The UNA football team looks for a better all-around performance as the team will prepare for a top-five matchup this Saturday.

The No. 5 Lions will play against No. 3 Abilene Christian in the Lone Star Football Festival this Saturday in one of the largest stadiums on the planet, Cowboys Stadium, as two of the top programs in Division II square off.

“I am looking forward to it for the players; it will be good for them to experience something like this in their life,” said head coach Terry Bowden. “As a coach, I’m really nervous because we are playing a really good football team.”

Abilene Christian is off to a 1-0 start this year and finished last season with an 11-0 record before they were eliminated in the second round in the NCAA tournament. ACU is led offensively by junior quarterback Mitchell Gale and defensively by senior defensive end Aston Whiteside.

Gale is the reigning Lone-Star Conference offensive player of the year and was one of nine national finalists for the Harlon Hill Award in 2010.

Gale finished last season with 3,595 yards passing and a school record 38 touchdown passes. In the first game he finished with 335 yards and three touchdowns.

Whiteside on defense is the reigning two-time LSC defensive player of the year and is also a first team all-region performer. Whiteside finished the season with a team high seven sacks last year.

After two weeks of play the Lions have had both positives and negatives on both sides of the ball, with the latest coming on the defensive side of the field.

The Lions defense gave up a total of 395 yards of offense and stayed on the field for over 36 minutes against Glenville State.

“Defensively, I felt like we came out flat, and we did not come ready to play on that side of the ball,” Bowden said. “We just could not get off the field, and our defense needs to play better this week and get more three-and-outs, or it will be a long game.”

On the offensive side of the ball the Lions showed some improvements in the passing game from week one, as quarterback Lee Chapple finished with 317 yards and four TDs, leading the Lions to a 48-21 victory.

“Offensively, I thought we played much better from the first game,” Bowden said. “Chapple looked a lot more relaxed and made some solid throws for us and showed how good he really can be.”

The Lions are scheduled to kick off Saturday at 4 p.m. against Abilene Christian at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX.

You can also follow the game on Twitter for live updates throughout the game @FloralaSports.

Recap

• The Lions get off to a 2-0 start with their 48-21 rout of Glenville State.

• Quarterback Lee Chapple has a bounce-back game, throwing for 395 yards and four touchdowns.

• Defensive players played for much of the game, as the Pioneers dominated time of possession 36:04 to 23:56.