University of North Alabama 2015 Football Notes October 3, 2015 vs. Valdosta State • Valdosta, Georgia UNA VS. VSU IS GSC’S BEST RIVALRY * As far as regional and national implications are concerned, North Alabama 2014 Results (9-2) no Gulf South Conference rivalry can come close to UNA and Sept. 13 .................at Mississippi College - ....... 58-0 Valdosta State. This will be the 17th time in the 40 meetings Sept. 20 ................................LANGSTON - ....... 56-7 where both teams are nationally ranked and the sixth time they Sept. 27 .....................VALDOSTA STATE - ..... 31-29 have met where they were both ranked in the Top 10. At least one team has been ranked in 27 of the previous 39 meetings. Oct. 4 .................... WESTERN OREGON - ..... 30-10 * The Lions and Blazers have each won three Division II National Oct. 11 ........................at UNC-Pembroke - ....... 27-6 Championships, have made a combined 33 playoff appearances, Oct. 18 ..............................at Florida Tech - ..... 34-31 winning 13 NCAA regional titles and 17 GSC titles. VSU Oct. 25 ..........................WEST GEORGIA - ..... 31-28 has produced three Harlon Hill Trophy winners and UNA two, Nov. 1 .................................at Delta State - ..... 28-33 both have three inductees in the Division II Football Hall of Fame and one each in the College Football Hall of Fame. Nov. 8 .....................................SHORTER - ....... 45-7 Nov. 13 ......................... at West Alabama - ..... 24-16 ROAD TEAM HAS WON SEVEN OF LAST EIGHT NCAA Division II Playoffs * The road team has won seven of the last eight meetings in the Nov. 22 ........................VALDOSTA STATE ...... 31-33 series and UNA has won the last four games played in Valdosta by a combined score of 192-77. UNA defeated VSU 62-27 in 2009, 43-20 in the 2010 NCAA playoffs, 30-23 in the 2011 and North Alabama 2015 Schedule (2-0) 57-7 in 2013. The Blazers last win over UNA on their home field Sept. 6 .................vs. Miles at Legion Field ...... 34-17 was 37-23 in 2007. Sept. 12 .............*MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE ...... 34-17 * All-time, the home field has not been a great advantage in the Sept. 26 .......................... *FLORIDA TECH ...... 55-48 series. UNA is 11-8 against the Blazers in Florence and 11-8-1 Oct. 3 .............................*at Valdosta State .........1:00 against the Blazers in Valdosta.The Blazers last three wins in Florence were all by narrow margins of five, three and two points. Oct. 10 ......................... at Western Oregon .........3:00 * The last home team to win in the series was UNA with a 31-29 Oct. 17 .......................... UNC PEMBROKE .........6:00 win in 2014 on a 54-yard field goal on the final play of the game. Oct. 24 ............................ *at West Georgia .........1:00 Oct. 31 ............................... *DELTA STATE .........1:00 UNA VS. NATIONALLY RANKED OPPONENTS Nov. 7 ....................................... *at Shorter .......12:30 * North Alabama has played 92 games against nationally ranked opponents since 1992 and the Lions are 55-36-1 in those meetings Nov. 14 ......................... *WEST ALABAMA .........1:30 over the last 23 seasons. This will be UNA’s first game against a ranked opponent in 2015. UNA has played 48 of its last 92 games THOMPSON ON A ROLL against ranked teams against Top 10 teams. The Lions are 28-20 • In three games this season Lamonte Thompson has rushed for in those previous 48 games. 484 yards and six touchdowns and averages 7.4 yards per carry. He averages 161.3 yards per game to rank fourth nationally in the WALLACE TIES SELF AS UNA’S WINNINGEST COACH NCAA Division II. He picked up 173 yards on 22 carries against * UNA Head Coach Bobby Wallace is tied with Hal Self in the Miles, 188 on 27 carries against Mississippi College and 123 on rankings of winningest football coaches in school history. Self 19 carries against Florida Tech. Thompson now has 11 career won 109 games over 21 seasons from 1949-69. Wallace has 109 100-yard rushing games. UNA has not produced a 1,000-yard wins in just his 14th season at UNA. Wallace already ranks as rusher in a season since Greg Manson in 1997. the winningest football coach in Gulf South Conference history with 135 wins in 19 seasons in the league. WINGO BECOMES UNA’S THIRD 1,000-YARD RUSH- Winningest Football Coaches in UNA History ING QUARTERBACK 109 - Hal Self 109-81-8 1949-69 • UNA senior quarterback Luke Wingo has 1,062 career rushing 109 - Bobby Wallace 109-46-1 1988-97, yards to become just the Lions third quarterback to rush for more 2012-15 than 1,000 yards in school history. The only previous UNA quar- 84 - Wayne Grubb 84-33-6 1977-87 terbacks to rush for more than 1,000 career yards are Cody Gross 66 - Mark Hudspeth 66-21-0 2002-08 (1,930) and Tyler Peterson (1,309). UNA IN 67TH SEASON OF FOOTBALL WINGO PROMINENT IN UNA CAREER RANKINGS • This is UNA’s 67th season of intercollegiate football since the UNA senior quarterback Luke Wingo ranks fourth in school history program was revived at the school in 1949. UNA has an overall for career passing yards (5,949), second in career total offense 443-256-16 record. The school’s 19 NCAA Division II Playoff (7,011), fifth in career pass completions (426), fifth in career appearances are tied for the most by any school in the division’s touchdown passes (40) and second in career touchdowns respon- history and the Lions 31 all-time post-season wins rank second in sible for (69). Division II history. 2015 Lion Notes ALL-TIME SERIES WITH VALDOSTA STATE - FOUR GSC SQUADS IN AFCA TOP TEN NORTH ALABAMA LEADS 22-16-1 * Four Gulf South Conference schools are currently ranked in the * This will be the 40th all-time meeting between North Alabama American Football Coaches Association NCAA Division II Top 10 and Valdosta State, with UNA holding a 22-16-1 advantage. The poll. West Georgia is ranked second while Delta State is fifth, UNA two schools have faced each other every season since the Blaz- eighth and Valdosta State ninth. ers began their football program in 1982. * There have been six times that the Lions and Blazers have met UNA IS STATE’S WINNINGEST COLLEGIATE in both the regular-season and post-season in the same season FOOTBALL PROGRAM SINCE 1990 (1994, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2014). * North Alabama has the mnost wins and best winning percentage * North Alabama has won seven of the last ten meetings. of any collegiate football program from the state of Alabama since * This will be the 17th meeting where both teams are nationally 1990. UNA has a 216-84-1 record over the last 25-plus seasons ranked and UNA has a 9-6-1 advantage in those meetings. for a 71.9 winning percentage. * The home field has not been a great advantage in the series. UNA is 11-8 against the Blazers in Florence and 11-8-1 against Best State Football Records Since 1990 the Blazers in Valdosta. North Alabama 216-84-1 .......... 71.6 Alabama . 214-96 .......... 68.9 1982.......... UNA................ 53-7 @Valdosta Auburn .. 200-96-3 .......... 68.0 1983.......... UNA................ 27-0 Florence Tuskegee 199-82-1 .......... 70.3 1984.......... UNA.............. 35-24 @Valdosta 1985.......... UNA................ 45-0 Florence UNA RETURNS 56 LETTERMEN AND 15 STARTERS 1986.......... VSU................ 7-24 @Valdosta • UNA returns 56 lettermen and 15 starters from a 2014 team that 1987.......... UNA.............. 17-16 Florence went 9-2, won a share of the Gulf South Conference Champion- 1988.......... VSU.............. 28-35 @Valdosta ship and advanced to the NCAA Division II Playoffs. 1989.......... VSU.............. 21-24 Florence 1990.......... UNA.............. 26-10 @Valdosta UNA LOOKING FOR THIRD STRAIGHT GSC TITLE 1991.......... VSU.............. 27-34 Florence * North Alabama earned a share of the 2013 and 2014 Gulf South 1992.......... TIE................ 24-24 @Valdosta Conference football championships and is trying to become just 1993.......... UNA ............. 31-21 @Valdosta the third team in league history to win three straight GSC crowns. 1994.......... UNA.............. 38-21 Florence Wallace and the UNA Lions won three straight from 1993-95 and 1994.......... UNA.............. 27-24 Florence*(2OT) Valdosta State won three straight under Chris Hatcher from 2000- 1995.......... UNA................ 26-9 Florence 02. 1996.......... VSU.............. 31-34 @Valdosta (3OT) Bobby Wallace is the first coach in league history to win five 1997.......... VSU................ 0-21 Florence GSC football championships. Former GSC coaches Ron Roberts 1998.......... UNA................ 35-7 @Valdosta (Delta State), Chris Hatcher (Valdosta State) and Bill Burgess 1999.......... UNA.............. 31-28 Florence (Jacksonville State) won four GSC football championships. 2000.......... VSU.............. 21-45 @Valdosta Wallace’s GSC titles have come in 1993, 1994, 1995, 2013 2001.......... VSU................ 7-54 @Valdosta and 2014. 2002.......... VSU.............. 28-45 Florence 2003.......... UNA.............. 17-10 @Valdosta UNA GSC Football Championships 2004.......... VSU.............. 20-24 Florence 1980, 1983, 1985, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2005.......... VSU.............. 23-26 @Valdosta 2003, 2006, 2009, 2013, 2014 2005.......... UNA.............. 40-13 @Valdosta* 2006.......... UNA.............. 31-24 Florence (OT) UNA IN PRESEASON NATIONAL POLLS 2007.......... VSU.............. 24-27 @Valdosta • UNA finished the 2014 season ranked No. 16 in the AFCA Divi- 2007.......... VSU.............. 23-37 @Valdosta* sion II Top 25. It was the 20th time since 1980 that the Lions have 2008.......... UNA.............. 41-23 Florence finished a season in the Top 25. Entering 2015, the Lions were 2008.......... UNA.............. 37-10 Florence * ranked in five pre-season Division II polls. 2009.......... UNA.............. 62-27 @Valdosta Pre-Season Rankings 2010.......... VSU.................. 0-5 Florence Lindy’s Sports No. 5 2010.......... UNA.............. 43-20 @Valdosta* D2Football.com No. 13 2011..........