North Alabama football lost 30-7 against Campbell in the school’s fifth Division I game. The loss puts UNA 3-2 for their first Division I season.

The team owes its defeat to a terrible first quarter. The Camels scored on three of their first four possessions and brought the score to 23-0 before the quarter ended. Their first possession was a 73-yard drive ending with a 24-yard touchdown pass bringing them ahead 7-0 two and-a-half minutes in.

They followed five minutes later with a safety when junior quarterback Christian Lopez had to fall on the ball in the endzone after a bad snap, rather than let Campbell recover the fumble for a touchdown. After the free-kick, Campbell drove 66-yards to score another touchdown bringing the score to 16-0 with 3:16 left in the first quarter.

Two and-a-half minutes later they scored again off a 21-yard pass with 45 seconds left in the quarter making the score 23-0. It remained the same for the rest of the half.

UNA finally scored 10 minutes into the third quarter with a 12-play, 82-yard drive. Senior running back Damon Cox scored with a 13-yard run followed by an extra point to get on the board 23-7. The Camels retaliated immediately with another scoring drive putting seven more points on the board, making the score 30-7 with one minute left in the third quarter.

Neither team scored for the rest of the game, solidifying the loss. The game stats were similar though, with both teams ending the game with similar numbers in yardage.

UNA made 24 first downs compared to Campbell’s 20, and UNA made seven of their 14 third-downs while Campbell made eight of their 15.

North Alabama had 322 total offensive yards while Campbell had 352, and UNA had five penalties for 34-yards compared to Campbell’s six for 60-yards. The similarities continued in acquired yardage with UNA’s 184 passing yards and 138 rushing yards against Campbell’s 163 passing and 189 rushing yards.

Time of possession was similar as well, with UNA at 28:53 and Campbell at 31:03. From the statistics alone, the game was evenly matched. The scoreboard tells a different story, showing football is a game about more than just numbers.

The Lions play at home again Oct. 6 against West Florida.