After falling in the polls due to a 30-24 loss to previously ranked No. 2 Delta State, the Lions are now ranked No. 5, moving the Statesmen up to No. 1.

The overtime loss to Delta State Oct. 13 has been brushed aside, as UNA will face another GSC rival, West Alabama, in Livingston Thursday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. UNA defeated the Tigers last year at home 24-23 after the Lions scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter in a “come from behind” victory.

Unranked West Alabama, 5-2, will demonstrate the usual vengeful rivalry characteristics, led by running back Matthew Willis, who has already managed more than 900 rushing yards and six touchdowns for the season.

“(In order for us to win Thursday), we have to digest the Delta State game and move one in order to win or lose against West Alabama,” said linebacker Luke Darr.

“We have a little bit of an advantage. This is our off week, so we have some extra time preparing, so hopefully we will be as polished as we can for the following week when we play them.”

The tigers of West Alabama bring a strong running game to the table. UNA has seen such with teams like Central Oklahoma and their leading man Josh Birmingham who was shut down by the Lions in week one.

Birmingham managed just 44 yards on 12 carries. Matthew Willis for West Alabama will be the guy to watch, averaging better than six yards per carry and 128 yards a game.

“As far as changes, there’s nothing drastic we need to do; what we do, it works,” Darr said. “We have to continue to execute, prepare and keep putting in a great effort.”

UNA and UWA share a common thread that many schools do not.

West Alabama’s head coach Will Hall was UNA’s starting quarterback in 2002/2003 seasons and was a Harlon Hill trophy winner and set 16 records while in Florence. This will give the Tigers an advantage, as a previous Lion will be coaching against the Lions with old game plans in hand.

“It’s no secret that we don’t like West Alabama, so it’s going to be another emotional game like Delta State was and Valdosta in the future,” Darr said. “We also have a former player who was the offensive coordinator, but now the head coach for the Tigers. He will have intricate knowledge of what we do over here. At the same time, we have a little bit of understanding of what he does.”

UNA punter Michael Schuster said the Lions need to come out of the starting blocks fast like they did against Abilene Christian earlier in the season.

“We need to play fast,” Schuster said. “We scored 16 points on Abilene Christian quick. We’ve been slow getting started, especially on the road games; we need to get a really good jump start on them.”

UNA will be battling not only to maintain their top five ranking, but to keep the playoffs hope high, as well as establish themselves in the GSC with their first victory over an opposing GSC team.

“It’s a big game, a conference game, and you want to win after a loss,” Darr said. “The bottom line is we always have the expectation of winning at North Alabama, regardless of the situation or what happened the previous week. Whoever we are playing, we’re going to want to dominate them, so it’s pretty much business as usual.”

The UNA football team will travel to Livingston to take on the Tigers of West Alabama Oct 27. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Tiger Stadium.