UNA Football Night @ Lost Pizza w/Benjamin Ray 10/20/25

[0:00] It's time for UNA Football Night from Lost Pizza. For the next hour, we'll go in-depth as we talk to your University of North Alabama Lions. UNA Football Night from Lost Pizza is brought to you by Lost Pizza Shoals, Burnley Spine and Sport, Singing River Brewery, Alabama Health Guidance, Brenaissance Eye Care, Turbo Coffee and Brown Equipment Company. Live from Lost Pizza in historic downtown Florence, here's the voice of the Lions, Benjamin Ray. Good evening and roar, Lions from Lost Pizza Shoals. Benjamin Ray, Mike Ezekiel back with you for another week of UNA Football Night from Lost Pizza in historic downtown Florence.

It's an exciting night coming off of the homecoming win this past Saturday. A 35-14 thrashing of eastern Kentucky, picking up North Alabama's first win over EKU since EKU joined the same conference as North Alabama back in the A-Sun in 2022. There have been some great games against the Colonels down to the wire, and North Alabama gets the big blowout. And Mike, it was the perfect end to what was really, truly a great week of homecoming festivities. You know, Ben, I've been at many schools, I've been at many campuses during homecoming as a visiting team.

I don't think anybody does homecoming as well as North Alabama. I mean, you start with Thursday and you got Purple Pandemonium, homecoming pep rally, and then you go into Friday and the events that go on with that, the golf tournament. Then you go into Saturday, the parade, the Hall of Fame, that's our favorite event, and you roll right in to kickoff. A great environment at Brawley Stadium, over 9,000 screaming fans, home field advantage, and man, what a game capped off with a huge win. I mean, dominated from start to finish, a win over a great opponent in EKU.

Homecoming was great, Ben, and I'm glad that we're here today to recap it. A lot to jump into from what Mike just kind of mentioned, and let's start with the Hall of Fame. The ceremony was on Saturday. If you missed it, we streamed it live. You can go on YouTube, Facebook, X, RoarLions.com. I think RoarLions.com. Anyways, you can go to the social channels, and you can actually watch the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Jeff Hodges does an incredible job. Dan Kinney, who is in town from North Carolina, where he's from, he came up to me afterwards.

He said, hey, I'm on the board of the State of North Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame, and you guys do a great job with this ceremony, and it's so much better than other places that I have been, and I thought that was a very high compliment. But those six inductees, I loved all the speeches. I was a little partial to Casey Holtz because he was a guy I covered when he was in school. Kind of my introduction to UNA basketball back in the day, and it was just a great way to start the day with six incredible Lion legends.

Well, first of all, I echo exactly what you said about Jeff Hodges and the work he does that goes into it in the committee. I mean, there's so many deserving people for the Hall of Fame, and we're getting into an era where more and more are going to get in. A lot of names that the community will recognize, and a lot of people. I mean, it was almost at capacity there in the GUC Performance Center, so a great weekend. Casey Holtz was a guy you mentioned, and that was a guy that was part of my childhood.

Tavares Wilson was a guy that was playing my freshman year of college, and I got to know him and see what he did over those two years, and him being pretty much almost a first ballot Hall of Famer was no shock to me, and some other great people that got in. It was a great ceremony and an awesome Hall of Fame class. And then you mentioned this, too, homecoming at night, final night game at Brawley Stadium, and it really kind of hit me towards the end of the night.

Maybe that last touchdown when the lights went on, I thought, man, that's the last time we're going to get this light show in Brawley. Now, I'm sure in Bank Independent Stadium, we're going to have some unbelievable light shows with some of the things that they're doing in there. But it's kind of a bittersweet ending for the final home game at night at Brawley Stadium. Yeah, it kind of sucked in for me. There about midnight, I was one of the last ones to leave, and, you know, it was raining a little bit, so you could see the lights even better with the rain coming down on it.

And I just kind of had a moment of nostalgia thinking back, you know, 10 years ago. We're going to play West Georgia this year, and that was one of the most memorable wins that I can remember. And then just going through my head, even last year, ACU, the homecoming win from last season, and that was a special moment. And just my childhood, and your childhood as well, spent at Brawley Stadium over the years, and knowing that that would be the final time under the lights, the next two will be in the afternoon.

Exciting things on the horizon, but, you know, it's okay right now to have a little nostalgia on the way. Somebody asked me what time we're going to kick off games at Bank Independent Stadium. I said, you know what, I don't care. Kick it off whatever time you want to, because it'll be our stadium. We'll be able to set up all week inside of there instead of the short little turnaround that we have inside of historic Brawley Stadium. So we're excited about the things to come, but we are going to miss old, reliable Brawley Stadium.

So we've got a lot to break down with UNA head football coach Brent Dierman. We've got Destin Wade in the house tonight. We're going to talk to Big Ox. Caleb Brown's here as well. He had some big sacks this past weekend. So we've got a jam-packed episode. Let's take our first time out. When we come back, we'll hear from the head football coach Brent Dierman. This is UNA football night from Lost Pizza Shoals on 93.9 The Score. Flavor is calling at Lost Pizza Company Shoals. Introducing the new limited-time-only margarita pizza.

[5:21] Fresh basil, fine-ripened tomatoes, and creamy mozzarella pearls on our homemade crust. Light, bright, and bursting with flavor. Try our all-new dry-rub wings, seasoned to perfection with bold, smoky spices. It'll have you coming back for more. Don't forget dessert. Cotton, blues, cheesecake slices are here. Creamy, dreamy, and downright legendary. These flavors won't stick around forever. Only at Lost Pizza Company Shoals, where the lost get fed. Hi, this is Ike Fowler with Alabama Health Guidance. Whether you are looking for a Medicare health plan or you are under 65 and exploring individual health care options, Alabama Health Guidance can help you find the plan that fits your needs.

Our local agents make it simple, so stop by our office at 885 Florence Boulevard or give us a call at 256-648-5710. Again, that's 256-648-5710. Start your day the Turbo way at Turbo Coffee in downtown Florence. Whether you're craving a handcrafted latte, a refreshing smoothie, an energizing acai bowl, or our famous house-made pastries, we've got something to fuel every part of your day. Proudly located right in the heart of downtown Florence, Turbo Coffee is more than just your neighborhood coffee shop. We're a community. And as proud supporters of UNA Athletics, we're cheering on the Lions every step of the way.

So stop by Turbo Coffee today, where passion, flavor, and community come together. Hey guys, how long have you been wearing those out-of-date, scratched-up glasses? This is Dr. Ham Moore with Renaissance Eye Care. Go ahead and do as the woman in your life has been asking and schedule an eye exam. You can go to renaissanceeyecare.com or call 767-5000 to see either Dr. Kathy Werner, Dr. Lisa Campbell, or myself. Everyone knows it's time to evaluate the health of your eyes and get a new pair of glasses.

We can make sure you won't miss any of the action this fall. And roar lines. Join us at Singing River Brewery, your local hub for great beer and community fun. Ready to serve delicious drinks and host amazing events? Try our Golden Mainer Leo's Roar, and 50% goes to UNA Athletics. Support your local business and college community while enjoying a fantastic atmosphere. Don't miss out on the good times. Come sit, socialize, and savor the taste of Singing River Brewery. Welcome to Burnley Spine and Sport Chiropractic. Located in downtown Florence, we offer a large array of therapies and techniques to help you get back in the game of life.

One of those therapies is red light slash infrared light therapy. Dry needling is used to help reduce pain associated with painful trigger point. Our class 4 laser therapies are used to decrease inflammation and improve the speed of healing, of sprains, tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis. Burnley Spine and Sport Chiropractic is proud to partner with UNA to keep our lions performing at their best. Good food, good fun, good football talk down here at Lost Pizza Shoals in historic downtown Florence. Benjamin Ray, Mike Ezekiel, happy to welcome in the head football coach at North Alabama, Brent Dierman.

And coach, the first thing I want to ask you tonight, is football weather finally here this week? When I stepped out of the house this morning around 6, I think it was about 40 degrees. I could see my breath out in front of me. The frost hadn't set in just yet. And that's definitely football weather for sure. And does it not feel like the homecoming weather kind of came after the homecoming game Saturday? But I know that win inside of Brawley Stadium, 35-14 over Eastern Kentucky, had to feel very good.

It felt really good. You know, you're talking about the last night game in Brawley Stadium. And to be able to send out with a win, be able to have the last homecoming in Brawley Stadium with a win. I thought it was a great night. You know, early in that game, things that the average person probably doesn't think about. That was a 14-mile-an-hour win early in that game because of that storm that was coming in on Sunday morning. So we picked the wind. Instead of the coin toss, we picked to have the direction of the wind early.

That way our kicking game, our quarterback could feel comfortable throwing into it. And I thought that gave us an edge early on in that football game. Yeah, now that you say that, that's absolutely true. It's not something I would have thought about, so it's so good on you for that. Well, I learned the hard way. One year I was at Kansas, and me and Coach Schurig have talked about this before. We had about a 20-25-mile-an-hour win one year. We were playing Baylor. Baylor won the toss and took the wind.

And our first throw of the game, our quarterback threw an out route, and it ended up being like a curveball. Wow. And it was awful. And then we punted, and Coach Roth may remember this. We punt into that wind, and we ended up being a seven-yard punt. Oh, man. Because it got up in the air, the wind caught it, and just brought it right back. So I said, if I ever am in a windy game, I'm going to do what they did, and I'm going to pick the wind.

And, you know, Coach, it kind of makes sense now. I don't think the punt was blocked. It could have been affected by him trying to navigate the wind. And then a pass that they had on one of those opening drives really sailed away. It could have been because of the wind, and I'm kind of registering with me now. Well, I think Coach Walt Wells does a great job. Even after halftime, he was in the mindset of getting the wind in the fourth quarter. So we actually had the wind in the first and the third, and I thought we were able to get momentum.

[10:47] If you're in a tight game late, you want the wind in the fourth. But if you want to get momentum early and jump out fast, you'd rather get the wind early in the football game. So let's start with that then. I mean, a great game plan in that regard. And the third quarter really seemed like kind of where it took off for us. Got that big touchdown right at the end of halftime there, less than a minute to go to go up 14-7. And then you kind of almost put it away, so to speak, right before the fourth quarter.

So getting that momentum in the third quarter had to be kind of a turning point. I thought it was really four minutes left in the second quarter. We get the ball back. Our defense does a great job of getting us the football. And we go on a three-minute and 40-second drive. The length of the field, eat up the clock, had a big-time throw and catch. Destin hits Noah Gregg. Noah is hit by two guys as he's making that catch. Kind of rolls off, falls into the end zone.

Another cool moment with that. Anaka Scott was a receiver on the other side, runs over there and tackles him in celebration with his teammate. He's wondering who tackled him. Yeah, I couldn't remember. And we look up, and there's 20 seconds left. There's not enough time, really, for their offense to really get anything going. So we get seven points going into half, and we got the ball back coming out of half. So it was really a 14-point swing because we go on a long drive. Our first drive of the second half, I think it was a 75-yard drive.

82. The first one. Oh, that was the second quarter. Yes, 82-yard drive. And then we turned around and hit an 80-yard drive. So we hit an 82-yard drive and an 80-yard drive back-to-back and really took over the football game in that third quarter. By the way, the 80-yard drive you're referring to to go up 28-7. That was our longest time to drive of the season. I don't think we threw the ball. Yeah, it was all runs. The whole drive. I mean, nickel-and-dime type runs. That's probably why Coach May is not here tonight.

We didn't throw the ball that much. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. You know, we talked about this last year. Speaking of just running that time, that time of possession, it seemed like when we were winning, we were holding the ball 35, 40 minutes. And you had another one of those games on Saturday. I don't know if that was something that you had thought about. You know, we knew we had to run the ball, but it was complimentary. We went into every game with the thought process of running the football.

You know, we had to get away from it in SEMO in the second half. We had to get away from it in UCA in the second half. We feel like we can run the football. We've got a really good offensive line, got a great state with the running backs. But we would let the game get out of hand, either offensively having too many turnovers, not making the play when it's there, defensively giving up too much in the first half of the football game. So it really got us away from what we want our identity to be.

That was really the first game this year that all three phases played complimentary football together. When the defense went out and got a three and out, the offense responded. When special teams, the guy shanked the punt, we scored in two plays right after that. So complimentary football, but time of possession usually doesn't equate to wins like it used to. But you go back to West Georgia last year when we had the big long game of time of possession, it usually means that we're taking care of the football.

So that's what we want to do. The run game coach, 285 rushing yards, propelled you guys back into the top 25, 17th nationally. But it wasn't just Juice Allen. He had the big game. L.T. Sanders came in, ran strong for you. Jalen J.D. Daniels turned the corner a couple of times. And then, of course, Destin Wade over 100 yards rushing from the quarterback position. So offensive line has been a strength. You felt like the running back room was a strength, and they turned out for you. I gave him a hard time today.

We took a sack, and he'll tell you he took the sack. The O-line did a great job in protection. He stepped up one time in the pocket and took a sack. Without that sack, we probably had 300 yards rushing on the night. And to have 300 yards rushing against quite possibly one of the best defensive fronts in our league, I think they went into the game as the best run-stopping defense in our league up to this point. It really says a lot about our offensive line, our running backs.

Destin, his running ability adds to our run game. So, man, it's a good feeling when you can run the ball. And my dad was in attendance. To be able to rush the ball with O-line coach Roger Dierman in the building was even better. And that's one of our collective gripes, right, that they take the sack yardage out of your rushing total. We've got to get that changed. I agree. Absolutely. I'll tell you, I'm going to give another guy a shout-out that's here tonight. Won a pride sticker for the week.

John Alston moves up to second on the depth chart. True freshman. Destin gets his helmet knocked off in a key moment of the game. A lot of people probably don't even think about these type of things. It's third and two in a – the game was very tight at this moment in time. And without even thinking about it, I just call the next play. John Alston goes in. We call a power replay where he pulls it and barrels ahead for five yards. And now looking back on it, I put a true freshman in a very stressful situation.

[15:47] He didn't blink. So he came out here tonight to support Destin. I thought he hit that hole with a lot of confidence. Yeah, he did. I think he either did that or was trying to run away from that big number 93 that was chasing him on the backside. Well, he did so successfully. And, Coach, that brings us to another big stat in this game. Third down conversions. We went eight for 13. You look at the red zone as well, going five for six in the red zone. EKU didn't have anything in the red zone because of how great the defense did.

But going eight for 13 and just constantly moving the ball that had to help. Yeah, the red zone numbers, we really kind of hurt ourselves that first drive. We get the ball all the way down to the one-yard line and couldn't get the ball into the end zone. So that was the disappointing one in the red zone. I knew we could have took the three points. But because we're at the one and the wind, I said, you know what? If our defense can get a stop, that punter's punting into the wind out of his own end zone.

So we still got a great field position here. That's why we went for it right there. And third downs, I mean, we helped ourselves out on third downs because we won first down. That usually leads to better third downs is when you're winning first and second down. We had a lot more third and shorts this game than we had in previous games. So we could lean on, sprint out passes. We could lean on running the football. So if we continue to win first down, it makes third down easy.

Coach, let's wrap up this opening segment with this. The last three, four games, right, have been pretty tough. We have the tough emotional loss to Illinois State going into the bye where we felt like we had a little bit of momentum, even though we dropped that one. Then back-to-back tough games to open up UAC play. Just how about the resilience and the bounce back from your team this week when it felt like the players took a lot of accountability? I think it was like a weight lifted off your shoulders.

You know, we talked about it in our team meeting today. We didn't really do anything different in our prep, in our practice. We stuck to the plan, and we keep our hand on the plow, head down, and just worked. And those guys busted their tails last week. We talked about a couple of player-led meetings, the defensive guys having a player-led meetings. Jermaine Ray called out a lot of the DBs. Just the accountability. It wasn't a finger-point meeting. It was a finger-point-back-of-myself meeting of, hey, I got to step up.

Y'all help me. Y'all hold me accountable to step up. So it was great to see our leadership of this football team do that. I'd say it was tough about that game. You want that game to have a lot of emotion afterwards, after what all we've been through. But because of that late injury, with like six minutes left to go in the game, you really didn't get the emotion that probably a homecoming win would have toward the end of the game. And I talked to Coach Wells yesterday, the kid that got hurt, got a concussion.

All the tests are well. The kid's okay now. He's back at home. So I think all is going to be well with him. Great news right there. We've got a lot of superstar efforts to jump into from this past weekend. When we come back, we're going to chat with Coach Deerrin about some of the heroic plays several Lions made on Saturday. From Lost Pizza Shoals, you're listening to UNA Football Night on 93.9 The Score. Flavor is calling at Lost Pizza Company Shoals. Introducing the new limited-time-only margarita pizza.

Fresh basil, fine-ripened tomatoes, and creamy mozzarella pearls on our homemade crust. Light, bright, and bursting with flavor. Try our all-new dry-rub wings. Seasoned to perfection with bold, smoky spices. It'll have you coming back for more. Don't forget dessert. Cotton Blue's Cheesecake Slices are here. Creamy, dreamy, and downright legendary. These flavors won't stick around forever. Only at Lost Pizza Company Shoals, where the lost get fed. Hi, this is Ike Fowler with Alabama Health Guidance. Whether you are looking for a Medicare health plan or you are under 65 and exploring individual health care options, Alabama Health Guidance can help you find the plan that fits your needs.

Our local agents make it simple, so stop by our office at 885 Florence Boulevard or give us a call at 256-648-5710. Again, that's 256-648-5710. Hey guys, how long have you been wearing those out-of-date, scratched-up glasses? This is Dr. Ham Moore with Renaissance Eye Care. Go ahead and do as the woman in your life has been asking and schedule an eye exam. You can go to renaissanceeyecare.com or call 767-5000 to see either Dr. Kathy Werner, Dr. Lisa Campbell, or myself. Everyone knows it's time to evaluate the health of your eyes and get a new pair of glasses.

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[20:52] Join us at Singing River Brewery, your local hub for great beer and community fun. Ready to serve delicious drinks and host amazing events? Try our Golden Mainer Leo's Roar, and 50% goes to UNA Athletics. Support your local business and college community while enjoying a fantastic atmosphere. Don't miss out on the good times. Come sip, socialize, and savor the taste of Singing River Brewery. Welcome to Burnley Spine and Sport Chiropractic, located in downtown Florence. We offer a large array of therapies and techniques to help you get back in the game of life.

One of those therapies is red light slash infrared light therapy. Dry needling is used to help reduce pain associated with painful trigger point. Our class 4 laser therapies are used to decrease inflammation and improve the speed of healing of sprains, tendinitis, and plantar fasciitis. Burnley Spine and Sport Chiropractic is proud to partner with UNA to keep our lions performing at their best. Roar Lions. Well, we're celebrating the homecoming win here. Lost Pizza Shoals for UNA football night. Benjamin Ray, Mike Ezekiel, head football coach Brent Dierman. I know for me, I celebrated with a little banana split post-game.

Coach, do you have a post-game ritual that you like? What do you want to ask? I was going to start with you, but Mike, do you have a post-game ritual? It's really weird. You ever had banana peppers? Yeah. I like taking banana peppers, and I like putting pepperoni in the middle of them and put them in the fridge, and I'll take them and eat them after a game if we win. Okay. It's a weird, weird thing, but try it when you go. Luke's looking at me kind of funny.

Hey, buy some banana peppers, put some pepperoni in it. He's a farmer. Put it in the fridge. Luke's a farmer. He's probably growing banana peppers, so he's good. Might be something you could try here tonight. I'll tell you what I am. This goes back to my mom. I even do it some days on Tuesdays or Wednesdays during the week. I get the chicken pot pie. I love chicken pot pie, and you can buy some of the pre-made. I think it's like, I forget, the Cavaliers or something like that, that I can put in the microwave.

I can keep working, watching film while it's in the microwave for about three or four minutes. I love me a good chicken pot pie. It's a great way to celebrate a win, and Coach, you had a lot of players to celebrate from this past week, and so many to dive into, and we had some award winners to talk about, but everybody wants to talk to you about quarterbacks, right? You spend a lot of time in your career playing, now coaching quarterbacks. Let's talk about a guy who's in his first year at North Alabama, started at Kentucky, went to Colorado, came back kind of south, right, from Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Destin Wade, we got a glimpse of him against Northeastern State, a little injured after that. Came to you after Central Arkansas, said, Coach, I want to play at halftime. Gutsy effort. And then Saturday, Coach, I thought he was near perfect. Near perfect. I was, I'm probably harder on quarterbacks than probably anybody you've probably ever met. There was two plays that I was really hard on him today about, about his eyes and his feet. But he looked at me and said, Coach, you're right, I got to get that fixed.

And a quarterback that's got thick skin that can take criticism, it's pretty special to deal with those kind of guys. So, takes accountability, works his tail off. You know, his body was hurting for a couple weeks. And what he's kind of done to get back and ready to go, he, you can probably rag him by this. When I was at Middle Tennessee, he was coming out of high school, him and his twin brother. And I tried to recruit him, but he wouldn't give me the time of day back then.

So, I remind him of that. He's shaking his head no back then. I remind him of that all the time. And he's tough as nails, too. I'll give him credit there as well. And, you know, you were a quarterback at one time. And seeing some of those runs, you know, those RPOs where he's, you know, taken off. And I can remember one where he got in the red zone. I think he was going to go score. And I don't know if he took a hit or if he just kind of went down before the hit.

No, he just fell. Yeah. He just fell. Do you ever get nervous about that? Do you tell him, hey, you got to get down, don't take the hits? Or do you tell him, like, take them? No. We had a second down in the ballgame where I think we took a TFL. It was second and 12 that he handed off juices on Reed. And we got tackled in the backfield. The next play, he goes to scramble. And the rule in college football is when the quarterback starts his slide, that's where he's down.

Well, he ended his slide. And you would have thought it was a five-yard gain. I thought it was third and five. But the ref marks it back. It's third and 10. And I'm like, so I pull him aside after the drive and say, listen, man, I know you're trying to not get hit. But let's not take a zero-yard gain because you do a QB slide either way. So we got to find the balance there. Will you get me something out of this? I don't want you to get killed, but give me something.

And then the one in the red zone, we do a GT counter. Everybody takes the back on the sweep. He can just walk in the end zone. I think he tripped over a shoelace or something going in. So I messed with him. I said, you probably, if you score that touchdown, Juice scored the next play. If he scored that touchdown, he probably won the conference player of the week instead of Juice. That's right. That's right. And I was going to talk to you about Juice next.

[26:01] JB and Juice Allen, coach, Herculean effort, finished with 13 carries, 98 yards, three touchdowns. He's now 14th in the nation in rushing touchdowns scored this season with seven. But I thought that touchdown right there really ignited the team, just the effort from Juice to fight and get in. And that was just after Eastern Kentucky had had the goal line stand. Juice comes back and kind of says, OK, let's right this ship. But three rushing touchdowns from the man that called the team meeting. Absolutely. He's the guy that holds everybody accountable.

And if you're going to be the guy that speaks and holds people accountable, you better back it up. You know, the first down play of that drive, we tried to run the same play. And LT Sanders barreled in there and got really close, but didn't get all the way in. And then Juice gets sent out there. We run the same play right behind it. And Juice, we sent two bowling balls in there back to back. And the next play, Juice's leg drive, Raekwon Goldwaith and Amari Rodgers were on the front side of that, kind of leading him and pushing him in.

But us barreling into the end zone right there is really what got us kicked off. Let's flip to the defensive side of the ball. And, Coach, this was kind of a unique stat I was kind of looking at today. KP and I were kind of talking about it. When was the last time we had five defensive linemen all get a sack in the same game? Had to go all the way back to 2014 against Western Oregon. I don't know if you remember that game. Nine sacks in that game.

Really, it was four defensive linemen and one edge rusher, if you remember Quad Freeman. But that was the last time five different defensive linemen had a sack in a game. I mean, how impressive. That's just a team effort. You know, a lot of teams find ways to get their best pass rusher one-on-one battles. And that guy's going to get three or four sacks. Where I think our defensive line, the unit, is very good. When they show up to play like they did the other day. I'll give you an example.

We hand out our own awards within the team. Destin won the Offensive Player of the Week. They're going to have to remind me. No, we got freshman. Oh, no, your team awards. Our own team awards. Destin won the Offensive Player of the Week. Special teams. Who was special teams, Luke? Jamari Payne, opening kickoff, making a tackle with the 14-yard line at the defensive end. And then we gave the entire defensive line the Defensive Player of the Week award. And that rarely happens. But I think they all made an impact in that football game.

Another guy that just moved over to the defensive end, Christian Burkhalter, was a tight end two weeks ago and made a sack in that football game as well. So we got two of them here tonight with Fred and Big Ox. But that group can be as special as they want to be. That's a good deep cut stat right there, Mike. It is. Shout out Kyle Persons. He's here, I think, too. Good job, Kyle. Absolutely. KP, doing a great job. If I can keep him off the field.

Let's talk about Noah Gregg next, Coach. We've talked about him a lot on this show. Former Walcombe from Brooks High School, now on Scholarship. He's turning into a big play receiver. Three catches, 28 yards, and a touchdown. And an absolute pinball touchdown. Falled his way in. You might forget, earlier in the game, he called a pass on one of the drives and fought to get the first down. I thought he was going to get in right there. But Noah Gregg's turned into a touchdown machine at Brawley Stadium.

He's scored in every career game played at Brawley. Noah is a special player. When they asked me at my halftime interview about that play, I said, you know, of anybody that could have scored that play, Noah Gregg's the perfect one. In a tight ball game, 7-7 game, make a tough catch at Brawley Stadium in the last night game, last homecoming. That kid grew up going to UNA games his whole life. Being from Brooks, his dad was a UNA grad. Dad played at UNA. And UNA means something more to him than most people.

So, for him to make that catch was a special moment. His dad, I think, was in one of those tents right there. Oh, wow. So, I'm sure it was a special moment for the whole family. But a heck of a player. He's become kind of a security blanket for Destin because he's got, you know, the two big guys with him and Tanaka and Caleb Hedley give him big targets to get the ball to when things are cloudy up and in trouble. Yeah, speaking of Caleb Hedley, let's talk about that touchdown.

I think that's the only one we maybe haven't talked about yet. Kind of another five-yard rollout play to him. And you always talk about you want to reward a guy like Caleb. He does so well blocking throughout the game. And any chance you get to get him the ball in the end zone is always a good time. Yeah, we'll find out at the end of the year what people are going to say. But that guy's the best tight end in our league. He may be one of the best tight ends in FCS football.

But he doesn't get the stats that a receiving tight end gets. He goes down and does the dirty work all game. He is an extension of our run game. There's a reason why we rush for as many yards as we do. And Caleb Hedley is the main piece to that. He can block. That was a play where he was blocking a DB 20 yards downfield. Then the next play he's blocking a defensive end. He's blocking linebackers. So, we got down there that time. And that was actually a play we drew up on the board at halftime.

Because of how they were playing us. We got to go in and look at the iPads and see how they were playing us. So, we drew up a little power pass. As John Gruden calls it, Spider 2 Wild Banana. Was that actual play? That's what I thought. Yep. I figured y'all had already talked about that. And bluffed the block and got out in the flats and ended up being wide open. Coach, so many great efforts. Anybody that we've overlooked that just stood out to you? Maybe overshadowed or quiet kind of star?

[31:25] I'll tell you, a local guy I gave a shout out to today. Darryl Higgins came out to practice today. And our Mars Hill freshman, Tanner Cottle, is running down on kickoff now. Luke will describe it hopefully better than me. But our hammer, our player that sets the edge to the kickoff that nobody should get outside of him, kind of got lost in the shuffle. And Tanner had to come down at 175 pounds and set the edge on a linebacker. And came down there and put a hit on him, put his feet in the ground, left his outside hand free just in case he had to make a tackle.

And actually folds in there and makes a tackle. And that's a big time play for a true freshman, but a local guy. I like giving shout outs to our local guys, too. Yeah, go ahead. Do you have anything else? Yeah, I was going to say, yeah, I think that's a good one. And another local guy, speaking of Chandler Dixon, he's been taking a lot of PATs. He's 8 for 8 right now. And he's used to kicking at Brawley Stadium, but he's done really well and made all five.

You know, that was one of the reasons why it was a decision. We made a change. Ian's done a fantastic job of kicking field goals, was kind of struggling a little bit with the extra points. And then we had the two straight home games. So I just said, this kid's grown up, been kicking field goals in this stadium his entire life. So if we are going to do it, we need to do it at a home game. That way he feels comfortable in this setting more than trying to do it on the road.

So 8 for 8, perfect. Ian's done a great job still kicking off. Didn't have any field goal opportunities. So both of those guys have been really reliable here of late. Certainly was a great team win on Saturday over Eastern Kentucky. And we've got some of the stars from Saturday in the house. We're going to let Coach chow down on some more pizza. And when we come back, we're going to go back to the Tennessee State Sports Athletic Association 2021 state playoffs. There was a matchup between two quarterbacks that we're going to see on Saturday.

We're going to talk about Destin Wade with that when we return. And this is UNA Football Night from Lost Pizza Shoals on 93.9 The Score. Flavor is calling at Lost Pizza Company Shoals. Introducing the new limited time only Margarita Pizza. Fresh basil, fine ripened tomatoes, and creamy mozzarella pearls on our homemade crust. Light, bright, and bursting with flavor. Try our all new dry rub wings. Seasoned to perfection with bold smoky spices. It'll have you coming back for more. Don't forget dessert, cotton, blues, cheesecake slices are here.

Creamy, dreamy, and downright legendary. These flavors won't stick around forever. Only at Lost Pizza Company Shoals, where the lost get fed. Hi, this is Ike Fowler with Alabama Health Guidance. Whether you are looking for a Medicare health plan, or you are under 65 and exploring individual health care options, Alabama Health Guidance can help you find the plan that fits your needs. Our local agents make it simple, so stop by our office at 885 Florence Boulevard, or give us a call at 256-648-5710. Again, that's 256-648-5710. Start your day the Turbo way at Turbo Coffee in downtown Florence.

Whether you're craving a handcrafted latte, a refreshing smoothie, an energizing acai bowl, or our famous house-made pastries, we've got something to fuel every part of your day. Proudly located right in the heart of downtown Florence, Turbo Coffee is more than just your neighborhood coffee shop. We're a community. And as proud supporters of UNA Athletics, we're cheering on the Lions every step of the way. So stop by Turbo Coffee today, where passion, flavor, and community come together. A lot goes into taking care of your property. You need equipment with more reliability and versatility built in.

Like Kubota, BX, and L-Series compact tractors that get the job done right. Z-Series mowers that deliver a quality cut and sidekick utility vehicles where durability meets speed. Visit your local Kubota dealer for a demo today. Stop by Brown Equipment, located at 826 North Military Street in Loretto, or visit them online at brownequipmentcompany.com. Join us at Singing River Brewery, your local hub for great beer and community fun. Ready to serve delicious drinks and host amazing events? Try our Golden Mainer Leo's Roar, and 50% goes to UNA Athletics.

Support your local business and college community while enjoying a fantastic atmosphere. Don't miss out on the good times. Come sip, socialize, and savor the taste of Singing River Brewery. Welcome to Burnley Spine and Sport Chiropractic, located in downtown Florence. We offer a large array of therapies and techniques to help you get back in the game of life. One of those therapies is red light slash infrared light therapy. Dry needling is used to help reduce pain associated with painful trigger point. Our class 4 laser therapies are used to decrease inflammation and improve the speed of healing, of sprains, tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis.

Burnley Spine and Sport Chiropractic is proud to partner with UNA to keep our lions performing at their best. Roar Lions. Man, we're thrilled to have Destin Wade up here, North Alabama quarterback. First season for the Lions, started his career at Kentucky, spent two years there, then went to Colorado for a year. Originally from Spring Hill, Tennessee, played at Summit High School. Now he's a Lion, and we're very thankful for that. Destin, thanks for joining us this evening. How are you doing, sir? Sir, thanks for having me.

[36:55] I'm doing great. It was fun watching you play out there, man. The other night you finished with 21 carries, 109 rushing yards, 127 yards through the air, two touchdown passes. I mean, it was like you were a garbage truck out there just running over guys. They were bouncing off of you like crazy. How did it feel on Saturday with that performance? Yeah, it felt like they couldn't get me on the ground, but I give a lot of credit to the team and the coaches for preparing me for this moment.

I just have a lot of belief in my teammates that we were going to get a win, and that showed on Saturday. Yeah, what a special game it was for you, Destin, and you know, it's kind of fun. I heard a rumor from Coach Sherrick that your brother actually flew in, you know, a lot of beachfront out in the West Coast, but he decided to come over and on a bye week watch you play some football. What was it like having your brother in town? No, it was awesome.

Just seeing him in the stands and seeing him after the game was a great feeling and a little weird feeling not being on the same team, but it was an awesome experience. I'm glad he was able to come down and watch. Now, your journey to North Alabama, the connection kind of goes all the way back to your high school days, and we got a lot to jump into with you from your time at Summit High School. But first of all, you're playing at Summit High School, had a great run, and you went up against Morgan Cruz when he was the O.C. at another school up in Tennessee.

Help me with the school he was at. Henry County. Henry County. And when I was doing some research on that, I read that you had a viral touchdown run from that showdown. Coach Cruz said you kind of put on a show when you hit the portal. He was like, we got to get this young man down here. But take us back to your high school glory days, especially playing against Coach Cruz. Oh, yeah, I didn't know at the time, but once he started recruiting me, he pitched that in, and that kind of became a little connection, a relationship that started to build.

So, yeah, but my high school days were awesome. Coach Coleman was a great head coach, and I had a lot of fun playing with my boys back in high school. But, yeah, it was overall a great time. Yeah, let's go back to your senior year, too. You rushed for 2,308 yards. You threw for 1,400 yards. So, very much a dual threat. It looked like you almost prided yourself more on the run than you did the pass. Yeah, I credit that to our head coach. He was a little – he ran the wing tee and then eventually went to like a spread wing tee.

So, he liked running the quarterback. I like running the ball, too. But I got to do my job in order to win games. So, that's what it was. All right, let's jump into your senior year of high school. Summit High School is where you attended, and you faced Ravenwood High School twice that season. And why are we bringing this up here tonight? Well, Destin, obviously the quarterback at North Alabama, the starting quarterback for Ravenwood, Chris Parson, who will be the starting quarterback for Austin Peay on Saturday.

So, you guys beat them twice in the regular season. You had 337 yards of total offense, three touchdowns, and a 49-28 win. Then in the playoffs, you had another teammate that night that accounted for four touchdowns, I believe, including a pick six in that one. But you guys got that win as well, making it to the state championship game before you ultimately lost. So, what do you remember about those battles with the other quarterback you're going to see on Saturday? Oh, yeah, he's a great quarterback. Love competing against him and what he brings to the table.

He's dual threat, just like I am. So, it's going to be another fun experience and a matchup this Saturday. So, I'm just excited for it. Isn't it crazy how small the football world is where Coach Dierman said he was trying to recruit you to Middle Tennessee, Walt Wells was trying to recruit you to Kentucky, successfully recruited you there, Morgan Cruz, you played him in a game now, Parsons coming back around. I mean, football truly is a small world. Yeah, yes, it is. It is. I want to say I did.

Set the record straight now. I got to set the record straight. He told me he couldn't get me. So, that's why he stopped recruiting me. But he was a great coach. And just during my time while he was recruiting me, he was a great coach and kept it real with me. So, that was always in the back of my head. He finally got you, so we're excited. Yeah. Yeah, well, I'm glad you're here. I think I can speak for everybody on that. And last week, man, what a performance.

We'll dive in a little bit more. And I had 127 passing yards, went 11 for 18. Very efficient there. A couple of touchdowns. You ran for over 100 yards as well. And the big stat for me, no turnovers, no interceptions, no fumbles from anybody. The offense was just really clicking. You know, talk about what all goes into that. Obviously, it was a complimentary football effort from the whole offense. Yeah, for sure. I think we just start the week out strong and preparing. And the coaches really do a good job on that.

And I believe in my teammates and the O-line, everyone in the offensive side of the ball. We pride ourselves on being tough and physical and having a swagger about us. So, we really just did our job and really just took care of the ball. That was the main thing. Destin, let's wrap up with this. Another UAC game on Saturday. And how can this offense kind of build off of that performance? Yeah, we just celebrated on Saturday. And we just came back on today, actually, and just had a different mindset about being these guys and having a great focus on this matchup.

[42:24] So, we're just going to take this one day at a time and really prepare and focus on the team. Austin Peay, so that's what we're going to do. Destin, we appreciate you stopping by, man. We're so thrilled you're here with us at UNA. We love watching you play, man. And let's go have some fun on Saturday. No, thank you. Thanks for having me. It's North Alabama quarterback Destin Wade. Hey, we got big ox in the house. We're going to talk to Caleb Brown, North Alabama defensive lineman, when we return to Lost Pizza Shoals.

This is UNA Football Night on 93.9 The Score. Flavor is calling at Lost Pizza Company Shoals. Introducing the new limited-time-only margarita pizza. Fresh basil, fine-ripened tomatoes, and creamy mozzarella pearls on our homemade crust, light, bright, and bursting with flavor. Try our all-new dry-rub wings, seasoned to perfection with bold, smoky spices. It'll have you coming back for more. Don't forget dessert. Cotton, blues, cheesecake slices are here. Creamy, dreamy, and downright legendary. These flavors won't stick around forever. Only at Lost Pizza Company Shoals, where the lost get fed.

Start your day the Turbo way at Turbo Coffee in downtown Florence. Whether you're craving a handcrafted latte, a refreshing smoothie, an energizing acai bowl, or our famous house-made pastries, we've got something to fuel every part of your day. Proudly located right in the heart of downtown Florence, Turbo Coffee is more than just your neighborhood coffee shop. We're a community. And as proud supporters of UNA Athletics, we're cheering on the Lions every step of the way. So stop by Turbo Coffee today, where passion, flavor, and community come together.

Hey guys, how long have you been wearing those out-of-date, scratched-up glasses? This is Dr. Ham Moore with Renaissance Eye Care. Go ahead and do as the woman in your life has been asking and schedule an eye exam. You can go to renaissanceeyecare.com or call 767-5000 to see either Dr. Kathy Werner, Dr. Lisa Campbell, or myself. Everyone knows it's time to evaluate the health of your eyes and get a new pair of glasses. We can make sure you won't miss any of the action this fall.

And roar lines. When getting the job done right is job one, you need construction equipment that's built right. From compact track loaders to the world's number one selling compact excavator, the Kubota construction lineup features durable Kubota engines, more comfort, and the versatility to do it all and do it right. Visit your local Kubota dealer today. Go to KubotaUSA.com for full disclaimer. Stop by Brown Equipment, located at 826 North Military Street in Loretto, or visit them online at brownequipmentcompany.com. Join us at Singing River Brewery, your local hub for great beer and community fun.

Ready to serve delicious drinks and host amazing events? Try our Golden Mainer Leo's Roar, and 50% goes to UNA Athletics. Support your local business and college community while enjoying a fantastic atmosphere. Don't miss out on the good times. Come sip, socialize, and savor the taste of Singing River Brewery. Welcome to Burnley Spine and Sport Chiropractic, located in downtown Florence. We offer a large array of therapies and techniques to help you get back in the game of life. One of those therapies is red light slash infrared light therapy.

Dry needling is used to help reduce pain associated with painful trigger points. Our class 4 laser therapies are used to decrease inflammation and improve the speed of healing of sprains, tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis. Burnley Spine and Sport Chiropractic is proud to partner with UNA to keep our lions performing at their best. Roar Lions. Watch out. He may be named Big Ox, but he's going to get you. He's from Clarksdale, Mississippi. Caleb Brown, North Alabama defensive lineman, is in the house. He's got an iron grip, and if you try to run from him, he's going to grab you.

You can't escape down to Pensacola on this guy. He's going to take you down. And what I'm referencing is against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday. He grabbed the quarterback by the jersey, had a one-armed sack. Big Ox, how are you doing? Thanks for joining us here this evening. I'm doing fine, man. How are you? Man, we're great. Looking forward to chatting with you, man. Your third year here at North Alabama. That sack was so impressive. Take us through that. What was going through your mind? And when you grabbed hold, what was going through your mind?

Well, what was going through my mind, like early on in the game, I was in the backfield, but I was there, and I was missing sacks. So during the halftime, I was challenged by my teammates. One of my guys, J.P. is from Birmingham, he chatted to me, talked about, also, are you going to get there? And my teammate Ray Ray. So it was like, it was a third down, so I was like, okay, this is my chance. So I had a premeditated move, so I bullwashed, and that's just the outcome of it.

So, yes, sir. It was nice. As I was going to say, it worked out perfect. I mean, one hand just grabbed him down. It takes a lot of strength to do that, but Coach Dierman, often, he'll come on the show and talk about the strength of the defense, and when you can have a strong defensive line and start there, everybody else is going to do well. It was kind of an everybody eats kind of game. Five sacks from five different defensive linemen. What does that mean to you to know that that was pretty much the outcome of Saturday?

[47:42] Well, the thing about our D-line, we're always challenging each other. Like, if we see we messing up on the play, we're going to say, okay, you got to do your job, and if we see we making plays, you're going to be like, okay, we making plays, but we can do more. So that was really the theme of the game, going into halftime and beginning of the game, even through the week. Most definitely was like, okay, we got to do more, so we did more, and so grateful for the outcome of the game.

Went towards our way. Your third season at North Alabama, and if I'm not mistaken right, the extra year of JUCO eligibility got you to this season. So when you found out you got that year, extra year, was it a hard decision to come back to North Alabama, or was it a no-brainer? It was a no-brainer. It was a no-brainer, man. I love it over here, man. The people out here, the fans here, and it was kind of like, I always loved playing for a school with a rich tradition, so it was, you know.

Yes, sir. Can't lie, when Coach Carabeau told me you were coming back, man, I was fired up. You've been one of my favorites to watch the last two years, so we're glad to have you back for year three. And you know, it's funny, Caleb, the last time we played Austin Peay last year, that was senior day, and you actually took part in that, and now you're actually back again. You know, surprise, surprise. Just threw a curveball at him a little bit, but got a big one on Saturday at Austin Peay.

And fans, if you're going to Clarksville on Saturday, if you end up in Shreveport, you went the wrong way. But going up north to Tennessee to take on a good Austin Peay team, what's it going to take for this defense to keep that momentum coming off of this homecoming win into Saturday? Really just keeping the mind thing, the mind thing, you know, take it day by day. Weights, treatment, game plan, focus, and most importantly, effort at practice. Let's go back to the Illinois State game. We're cleaning up in the press box, getting ready to head home, and Mike and some others were standing outside as we're loading up stuff.

And Illinois State coach walks by after his press conference, and he's kind of talking to Mike and some others, and he says, hey, those two interior defensive linemen that you have may be two of the best that we'll see all year. And that's talking about you and Jaheim Ingram. And to hear high praise like that from a coach in the Missouri Valley Conference, I mean, how does that make you feel, knowing that people are recognizing the work that you all do? Me and him, we've been playing the girl since he was a freshman, since I got here.

So the guy like him, it's like he meets the standard every play. So it's kind of like you don't want to go out there and not meet the standard because he's going to meet the standard every play. And it's just, you know, playing defense, you always want to play for the guy next to you. You know, so it was just like, it's always one of those moments with us. And I think now, since we're older and we are veterans, we're learning to play off each other better, and it's kind of working out.

And talk about your coaches. You got KP in the house today. He's in the house. And Steve Carter, he's been working with the defensive line directly. What's it like every day in practice with those two guys? Well, Coach KP, he's always pushing us to do more. And it's just, he's never satisfied. We can have a good day of practice. He knows we can do more. And we know we can do more, so we want to do more for him. And with Carter, with Coach Carter, he's a, obviously he's a Hall of Famer here.

And he kind of like built a foundation here. So when you're grateful enough to have a guy like that as your position coach, you want to go out there and try your best just because he's one of the guys who helped laid the foundation here. So it's kind of like a standard. Yeah. Kayla Brown, Big Ox, we appreciate you stopping by here this evening and joining us. Hey, we want to see some more Bull Rushing Sacks on Saturday. Man, so fun to watch you. Thanks for joining us.

All right. Glad to be here. That's Kayla Brown, Big Ox. We're going to take one final timeout. Brent Dierman is going to rejoin us. And we're going to wrap up this edition of UNA Football Night from Lost Pizza Shoals on 93.9 The Score. Flavor is calling at Lost Pizza Company Shoals. Introducing the new limited time only margarita pizza, fresh basil, fine ripened tomatoes, and creamy mozzarella pearls on our homemade crust, light, bright, and bursting with flavor. Try our all new dry rub wings, seasoned to perfection with bold smoky spices.

It'll have you coming back for more. Don't forget dessert. Cotton blues cheesecake slices are here. Creamy, dreamy, and downright legendary. These flavors won't stick around forever. Only at Lost Pizza Company Shoals, where the lost get fed. Start your day the Turbo way at Turbo Coffee in downtown Florence. Whether you're craving a handcrafted latte, a refreshing smoothie, an energizing acai bowl, or our famous house-made pastries, we've got something to fuel every part of your day. Proudly located right in the heart of downtown Florence, Turbo Coffee is more than just your neighborhood coffee shop.

We're a community. And as proud supporters of UNA Athletics, we're cheering on the Lions every step of the way. So stop by Turbo Coffee today, where passion, flavor, and community come together. Hey guys, how long have you been wearing those out-of-date, scratched-up glasses? Go ahead and do as the woman in your life has been asking and schedule an eye exam. You can go to renaissanceeyecare.com or call 767-5000 to see either Dr. Kathy Werner, Dr. Lisa Campbell, or myself. Everyone knows it's time to evaluate the health of your eyes and get a new pair of glasses.

[52:56] We can make sure you won't miss any of the action this fall. A lot goes into taking care of your property. You need equipment with more reliability and versatility built in. Like Kubota BX and L-Series compact tractors that get the job done right. Z-Series mowers that deliver a quality cut and sidekick utility vehicles where durability meets speed. Visit your local Kubota dealer for a demo today. Stop by Brown Equipment, located at 826 North Military Street in Loretto, or visit them online at brownequipmentcompany.com. Join us at Singing River Brewery, your local hub for great beer and community fun.

Ready to serve delicious drinks and host amazing events? Try our Golden Manor Leo's Roar, and 50% goes to UNA Athletics. Support your local business and college community while enjoying a fantastic atmosphere. Don't miss out on the good times. Come sip, socialize, and savor the taste of Singing River Brewery. Welcome to Burnley Spine and Sport Chiropractic, located in downtown Florence. We offer a large array of therapies and techniques to help you get back in the game of life. One of those therapies is red light slash infrared light therapy.

Dry needling is used to help reduce pain associated with painful trigger point. Our Class 4 laser therapies are used to decrease inflammation and improve the speed of healing of sprains, tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis. Burnley Spine and Sport Chiropractic is proud to partner with UNA to keep our lions performing at their best. Roar Lions. Man, time flies when you're having fun. We're wrapping up this week's edition of UNA Football Night from Lost Pizza Shoals. UNA head football coach Brent Dierman joins us. And this is our Burnley Spine and Sport preview segment.

But before we jump into our preview, Coach, we got set the record straight on something. There was some concern after last week when you mentioned your sore throat, the lemon drops that you needed. And that was really from us having some fun up here. Yeah, so every week, as you two, of course, know this, Brian Neese sends us words that we got to try to fit into the show and hide them in there. I got lemon dropped last week. I really don't take lemon drops, but I had to make up something to say lemon drops.

So I said that I yelled a lot that day at practice. I need some lemon drops. Well, Saturday morning, my parents come into town. My mom walks in my office and hands me a gift bag. And I said, Mom, what is that? She said, just look in it. And there is a Sam's-sized bag of lemon drops. And I said, Mom, that was just an inside thing. I really don't even take lemon drops. And she said, well, you can have them. So if y'all need them, I got a big bag of Sam's Club Costco-like lemon drops.

Well, as most people can attest, I go through the cough drops during broadcast. I've got plenty for you. Burnley Spine and Sport preview coach, another tough one against Austin Peet. It's not getting any easier throughout the UAC. Yeah, I mean, our league is going to beat each other up because we're so good. It feels like the old SEC West. You look at Southern Utah. I told y'all last week, Southern Utah sitting at the bottom of our league beats Abilene Christian. Our league from top to bottom is a very, very talented football league.

You've got to show up every week. And a cool moment today. We upped our stars that we put on our helmet, and we were putting those on today. Getting conference win gets you three stars. So I know you like to say, oh, my stars a lot on the show. So we're trying to get a lot more stars on those helmets for you. But really excited about going on the road, tough opponent. This has kind of turned into a little bit of a rivalry game between us and Austin Peet.

We know that it's going to be probably a little chippy. We can't do things that cost our football team. We've got to play a sound game on the road. Yeah, and speaking of sound games not getting chippy, I think only 33 penalty yards in that EKU game. And keeping that laundry off is a good thing. Yeah, it is. We were one of the better teams in the league last year at not being penalized. I thought that shows how disciplined and how sound your team is. We got a little out of hand two weeks ago.

I thought we were able to come back and play good, sound football. Thank the Lord. He's given some grace on us on some calls as well. We probably have one or two holding calls that they didn't call. So we're excited about that. But when we can play sound football and not get the yellow flags out there, it doesn't take away the momentum in the football game. And, Coach, speaking of momentum, how can you carry forward the momentum from Saturday to this Saturday on the road against a very good Austin Peet team?

Well, a little superstition here. I've told the people here today, I'm 2-0 wearing that Gold Rush yellow shirt and also went with no hat. I used to, probably in my younger days, I had to clip my hair up. But I'm losing it up top now. And my kids tell me I'm going bald every time they stand above me on the bed. So I went no hat with the yellow shirt. So we're probably going to go no hat with the yellow shirt and keep it that way.

[57:57] But we've got to play sound football. We've got to take care of the ball on offense. We've got to put drives together to keep our defense off the field for a good amount of time. Defense has got to play their job. We tell them they're 1-11th. You've got to do your job, not somebody else's job. And just continue to play complimentary football. Coach, we can't wait. We'll be up there with you Saturday. Best of luck, sir. And we'll do this again next week. Absolutely. Royal Lions.

Royal Lions. Thank you to Destin Wade and Big Ox back there for joining us, two outstanding student-athletes at the University of North Alabama. Thanks to Grant, Eli, Ty, and Braden for their work here in-house. Of course, thank you to Chuck and Greg Thornton who are here, and Ike over there making tonight possible. For Blair back at the station, thank you to everybody that came out tonight. We'll see you next week at 7 o'clock, hopefully talking about a North Alabama win. For Mike Ezekiel, for head coach Brent Dierman, I'm Benjamin Ray saying, You've been listening to UNA Football Night from Lost Pizza.

Tonight's show is brought to you by Lost Pizza Shoals, Burnley Spine and Sport, Singing River Brewery, Alabama Health Guidance, Renaissance Eye Care, Turbo Coffee, and Brown Equipment Company. Thanks for listening, and Roar Lions. We'll see you next week at 7 o'clock.