No. 2 West Georgia gave UNA its second loss of the season, handling the 13th ranked Lions 31-10 at University Stadium in Carrollton, Georgia today.

The loss drops UNA to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Gulf South Conference. West Georgia, meanwhile, remains undefeated on the season. With top-ranked Minnesota State’s loss to Winona State, the Wolves will likely move into the top spot next week.

“It was one of those games where they just played really well,” said UNA head coach Bobby Wallace. “We didn’t have many opportunities to get the ball on offense in the first half and couldn’t do much when we did.”

UNA opened the scoring with Kevin Henke’s 26-yard field goal, giving the Lions a 3-0 advantage early on. The Lions could not hold on to the lead, as West Georgia proceeded to score 31 unanswered points throughout the game.

West Georgia scored on drives of 75, 75 and 81, respectively, to take a 17-3 halftime lead. The Wolves added two scores in the second half before UNA senior quarterback Luke Wingo scored on a one-yard boot, cutting the lead to 31-10 early in the fourth quarter.

UNA failed to score on a crucial possession late in the game, as the Wolves stuffed senior running back Diamond Simmons on the one-yard line. West Georgia ran the time out, sealing the win and making them the front-runner to clinch the GSC.

The Wolves finished with 485 total yards, including 383 on the ground, while converting 10 of 15 third-down conversions. The Lions turned in 318 total yards and went 4 of 14 on third-down.

“It hurts to lose 31-10, but what hurts more is to know we beat ourselves,” said junior defensive lineman Barron Miller. “We had opportunities to make tackles on third and long, but we could not get off the field.”

The Lions are back in Braly Stadium Oct. 31 in a must-win game against GSC opponent Delta State.