The Lions will play in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Division II football playoffs at noon this Saturday at West Alabama in Livingston.

According to roarlions.com, Saturday’s game will be the 17th time the Lions have appeared in the Division II football championships. The Lions have a 28-13 playoff record and are 10-6 in playoff games that were rematches.

After losing at West Alabama Oct. 27, the Lions are eager for a chance to redeem themselves. Head coach Terry Bowden is excited for the team to face West Alabama again.

“Of all the teams you want to play, you want to play somebody that beat you,” Bowden said.

In the Oct. 27 game, a fumble on a punt return and personal foul penalty in the first quarter put the Lions behind. At the end of the first quarter, West Alabama was winning 14-0.

Bowden said that although the Lions outscored West Alabama after the first quarter, they were unable to bridge the gap in the end. West Alabama won the game with a score of 31-26.

The Lions will prepare for the game by focusing on the things that will give them a better chance to win, according to Bowden.

“We’ll be trying to make little adjustments from the first game that we think will stop some of the things that they did well and help us do things better,” Bowden said.

West Alabama had 143 rushing and 209 passing yards in the Oct. 27 game against the Lions. The Lions had 119 rushing and 397 passing yards. The Lions had 32 first downs total, while West Alabama had 19.

Key players included West Alabama’s Matt Willis and Ken May, and the Lions’ Wes Holland and Mo Miliam. Willis rushed for 113 yards while May received three catches for 121 yards. Holland rushed for 73 yards, while Miliam received nine catches for 128 yards.

The Lions were hurt by penalties, losing a total of 100 yards because of them. West Alabama also lost 67 yards due to penalties.

Bowden looks forward to the chance to correct the mistakes that were made in the Oct. 27 match.

“Having played them before, we’ll know some things that work against them,” Bowden said.

He also stressed the importance of getting to a fast start and getting on the board early.

“Hopefully we get on the ball offensively and get some drives going early,” he said.

The winner of this game will go on to face Delta State at its home turf Nov. 26.

The Flor-Ala will be reporting from the game on Saturday. Follow @FlorAlaSports on Twitter for live updates and stats.