University of North Alabama football is one game away from the season’s end. Currently 3-8, but 3-4 United Athletic Conference, the Lions place sixth at the conference’s rank. Head Coach Brent Dearmon reminisces season’s wins, losses, improvements and gaps.
The Lions kicked off week zero on Aug. 24 with a loss to Southeast Missouri, 37-15, at the historic Cramton Bowl stadium in Montgomery. It took the team another four games, mostly close losses, to reach the first win of the season. On Sep. 28 the first victory came against West Georgia, which plays their first-ever Division I season, 25-16.
“I’m not about more victories, I’m not about trying to find the victory and the loss,” Dearmon said. “I think you can grow from every loss. I think there’s always something to learn from, there’s always positives with every win or loss.”
From then, UNA won the next two games in a row, against Utah Tech, a high margin of 60-14, and Abilene Christian, the Lions’ first-ever Football Championship Subdivision ranked victory at 47-34 to celebrate homecoming.
Compared to the 2023 season’s numbers, where UNA had one conference and three total wins, the Lions possess all their three victories within United Athletic Conference games. Coach Dearmon and assistant head coach Brock Caraboa agreed the wins showed the team’s improvement. Still, being 3-4 is lower than the current standard.
“I think he was right with saying that where we come from last year, you’re probably ecstatic about three conference wins,” Dearmon said. “This year, the standard moving forward is winning. So, close losses mean nothing to us anymore, we got to find ways to win those games.”
Since ACU, UNA came back to a constant of close losses when they faced another ranked opponent at their stadium. Central Arkansas broke the Lions’ winning streak with a 24-19, managing interceptions against the Alabamians’ chance to win.
Dearmon said it was a heartbreaking loss when UNA “out gamed them, probably played better than them in all phases of the game except we had turnovers, and they didn’t.”
Dearmon claims the talent and instruction are within the players, but a few crucial mistakes and low motivation bring performance down. Losing to UCA deflated the team who still had a tangible chance of reaching the playoffs, and who still seemed to always be on the “almost there.”
In the following week, the final home game against Austin Peay proved the head coach’s words, who said they “didn’t play very well,” finishing 17-31. Traveling to Southern Utah knowing a chance to the playoffs was now nonexistent, the Lions went from a UAC 3-3 to 3-4 with a 26-38.
“When you lost the chance of the playoffs, when you lost the chance for winning the conference, now you’re playing for pride,” Dearmon said. “It’s really what [will] ignite us this off-season: to find that extra degree, dig a little deeper and not lose those games moving forward.”
On Nov. 23, the Lions will face Eastern Kentucky, their final 2024 opponent. With the final game, also comes the final Lion performance for some outstanding graduating seniors such as defensive back Gregory Reddick, wide receiver Takairee Kenebrew and quarterback TJ Smith.
