The Lions triumphed at the Dallas Cowboys stadium last Saturday, beating the No. 3 ranked Abilene Christian team (23-17) and grabbing the No. 2 spot in Division II.

UNA football plays Harding Saturday at 6 p.m. in Braly Stadium for the homecoming game.

Homecoming week is always filled with events to get the community involved, but it is also a week to impress the crowd as many alumni return to view the progress the UNA football team has made throughout the season.

“We have a house to protect (Braly Stadium) but also a large homecoming crowd of proud alumni who will definitely want to leave campus with a win,” said JD Byars, assistant to the Athletic Director for Media Relations. “While homecoming is a fun week, it’s still the team’s job to remember that ending the festivities on a high note is only possible if they focus on the match-up, play hard and win.”

With last year’s loss, our guys have all the motivation they’ll need to get a victory and improve to 4-0.”

UNA expects a big crowd this year for homecoming. There will be the usual tailgating and the opportunity to watch UNA fight for another win on its home turf.

“We expect more than 10,000 fans,” said Tyler Unsicker, of the Athletic Department. “Our opener attracted better than 11,000, and homecoming attracts alumni from across the region, which always helps the numbers at the gate.”

Byars offered advice to fans.

“The best thing anyone could do to support the program: buy a ticket, come early, tailgate, yell at Lion Walk at 4 p.m. and enjoy everything a game day has to offer,” Byars said. “Then, tell someone else about how fun a UNA game day is.

“Finally, consider season tickets to other sports and next year’s football season. The value is tremendous. A family could enjoy two entire Saturdays at Braly Stadium for what it costs to go to the movies for two hours,” he added.

After the Lions’ defense suffered with several injuries against the wildcats last Saturday, including linebacker Demetrius Brayant with a concussion, many will be expected to step up and act as big time players, making big time plays on Saturday.

“We have to play disciplined football against Harding,” Brayant said. “There were a lot of mental errors and people not heading their keys like they were supposed to. So, this year we plan to be a lot more disciplined and hopefully can put this game to bed early.”

UNA lost to Harding University last year 29-28. Harding led UNA in rushing yards, with 328 to the Lions’ 144, and possession time, with Harding having nearly 32 minutes to UNA’s 27 minutes.

This year, UNA will be using their running backs, Wes Holland, Antwan Ivey and Chris Coffey, to make up for the difference in last season’s running game.

“I think Coach (Terry) Bowden is going to let the running backs make their plays as much as they can,” Brayant said. “The ball will be handed off and let them run the ball north and south.”

Penalties and simple mental errors were also a strong issue in the 2010 Harding/UNA game. The Lions fumbled the ball three times last year and lost two of them, ending the game with 11 penalties for 79 yards.

“As a team right now, we need to be able to stay focused throughout an entire football game,” Brayant said. “I think against Abilene Christian we were focused, especially in the first half. If we can stay together as a team and maintain focus through the entire game, I do not believe anyone will beat us.”

The Lions are scheduled to play Saturday, with kick-off set for 6 p.m for homecoming against Harding at Braly Stadium.

You can also follow the game on Twitter @FlorAlaSports for live updates and stats throughout the game.