UNA Football Night @ Lost Pizza w/ Benjamin Ray 11/04/25
93.9 The Score WYTK - November 5, 2025
https://www.939thescore.com/una-football-night-lost-pizza-w-benjamin-ray-11-04-25/

This transcript was generated automatically from the broadcast audio. Names and some words may be misspelt; the audio is the official record.

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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, Renaissance 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.
Hello and welcome to another night of UNA Football Night from Lost Pizza Shoals. Benjamin Ray and Mike Ezekiel in the house and we've got another jam-packed crowd here with us eating some pizza, getting set for some UNA Football talk.
There's not an empty seat out there. So many people coming out even after the night change going from Monday to Tuesday night and Mike, November crossover season is here.
We've got basketball season, we've got football season, volleyball, post-season, cross-country. Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year for us. November, it's the busiest time of the year.
That's right, November madness. A lot of us call it the crossover. You know, you've got the fall sports that are kind of coming to an end. They're in their post-season. You've got the winter sports like basketball that's kind of ramping up. They're getting their seasons ready.
In fact, you and I, partner, we're going to Starkville, Mississippi tomorrow for a men's basketball game and, of course, a big win Monday night for the women's team right there at CB&S Bank Arena.
So, it's really ramping up right now and, of course, in the heart of the football season as we have three games left, two at Brawley Stadium.
An exciting time of year. Excited to do this November with a great team that we have at UNA.
Saturday, it's the 103rd meeting all-time against our opponent, West Georgia, an old Gold South Conference foe, a rivalry that began back in 1983, was played every year up until 2017.
And, Mike, there's a lot of great memories between North Alabama and West Georgia.
And you go back to the last time they were inside of Brawley Stadium, 2016, a very memorable year for North Alabama football fans, but perhaps one of the best games in this series.
Yeah, and maybe one of the top five games in that stadium, not including the national championships.
I mean, that was, 2016 was memorable.
I call it the he-missed-it game because it was one of those where I remember being on the sideline.
UNA had a small lead, 24-23, and it looked like West Georgia all but had it.
Will Hall was on the other sideline, former UNA Harlan Hill winner, coaching West Georgia, and they were the number three team in the nation.
That was a huge game.
And, of course, West Georgia missed the field goal, and it was really hard to tell from the sideline.
I think a lot of people in the stadium thought it may have went in, but then it kind of set in.
You saw the no good from the referees, and everybody stormed the field.
That was a special day.
I get goosebumps thinking about it.
Probably a top three game for me that I can remember in history.
And this will be the first time that West Georgia comes back in the stadium since that.
There's some people on that staff that probably remember that game.
There's some people here that remember it as well.
So that will be really exciting to renew the rivalry.
It was great last year, but to do it in Brawley is going to be special.
I was in the end zone, scoreboard end zone, north end zone, for that game-winning missed kick that they had.
And I never will forget, Jacob Tucker took one of the hardest hits I've ever seen him take, came out of the ballgame.
Blake Hawkins came in, got the touchdown plunge.
Back in the day, early iPhone, I guess.
I had a video of it that I wish I still had.
It would have been an early.
We've come a long way from our sideline footage that Davis shoots these days, but I never will forget that.
And then that kick being missed.
I remember thinking, man, we let this one slip, and it's one of those that will last forever.
Yeah, you know, because we were the number 18 team at that time, and, you know, it was just really hard thinking,
okay, we've got to go back to the drawing board.
Maybe we'll get them again in the playoffs.
And then all of a sudden he missed it, and you see everybody running on the field.
And my only thought is, okay, I've got to find Bobby Wallace to do a post-game interview.
But, you know, we're all caught in celebration.
We're all stunned and finally caught coach, and I think he was just unbelievable.
Logan Ellis just texted me.
This is funny because he was there for that.
Bobby Wallace called three timeouts before.
That's right.
Yeah, I had forgotten about that detail.
So everybody has a special memory from that.
So, but me talking to Bobby after the game, I just remember, I think there was a lot of shock
from everybody and just a lot of, you know, pride and proud of the players.
That was a huge win.
But, again, Ben, it feels good to know that those two logos are going at each other again this week.
And West Georgia has been one of the most talked-about teams in FCS football.
They have started this year 5-0, picked up a top-25 ranking at one point.
And, Mike, it's a very good West Georgia team coming to town.
Yeah, they've had an unbelievable rise.
Second year of FCS and started 5-0.
I mean, you start with Sanford, and they played that game on Thursday.
So there were a lot of eyes on West Georgia and Sanford that day.
A 34-3 road win.
I mean, that was a great way for West Georgia to start the season.
Picked up a big win over East Tennessee State.
And Nichols, who was nationally ranked, got a big win there.
And you just go down the line in what they've done in UAC play.
They've contended.
They've battled a lot of ranked teams, and they've taken some teams to the wire.
But they've also won a lot of those games.
And for them to be right in the thick of it and to do this just their second year,
it's really impressive.
We're getting a good team Saturday.
Set for a 3 o'clock kick, Brawley Stadium.
One of two final games inside of Brawley Stadium.
Hard to believe.
We're counting down the days.
We've got some announcements coming up soon about that final game at Brawley.
We'll talk about that much later on.
But let's take our first time out.
We've got a jam-packed show.
Tanaka Scott is in the house.
Jamari Payne is in the house.
And coming up next, oh, he just got his pizza.
I'm sorry, Coach.
Brent Dierman's in the house.
He might bring his pizza up here.
We'll find out next.
Coach Dierman's going to talk some UNA football with us when we return.
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 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 Warner, 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.
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.
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, we got a full house talking some UNA football down here at Lost Pizza Shoals.
Benjamin Ray, Mike Ezekiel with you.
We're excited to welcome and head football coach Brent Dierman.
And coach, who would have thought we've had great crowds all year on Monday?
How about this terrific Tuesday turnout?
This is an awesome crowd tonight.
This is the best one we've had to see players here supporting each other, to see their families here.
We've got our great fan bases showing up.
So, it's an electric environment here tonight.
Let's talk about UNA football now, coach.
And I know we're coming off just an emotional road loss to Utah Tech.
34-33 in overtime.
And just the second overtime loss that way of the year, coach.
What's been the message to the team this week?
You just got to keep fighting.
At some point, we know that we're going to get over that hump.
It's hard to come back on that plane, to drive back from Huntsville on the bus.
There wasn't a word spoken.
And that's a good sign.
If there's playing and joking around, that's not a good sign.
When kids are still hurting after a loss like that, it tells you your kids are still in the fight.
We had one of our best Tuesday practices of the year today.
I was actually messing with some of our D linemen over here.
Noah over here.
Noah Smith was putting in some work on our starting defensive line today and getting them all fired up at practice.
And to see that kind of competitive practice after the way we lost that football game on the road and a tough, tough loss, it was good to see today.
And, Coach, you know, something you've been talking about a lot on the show every Monday is just finishing games.
And that fourth quarter effort, I think that was definitely the best fourth quarter maybe we've seen out of this team to go down trailing, to get those couple of touchdowns, to get back in it.
Of course, going to overtime and fighting like you did.
I mean, the fourth quarter effort.
Talk about that a little bit.
You know, it all ties into your quarterback.
And I think our whole team will tell you this, and I've got to find a way as a coach to get him out of this.
But second half, Destin Wade is unbelievable.
To see the way that he willed our team into victories, to see the way he willed our team into being successful in some fourth and shorts, that he ran the ball, some third down runs.
I mean, to score four touchdowns in this football game, in our kind of power option game that we do, he just had a different mindset in the second half.
If I can get him to play in that first half that way, and it will help us to win the first half of the game so we don't have to make that kind of comeback.
But it was a great comeback.
We just got to finish the effort there at the end.
Coach, this kind of reverts course for one second.
And the trek out to Utah, it's a long-haul, three-hour, 40-minute flight, though.
You mentioned last week that's better than some of the bus rides that we've had.
But still, your staff had to overcome some travel logistics to get out there.
An airport change about 24 hours prior to that.
Just take us through that and the great job your staff did sort of responding to the pivot, the audible.
Yeah, there was a couple audibles.
You know, I think in the Thursday, we started hearing from the travel agencies that we work with and the airports and all this.
Apparently, Muscle Shoals has got something going on with the runway, that they're doing some work with the runway.
And we traveled all of our equipment on the plane.
And they told us because of the amount of weight that we had on the plane, and there was like a 10-degree mile-per-hour wind or something like that, that they were worried that the plane wasn't going to get up in time on the short airport at Muscle Shoals.
So, Thursday night, we confirmed that we can move it to Huntsville, which changes everything for us with timing, with what time we're doing, meetings in the morning.
Coach Cruz is OC slash director of football ops, was on the phone all Thursday, gets it all fixed and handled.
We get it changed to Huntsville.
The plane got up.
We're all excited about that.
But he did a fantastic job.
Another thing that happens Friday morning, I wake up to get ready to start the day.
And Luke Roth has texted me that he's got a bad viral bug.
Our special teams coordinator didn't even make the trip.
And I was telling some folks earlier that I had to be the special teams coordinator and offensive coordinator, call plays in the game.
And I thought, credit to Luke Roth for, I basically had to substitute teaching book on the sideline.
He did a fantastic job preparing us for that moment.
But we had some changes on game day, for sure.
I'm sure it gives you a little bit of a different perspective, even as a head coach, to kind of take over that for a little bit and just see the inner workings of third down.
Okay, that's my time to get all my people ready for fourth down.
You know, a lot of people may not see that on game day, but a lot of that's going on behind the scenes.
Yeah, we had a meeting at the hotel on Friday night where our assistant strength coach, Casey Carpenter, has a depth chart on the sidelines.
And he really took over.
Shout out to him for stepping up in that moment.
Cade Croson is a student assistant for us on offense.
Those guys huddled up those 11 for the next guy.
And then I would just take off running down there and just make a simple call when it was really Casey and Cade were handling that situation on game day.
So whole staff, players even included, did a fantastic job of being able to handle all the changes that we were put through in those last 24, 48 hours.
Speaking of changes, Coach, shifting back to the game, in that first half, Utah Tech moved the football pretty well.
Second half, third quarter specifically, the defense came out and it was a totally different unit.
What was the adjustment that was made?
I think they just looked at each other in the face.
We didn't call anything different.
I think they just said, hey, we need to step up.
I've kind of challenged Coach Carable a little bit.
I think Coach has gotten a little bit out of being as aggressive.
I think he's worried about if one of our freshmen are going to make a mistake or something like that.
I said, man, just call it.
And I think he just felt a little bit different about just calling in the second half and did a fantastic job.
Players responded.
We got a turnover in that quarter as well.
So I think we just started executing at a higher rate than we were in that first half.
I'm going to flip to the offensive side of the ball, Coach.
And I got a little stat of the day for you.
This one's fun for me.
I kind of looked at it.
I don't think Ben and I, either one, realized until towards the end that Destin actually had 100 yards.
And also, Juice Allen had 102.
So you had two 100-yard rushers.
I know that you pride yourself on running the ball.
It makes phone calls back home to Dad a little easier.
But that's the first time that UNA has had two 100-yard rushers in the same game since 2017.
So pretty impressive there.
When you can get two guys going like that, it takes the load off a little bit.
Yeah, it does.
I felt offensively over the last few weeks we're starting to get into a little bit of a groove to be able to rush the football.
I think we've got one of the top rushing offenses in the country.
We've talked about it all year long.
If we don't get behind in some earlier ballgames, we're even better of a rushing offense.
We just had to play kind of two-minute offense in a couple games earlier in the year.
And something, another kind of stat, I don't even know if he wants me to tell this to everybody,
but one of our offensive linemen that's already married, wife is expecting,
so he didn't make the trip because he was worried that baby was going to be on the way while he was gone.
So for two, Noel Boltakoff and Julian Nazaret both stepped up
and both played different drives in that ballgame for our missing offensive linemen.
And so a lot of changes, but I thought our kids did a good job of running the football, establishing the run.
We've got to hit some shots early, especially that first play of the game.
That could kind of change the whole trajectory of that football game,
but I feel really good about a rush offense.
And with that, Coach, I don't think I've ever spoken to a football coach,
an offensive coordinator, an offensive line coach that feels like you have enough offensive line depth.
And your offensive line depth has been tested this season.
You've played so many guys that all they have done is continue to pound out the ground attack.
I mean, how proud are you of that unit for the way they just continue to overcome adversity?
You know, it's the O-line.
It's the O-line coach.
I think Coach Thomas is doing a fantastic job.
It's also kids that we've had here and developed.
Yeah.
You're not talking about plug and play on the offensive line a lot of times in the FCS football.
It's guys that have – Ron Walker has been here and been developed.
Gate Sane has been here.
Colin Wright's been here.
Raekwon Goldwaite has been here.
Whit Mitchum has been here.
And these are guys that have bought into the development here,
and you're starting to see the gains of it.
But we also got a really good tight end room.
There's an extension of that offensive line room.
I think Caleb Hedley is one of the best, if not the best, blocking tight end in FCS football.
He's kind of extended his game this year and has a lot more in the receiving category.
But he gives us an advantage and an edge when we add him to the box as well.
I think Caleb had two huge blocks in that overtime drive.
I remember being on the field,
and I just remember seeing Caleb come up with a good lead block there.
Coach, I want to go back to the obvious play that we haven't talked about yet.
Ben and I are on the bus heading home back with you guys.
We're on the third bus, and I'm watching college football final.
I just want to see, is there any chance we get on SportsCenter for that play?
Brilliantly drawn up, brilliantly executed.
Everybody knows the one we're talking about, the trick play.
Destin, 91-yard pass, fourth longest pass in our school history.
But to show up on college football final is pretty cool.
Love to hear your take on how all that came about.
Anytime the UNA logo is on national television, I think it's great for all of us.
It's great for the community.
It's great for the school.
But the guy that made the catches in the room tonight with Tanaka,
this is something, go back two years ago,
that was the same play call that we hit J.D. up the sideline
that he ended up breaking his leg against Charlton State.
Tanaka, it was actually T.K. running that route then.
It was covered, and we had to come and check it down to J.D.
We call that play once a year, and it's usually an explosive play once a year.
And Tanaka was so open, I think Dr. Looney told me earlier,
as soon as J.D. got the handoff, I was already yelling,
throw the post, throw the post, before Destin even had the ball
to see the release that he had.
And then Tanaka, our strength coach, we have GPS units on all of our starters.
A lot of our guys are playing a game.
Tanaka hit his highest speed that he's hit since January
running the football in that play.
So y'all can ask him about getting into the 20-mile-per-hour club on that play.
That's a pretty big deal right there.
Well, we've got a lot of other great player efforts to talk about.
There were several players that stood out this past week,
and we've got some more to talk about about Tanaka Scott's catch as well.
We'll jump to that on the other side of this break.
Let's step away from all's pizza shows.
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.
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 Warner, 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.
A lot goes into taking care of your property.
You need equipment with more reliability and versatility built in.
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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, 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.
The fun football talk continues
down here at Lost Pizza Shoals in downtown Florence.
Benjamin Ray and Mikey Ezekiel on hand.
Still chatting with North Alabama
Head Coach Brent Dierman.
Coach, it's the final weeks of the season
and it's getting busier and busier.
Today, we had an opportunity
to get out in the Shoals area,
go see some of our corporate friends
as part of our Purple Swarm.
Mike and I were up in kind of the industrial parkway.
I know you and your staff were in downtown Florence,
but I know there's a lot of people
that we're very thankful for.
Yeah, we are.
To be able to go out and thank this community.
You know, every Thursday,
we go to some of the local elementary schools.
Every Friday, we go to Florence Middle School.
But to be able to go out to the businesses
and tell them we appreciate their support.
Our players, they feel their support.
And to walk in and not ask for anything
and just say, hey, we're just here to say thank you.
You know, this is your third year here.
I've been at UNA working full-time
since, what, 2014, 15, something like that.
And I have to say, I feel like the community support
is as strong as it's ever been.
Have you picked up on that in these three years?
I love it.
I think this is a fantastic area.
My wife and kids love it here.
The school system is amazing here.
The fan support, the university support between,
I've got the best AD I've ever been around with Dr. Looney.
Dr. Kitts texts me after every game usually
to have a president that buys in and supports.
I mean, this is a great place to be.
This is a place that we're going to start winning.
This is a place I want to be for a long time.
Yeah, and to put a bow on all that, you know,
leading the ASUN and the UAC in attendance,
or we're at least top three in just about every sport
year in and year out.
But to do that last year, to keep doing that,
you see the crowds at Brawley Stadium.
You can only imagine the crowds
at Bank Independent Stadium next year.
To put a bow on what y'all were talking about,
700 hours over that amount today in civic engagement,
over 20 projects with our student athletes, coaches, staff,
just unbelievable community support.
Yeah, when you can get out in your community
and be a face and wear that logo
and wear that logo in a positive light,
I think it does nothing but help our athletic department
and it also helps our university.
So these kids are, I tell them all the time,
they're like superheroes to these young kids
in this community.
And any time that they can come in
and lend a helping hand,
it's just going to bring more butts
into the seats on game day.
Coach, let's talk about some of the great player efforts
we saw this past weekend.
And we just talked about Tanaka Scott
in the fourth longest catch in school history.
He finished with four catches, 136 yards and a score.
Week prior against Austin Peay,
five catches, 61 yards and a score.
And Eastern Kentucky, he had just one catch for 15 yards,
but I remember the physicality he showed on that catch.
It feels like the last couple of weeks,
Tanaka Scott has flipped,
not just the catch switch up,
but his physicalness has been on display.
Yeah, he, when he wants to,
he can be the best player on the field.
And that's what I try to challenge him all the time
is T-Knock's got to show up every day.
And other players respond to how he practices.
And he's really stepped it up these last couple of weeks.
And he will not tell you this
because he's also his biggest fan,
but Noah Gregg stepping up helped Tanaka Scott to step up.
And when you've got another guy in the room
playing at a high level,
it just forces you to play at a high level as well.
And every touchdown catch that Noah Gregg's had,
Tanaka Scott's been the first one there to meet him.
So that just shows you the love for teammates
that we have within this program.
We might've been talking about that
after the homecoming game
when Noah got dogpiled by somebody.
I think it was Tanaka.
It was him.
Yeah, indeed it was.
Let's go back to the play a little bit
since we're highlighting different players.
And coach, a lot of things have to work for that to work.
I mean, you start with Ty.
Ty Watkins at quarterback.
He's got to catch the snap.
He's got to get the handoff perfect.
JD, he's got to make the perfect pitch.
And Destin's got to be ready.
He's got to be going through his progressions
even from the receiver spot to do that.
And not only that,
but Tanaka also having to make the catch.
I mean, for every different player
and every inner working of that play,
what's it like for everybody
from a mental standpoint to execute?
I'll add something else to you.
I bet we probably lead the country
in my three years here in trick plays.
We try to run two or three a game.
It helps the energy level.
I thought at that moment in time,
offensively, we were kind of dragging
and we needed to do something to create a spark.
I don't think I've ever called a trick play
from the minus nine yard line, though.
So that was that was different.
But Ty is our signal guy, too.
So Ty doesn't have his helmet.
So when I called that play,
Ty starts panicking,
standing beside me trying to figure out a helmet.
Noah Gregg takes his helmet off,
gives it to Ty.
Ty runs out there with somebody else's helmet on,
couldn't even buckle the chin strap,
didn't have a mouthpiece
because he didn't want to put
somebody else's mouthpiece in.
That's where it really all started.
That's the things you don't always see
on the film
that Noah Gregg had the wherewithal
to say, you know what?
Forget your helmet.
Go out there and run it with this one.
That's why we do this show, Ben.
There's always little things behind the scenes.
That is spectacular.
Let's talk about JV and Juice Allen, coach.
Team captain, he finished 25 carries, 102 yards.
I thought he was going to get
one of those goal line touches,
but Destin was he was selfish.
He kept them all for himself.
Three touchdowns from Destin.
Great day from him.
We've already talked about that.
But, coach, there were so many runs
that Juice had on Saturday
where I thought, man,
this is going to bottleneck
it about a two, three yard gain.
And next thing you know,
he's gotten seven or eight yards.
Juice just continues to run
harder and harder every week.
He keeps his legs moving.
You know, he's built
kind of like a bowling ball.
He's low to the ground.
He's thick.
And then our offensive line
keep theirs moving, too.
I thought this was one
of our better games
of continuing to play
through the whistle.
So when he buries his head
in there sometimes on those runs,
our guards and our center,
they continue running their feet
and that's able to give us
that extra two or three yards.
What we stress to our guys
is a two yard run
is not a good run.
We need four yards plus
to get us into a second and six,
a second and five.
And it really opens
the whole playbook up
when you're in second and five.
If you're in second and eight,
second and nine,
you're throwing screens,
you're throwing quick passes
and it really gets you
out of rhythm.
So we have stress to him.
We've got to get five yard gains
every time we run the ball.
You see how hard
he's running this year
and I got to think
the position coach
has a little bit
to do with that.
Yeah.
Coach Johnson's been
a great voice in that room
kind of challenging them
not only with the X's and O's
but challenging them
of the effort
at which they play with
and a lot of our fans
and supporters
remember watching the effort
that he played with
just how he talks,
how he runs a meeting,
how he does everything.
the love that he shows
for UNA
is pouring over
into our running back room
where they're playing
with that same effort.
And very quickly,
just to flip to the defensive
side of the ball,
we're going to talk
to Jamari Payne tonight
and we haven't talked
a lot about Jamari.
You see him a lot on defense
but something that people
may not see
is what he does
on special teams.
That is an impact player
to have on your kickoffs,
on your punts.
I mean, he's been spectacular
at that position as well.
Yeah, we got to get him back.
He spent a couple weeks
a little banged up
with an injury.
As soon as we got him
back from that injury,
we put him back on kickoff
and he was able to go down
in the Eastern Kentucky game
making the first opening kickoff,
tackling at the 14-yard line.
I thought that play
set the tone
for that whole football game.
Coach Caraboa, Coach Roth
always preached to those guys
on kickoff
that kickoff's
the first play of defense.
And if you go down there
and set the tone then,
then you're going to win
that first and 10 play.
You're going to win
that second and nine play.
So he's been a great spark
for us not only
as a defensive end
but also the stuff
he does for us
on kickoff.
Last thing in this segment,
Coach, Adam Watford,
a 72-yard punt.
He took home
a unique award.
And I think unique's
probably the best way
to describe that.
Mike, tell everybody
about what Adam won
this week.
Yeah, I got a strange email
on Monday
and I was really excited
because I follow
this Twitter account
and I know you do as well,
Ben,
but Sicko's committee,
pretty popular Twitter account
and they do
the longest punt
of the week
because they like
unique stats like we do.
And they emailed me
asking if they could
mail a trophy
to Adam Watford
because he had
the longest punt.
But I found out
from Coach Roth today
that Miami actually
had a longer punt
that got downed
but they didn't
call it down.
They gave him
the touchback.
But if you take
nine yards off,
it would have been
less than Adam's punt.
So they said,
you know what,
we're still giving Adam
the award.
So that was really cool
social media yesterday.
Well, Coach Roth
didn't tell you
he tried to take
the award away from him
because Adam actually
didn't punt the ball
well this game.
He missed his spots.
He was supposed
to punt one deep right,
left it in the middle
of the field
and that may be
the one that bounced
for forever too.
Yes.
So Adam Watford
got to hear a lot
of Coach Dierman
on the sidelines
this past Saturday.
And I'll tell you what,
for our fans
to know this too
as we get towards
West Georgia this week,
I think West Georgia
has the best returner
in our conference.
So Adam, Ian,
they've got to be fantastic
this week of hitting
their spots.
We've got to get
great hang time
and not let these
return guys
we're playing this week
affect this football game.
We'll let Coach
get back to some
of that pizza
he's got over there.
And when we come back
we're going to have
Tanaka Scott join us.
He had the long
touchdown catch
on the trick play.
We'll get his thoughts next.
He's excited to come up here.
We can't wait to chat with him.
That's coming up next.
This is UNA Football Night
from Lost Pizza Shoals
on 93.9 The Score.
Fresh basil,
fine-riven 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
that'll have you
coming back for more.
Don't forget dessert.
Cotton blues
cheese cake 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.
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256-648-5710.
Start your day
the Turbo way
at Turbo Coffee
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Whether you're craving
a handcrafted latte,
a refreshing smoothie,
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of your day.
Proudly located
right in the heart
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Turbo Coffee
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We're a community.
And as proud supporters
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we're cheering on the Lions
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Ready to serve delicious drinks
and host amazing events?
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and 50% goes to UNA Athletics.
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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
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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
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to keep our Lions
performing at their best.
Roar Lions.
A 91-yard touchdown catch
from Destin Wade.
Tanaka Scott
has the fourth longest pass play
in North Alabama football history.
He's our next guest
here on UNA Football Night
from Los Pizzas-Scholes
on 93.9 The Score.
Benjamin Ray and Mike Ezekiel
joining Tanaka Scott up here.
Tanaka fourth longest 91 yards.
How cool is that, man?
I feel good.
It's very cool.
It's feeling real good
to get out there
and have fun with the guys.
You know?
And just for like Wade
and Coach Dierman
trusting me
that I'm doing my assignment right
and getting me the ball.
It's still amazing.
Walk us through that catch
from your perspective.
The play call,
your route,
the pass,
everything.
Okay.
So it started like
we had to get up,
we had to make a big play.
And so after a kick return,
so after the kick return,
we got the ball back.
And so Coach was like,
let's go for a big play.
And so he called a play for us,
drew it up,
and we went out there.
I seen a safety come down
because I had pointed at him
like I was going to block him.
And then after he came down,
I was like,
this is my opportunity right here
because I was wide open.
Then Wade threw the ball,
and I got ran for
another one-yard touchdown.
Man, pretty amazing.
And I love hearing
your perspective on the play,
but I want to hear
your perspective after that
and the next morning
kind of waking up
and seeing your name
with that logo on ESPN,
the flagship station,
showing the play
destined way to Tanaka Scott.
How cool was that,
and when did you find out
that you were on ESPN?
I found out I was on ESPN
when I woke up.
I really did.
And when that play
happened in that moment,
it just felt like
it was unreal
because I ain't never had
no big run like that
ever in my life.
And so when it happened,
I just had to take it in
and just wake up
and like, dang,
I really just did that.
So it felt really good
in that moment.
Now, what stood out to me
with that play
and really your play
over all the last couple weeks
is nobody can get you
down to the ground
when you make the catch.
Do you feel like
you've upped your physicality
in the last couple ballgames?
For sure.
I think I'm a physical guy.
I don't like to get tackled.
It's not that I don't have to,
but I think I'm very physical.
And then training at practice,
going through physical things,
doing hard things
probably helped me out there.
So I guess when Coach Dierman revealed
that that was the fastest
you'd ran since, I believe,
January, 20 mile an hour.
Did you know at the time
that that was your fastest?
20.5, actually.
Oh, yeah.
Let me get that right.
I'm so sorry for the record.
20.5.
20.5.
I did not know that
until Coach Chee came in there.
He told me, he's like,
you ran 20.5.
That's the PR.
I was moving, Coach.
I was excited.
I was happy.
All right.
This is your second year
at North Alabama.
Take us through this offseason, man.
What would you work on
to get ready for this year?
Say that one more time for me?
What would you work on this offseason
to get ready for your second year at UNA?
I would say like more details,
like throughout the playbook,
throughout catching the ball,
throughout running routes,
learning my blocking assignment,
learning what to line up,
and just getting all that together
and putting it into my game for Saturday.
Brian Neese,
who does games with us on radio
and on ESPN+.
He always points out your blocking,
and obviously we know
how great of a receiver you are,
but how much pride are you taking
in blocking for some of these running backs?
I take a lot of pride in it.
I love blocking for my running backs
because at the end of the day,
they have to block for us
when we get to throw the ball,
and I love blocking.
I love getting out there
and just doing anybody in,
just giving it to them.
It's not every day you hear
a wide receiver say
they love blocking.
I'd like to hear what K.J. May
thinks about that.
He's in the house, too.
Yeah, he loves it.
With the flex right there,
you love to hear that,
a blocking receiver.
Let's talk about how close this room is.
You got here last year,
and Takari Kennebrew
is somebody you got really close with,
a lot of other guys in that room,
but Noah Gregg was another one,
and that relationship
is absolutely budded between you guys,
and a lot of good receivers in that room.
What's it like playing with those guys?
It was fun playing with TK.
It was absolutely fun.
He took me up on his wing
because I was his backup,
and it was just,
it went up from there.
I watched him learn from him,
and we used to study together,
look at plays together,
and I would just,
as he played,
I would just study on what he'd do
and add it to my bag.
Tanaka,
as we wrap up this segment,
man,
we really appreciate you
joining us up here tonight,
Saturday,
West Georgia.
What's it going to take
for this offense to get rolling
and put up some points in Brawley?
Everybody just has to stay locked in
to that assignment,
to that detail.
We need all 11 through their job.
Once all 11 through their job,
we're going to be on a good road.
Tanaka Scott from Mobile.
He's a wide receiver
at North Alabama.
Hey,
a lot of Mobile love on this team,
right?
You like having the,
what,
2-5-1,
right?
Yes, sir.
You like having that represented up here?
Most definitely.
You guys take a lot of pride
in that,
don't you?
Yes,
we do.
Coach Dierman,
he say Mobile every day.
Every day,
water screed,
water screed.
He say something every day.
Well,
we're glad you're up here with us,
Tanaka.
Appreciate you joining us.
Best of luck this weekend.
And hey,
91 yards is great.
The school record's 94.
What do you think about 95 this weekend?
What do you think about 100?
Let's do it.
Okay.
We'll have you on next week
if you get 100 yards this week.
That's Tanaka Scott.
He's going for 100 yards this week.
Tanaka,
we appreciate you joining us.
We'll take another timeout.
We got the defensive star,
Jamari Payne,
in the house when we come back.
This is UNA Football Night
from All's Pizza Show
to Scholes on 93.9 The Score.
Flavor is calling
at Lost Pizza Company Scholes.
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,
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These flavors won't stick around forever.
Only Lost Pizza Company Scholes,
where the lost get fed.
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any of the action this fall.
And roar lines.
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.
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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.
Welcome back to UNA Football Night
from Las Pizas Shoals
in historic downtown Florence.
I'm Benjamin Ray,
Mike Ezekiel's to my left,
and in between us,
the pride of Lachapoca High School
in Auburn, Alabama,
his first year
at North Alabama.
Jamari Payne joins us next,
and Jamari,
we appreciate you joining us, man.
How much are you enjoying
your first year
at North Alabama?
I'm enjoying it, man.
I'm having a great time
playing football
with my teammates.
We're having a great time
just, you know what I'm saying,
got to put things together.
You had a monster sack
in overtime,
a third down sack.
Take us through that moment, man,
and what was going through your head.
Oh, it was a third down.
It was a big play
for the game.
I came off the edge.
They tried to cut block me,
and I just saw the ball
hit the ball,
hit the ball.
What was your celebration?
I don't even remember.
I was just so zoned.
You just reacted.
Yeah, I was so zoned.
That's the best.
I love it.
Yes, sir.
Yeah, a lot of big stops
in that game,
and I want to go back
to homecoming
since Coach brought it up.
You were on kickoff
for that game,
and Coach always talked about
it's the first defensive play
is that kickoff.
You're on that,
and you're sprinting
down the field.
You get a huge hit,
and Coach said that
that set the tone
for the whole game,
and that ended up
being a big win.
Is that the way you saw it?
Yes, sir.
We just had to come out
with some energy,
so I thought I could
do my part
by going on kickoff
and making that first
tackle of the game.
The defensive line
has been very strong
this year for North Alabama.
Take us inside that room
and what you like most
about this group
that you're playing with
this year.
It's more than
just football to us.
It's a brotherhood.
It's a family
in a D-line room,
and just us
with our Coach KP,
we've got a good connection,
so we just bond together good,
so on the field,
the connection is there.
Who are some of the guys
that you've gotten close with
since you've gotten to UNA?
My whole D-line room
I've been close with,
like Ox,
Big Ox,
as y'all know,
Lance,
my boys are kids.
They came to support me today.
I've been close with everybody
just opening up
to a new family.
All right,
you transferred in
from Purdue,
and when you hit the portal,
North Alabama comes calling.
What stood out immediately?
I'm going back home,
so I just wanted to get
back near home
from Auburn, Alabama.
Just wanted to come back
closer down south.
You were getting a lot
of attention
when you played
in high school.
What was it like
playing in that area,
obviously Alabama
high school football,
to me,
in the top five
in the nation
for high school football?
I'm sure it was great.
Yes, sir.
It was.
It was harder
because I came from
a smaller school,
but it just made me
want to work harder
and be better.
And the recruitment,
I had a good recruitment
process coming out
of high school,
and I enjoyed it.
Brock Caribeau,
a defensive coordinator.
Yes, sir.
I'm sure you've
ever been thinking
about playing for him.
He was my guy, man.
He's going to tell you
how it is.
He's not going to be
a yes man.
He's going to tell you
if you did wrong,
like,
he's going to coach you.
He's going to coach you
up on that,
and I like that about that.
Yeah,
and he's going to coach
you up on that,
and then you're going
to get to Lost Pizza,
and he's going to be
taking your photo.
Yes, sir.
I think every week,
Coach Caribeau makes
sure he gets a photo
of every defensive player.
Yeah.
That's what it's all about,
though,
just making plays
and, you know,
staying together.
Yeah.
Let's talk about
West Georgia a little bit.
That's a big game
in Brawley Stadium.
You've played three games
in this stadium already.
That energy,
I mean,
how special is it
when you get to play
at home in front
of this crowd?
Oh,
it feels good
because the fans
come out of support
every time.
No matter who we're playing,
no matter what weekend it is,
they come out to support.
It's a home game,
and I love that about our fans.
Even away games,
they still come to support
and show that they're with us
no matter what.
Let's jump back
to Utah Tech last week.
In the second half,
this defensive unit
pitched a shutout
in the third quarter, right?
What do you think
the big difference was
from the first half
to the second half?
I feel like we came out
with more energy
and more want,
and that's what we needed
from the beginning,
and we just kept fighting
and kept fighting.
That's part of the brotherhood
that I was talking about earlier,
and that kept us strong.
There's another guy
in the house supporting you tonight,
Brian Dilworth's over there,
and he had a couple
of big plays, too.
Had a big stop on third down
that forced a field goal
that was really long for them.
That was a big stop,
and then had that
big interception, too.
When guys can make plays
like that,
they energize the whole defense.
Yeah,
that's a big energy boost.
He makes plays,
and we both play field side,
so he on side with me,
so we got to hype
each other up over there.
All right,
what's the one thing
people need to know
about Jamari Payne
off the field?
Off the field,
I'm a great guy.
I'm very,
you know what I'm saying,
you can walk up to me
and speak to me anytime.
You know what I'm saying,
I'm friendly.
You're a people person
is what you're saying.
Yes, sir.
Let me ask this.
It looks like you're
majoring in communications.
You got that focus
in photography and film.
What do you hope to do
with that in the future?
I'm not really
pinpoint sure right now,
but I'm just keep going on
to see what it brings me.
Sure.
Just a redshirt freshman.
Yes, sir.
I don't know how you feel
like your ceiling is.
Yes, I feel like I got
a lot of time to improve
and get better.
And like me redshirt,
I feel like that was good
for me last year
to see more
and improve on my game.
Last thing for me,
just talking about West Georgia,
looking at this week's opponent,
they've had a really good season
and that's a really good team
coming into town.
What has this team got to do
to try to pull out
a victory on Saturday?
We just got to go in,
stay together,
fight hard to the end.
If we do that
and work on us,
we will come out
with a victory.
All right, Jamari,
last thing.
If you get a sack,
what should we look for
with the celebration?
What would you do?
What would be your go-to?
What would be my go-to?
What should people look for
for your next one?
I might hit a little
TikTok celebration.
A little TikTok celebration.
Yeah, a little TikTok dance.
Who's had the best on the team?
Has anything stood out?
And did you get the baton
after the sack?
Yeah.
Was that pretty fun?
Yes, sir.
You guys like that, don't you?
Yes, sir.
That's the go-to.
So who's had the best celebration
after the sack?
The best celebration?
I'll say Seth Hampton.
Seth?
Yeah, he's a TikTok guy,
so he with the dancing,
that's him.
He's on it.
I love it.
Jamari, thanks for joining us, man.
We can't wait to see you fly around
Saturday, many years to come
at North Alabama.
That's it.
Thank you for having me.
That's Jamari Payne.
We'll take another time out.
Britt and Derman will join us
for one final segment.
We'll be back to
Lost Pizza Shoals
to wrap up this edition
of UNA Football Night
on 93.9 The Score next.
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.
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.
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.
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Stop by Brown Equipment,
located at 826
North Military Street
in Loretto,
or visit them online
at brownequipmentcompany.com.
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, wrapping up another fun night
here at Lost Pizza Shoals
in downtown Florence.
This is UNA football night.
Benjamin Ray,
Mikey Ezekiel,
and head football coach
Britton Dierman back with you.
Coach, your players
heading out, laughing,
cutting up with you.
You've got such a fun group.
We love talking with them
each and every week.
But Jamari Payne,
young guy,
Tanaka Scott,
an older guy.
Again, it just shows
the close bond of this team.
There's Tanaka
kind of cheering on Jamari
as he's up here talking.
Tanaka Scott,
even going back
to when I recruited him
when I was at Kansas,
is just the life of the party.
As a younger kid,
he was the clown in the room.
And now,
the maturity level
that he's gotten to now,
he's just a spark plug.
He brings out the best
in other people.
Our players love
being around him,
gravitating around him.
Just has so much
great energy.
And Jamari Payne
is going to be that as well.
The more maturity
he's going to continue
getting as a young guy.
And Coach,
that stuck with me
just knowing what you said
about the ride home
and just how tough it was
after a game like that.
But to see these guys
rally back together
and to be so aligned
to have a culture like this
where they can bounce back
and they know the right times
to celebrate each other
and the right times
to be upset
and try to work through
those things.
It's got to be good
for you as a head coach
to see that.
Yeah, I mean,
sometimes we question
the struggles
we go through in life.
And we've had
a lot of conversations
this year
about handling struggle.
Even after the game,
we have a tough loss,
lose about one point
in overtime.
And we had probably
five or six guys
that hurt so bad
that their natural response
was just,
we're just going to go
into the locker room.
I think we as a staff
ran those guys down
and said,
no, no, no,
that's not how
we do things as men.
We go across the field
and we shake
a man's hand
and we say,
hey, great job.
We'll see you again
next year.
All right.
Congrats to y'all
on the win.
We don't tuck tail
and run.
We hit things
right in the mouth,
even if we don't
like the outcome
that we go through.
And what I love
about the staff
we got,
it's more than
just football.
I mean,
we're doing
everything we can
and we're going
to win football games.
But we got a staff
that cares about
the development
of the human being
as well.
So really excited
about the team
that we have.
And like I said,
we had our best
Tuesday practice
of the year today.
Guys were competing
and they could
very easily
came out there
and say,
you know what?
The game this past
we didn't go
the way we wanted to.
We're just going
to keep dragging
around.
And they said,
no, we're going
to get better.
We're going
to come out here
today and we're
going to get better.
Let's jump into
our Burnley
Spine and Sport
preview.
West Georgia,
the opponent,
3 p.m. kick
inside of Brontley
Stadium.
The 37th
all-time meeting.
I misread
the game notes
47th all-time
meeting coming
up second
at the Division
I level.
Coach,
West Georgia
has been one
of the most
talked about
teams in FCS
football after
that hot start.
They're going
through the UAC
gauntlet just
like everybody,
but it's a very
good team coming
in on Saturday.
Yeah, they are.
They've got a
very talented
football team.
Anytime you're
right outside
of Atlanta,
they've got
that recruiting
base of the
millions of people
that live in
that area.
Most of their
kids are from
the state of
Georgia because
it's such a
great high school
football state.
They rarely
reach out of
state to bring
guys in.
You can see it
in their return
game.
You can see it
with their
receivers.
They've got a
lot of team
speed.
Their quarterback
is a very good
football player,
if not one of
the better
quarterbacks in
our league.
I think their
offensive line
has improved
from last year.
Their D-line
last year was
really good.
They lost two
defensive linemen
to the SEC
off of last
year's team.
One's playing
at Texas A&M
now, and they
just brought
in guys that
look just like
those guys
again this year.
Joel does a
fantastic job
over there,
has a great
staff.
I think they're
going to always
be a team to
compete with in
the FCS level,
but we know
that we've got a
great test in
front of us,
and we've got to
show up, but we
play really good
at home.
Right now,
we haven't got a
road win.
We're 2-1 at
home, and that
goes to our
great support.
I think our
kids play even
harder when
they're at home
in front of our
home base, in
front of our
home crowd, so
really excited
about what our
guys show up
and do this
weekend.
Looking forward
to seeing a
big crowd,
coach, and of
course, final
season at
Brawley, this
will be the
time that we
honor the
last 15 years
of the program,
and a lot of
people that are
going to be
there Saturday
remember some
of these West
Georgia rivalry
games, and a
lot of respect
on both sides
of that, and
coach, I know
I talk about
it a lot, this
was my favorite
stat that came
out of last
year altogether,
ball for 43
minutes, they
only ran 39
plays last
year, we ran
87 I think it
was, I mean it
was remarkable,
hadn't seen
anything like
that, you're
running the
ball well, is
that something
maybe we could
hope to see
again in a
game like this?
I want to
win the game
whatever way
the game
allows me to
win it, we
didn't go into
that game saying
we're going to
have a time of
possession game,
it just kind
of happened, I
thought our
defense played
really well,
defense got some
three and outs,
at that moment
in time we
were kind of
trying to fill
out what
direction we're
going at
quarterback where
TJ Smith had
played somewhat
well and then
we were leaning
heavily on the
run game and
not, we didn't
want TJ to make
mistakes that hurt
us while he was
kind of proving
himself and it
turned into being
the kind of game
it was and you
know it takes
all three phases
to win a game
like that,
defense has got
to play well,
offense has got
to run the
football well and
then special teams
has got to be
flawless in what
they do in order
to win a game
like that, so
but like I said
earlier I'll win a
game in whatever
way that allows
us to.
Saturday 3 p.m.
Brawley Stadium,
we hope to see
everybody out there.
Coach, we appreciate
you as always
breaking it down
with us.
Thank you,
Royal Lions.
That'll do it
for this week's
edition of
UNA Football
Night from
Lost Pizza
Shoals.
For Coach
Dierman,
Mike Ezekiel,
Ty, Eli Grant,
Braden in the
house, for Blair
back at the
station, I'm
Benjamin Ray
and Roar
and Roar
Lions.
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!