is making its ninth post-season NCAA appearance under Playoffs prior to 2013 due to the Golden Tigers annual game on current head football coach Bobby Wallace. Wallace led the Lions Thanksgiving Day with Alabama State. UNA defeated Tuskegee to six post-season trips in his first stint as the Lions’ head coach in the Golden Tigers first playoff game in 2013 and Tuskegee lost (1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997). This will be the third con- in the first round again in 2014 to ... Tuskegee got the first NCAA secutive since he returned to UNA in 2012 (2013, 2014, 2015). playoff win in school history last Saturday with a 26-16 win at Catawba. UNA IN THE PLAYOFFS BY COACHES * Tuskegee has won 30 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Confer- Bobby Wallace ence (SIAC) football championships and has claimed eight Histori- 9th Appearance (16-5) cally Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) National Champion- 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2013, 2014 ships. The Tuskegee program has produced 23 National Football Mark Hudspeth 5Appearances (9-5) League draft picks. 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Wayne Grubb 3 Appearances (4-3) UNA HAS DOMINATED THE SIAC 1980, 1983, 1985 * With a season-opening win over Miles College, UNA now has a Terry Bowden 3 Appearances (3-3) 41-5-1 record all-time against teams from the Southern Intercol- 2009, 2010, 2011 legiate Athletic Conference. UNA’s last loss to an SIAC team was 17-10 to Albany State in Albany in the 1996 season-opener. The WALLACE FOURTH IN DII PLAYOFF WINS Lions have a current seven-game winning streak against SIAC * Bobby Wallace has a 17-6 all-time record in the NCAA Division institutions. II playoffs, including a 1-1 record at West Alabama. Wallace and former Northwest Missouri State coach Mel Tjeerdsma are the UNA vs. SIAC Schools only coaches in Division II history to win three National Champion- Alabama A&M 18-3-1 ships. Miles 9-0 Albany State 4-1 Most Coaching Wins in Division II Playoffs Fort Valley State 4-1 32 Mel Tjeerdsma Northwest Missouri State Savannah State 2-0 19 Chuck Broyles Pittsburg State Stillman 1-0 19 Ken Sparks Carson-Newman Tuskegee 3-0 17 Bobby Wallace North Alabama/ West Alabama LIONS SECOND IN SUPER REGION 2 POLL 16 Chuck Martin Grand Valley State * UNA finished the regular season ranked second in the final 15 Frank Cignetti Indiana, Pa. NCAA Division II Super Region 2 poll. The poll is the official selec- 14 Dale Lennon North Dakota tions by the Division II Football Committee. Super Region 2 Rankings LIONS PROMINENT IN NCAA STATISTICS Team * As a team, North Alabama ranks third in the nation in passing 1 West Georgia efficiency (167.6), 14th in total offense (485.4), 12th in first downs 2 North Alabama (283) and 12th in red zone offense (89.1). 3 Catawba * Defensively the Lions are 12th in passing efficiency defense 4 Valdosta State (101.2), 13th in fewest passing yards allowed (155.3) and 22nd in 5 Carson-Newman total defense (316.7). 6 Tuskegee * UNA senior quarterback Luke Wingo ranks fourth nationally in 7 Newberry Division II in passing efficiency with a 168.8 rating. He is also 27th nationally in total offense (287.9). UNA GETS THIRD STRAIGHT GSC TITLE * UNA senior running back Lamonte Thompson ranks 37th in Divi- * A 52-14 win over West Alabama gave North Alabama a share of sion II in rushing with 104.5 yards per game. the 2015 Gulf South Conference football championship with a 6-1 * UNA junior kicker Kevin Henke ranks 11th nationally in field league record.