UNA will face their biggest test of the year when they play the University of West Alabama in Braly Stadium on Saturday Nov. 2, said head coach Bobby Wallace.

The game is being called “The Ring Game” by the UNA football team because a win over UWA would all but secure the GSC championship for the Lions, said offensive coordinator Chris Willis.

UWA head coach and former Harlon Hill trophy winner for UNA believes this is going to be a huge game, he said.

 “It’s going to be a great Saturday afternoon for football,” Hall said. “It will be arguably the biggest game in the long history of this rivalry.”

Wallace will be facing a West Alabama program who he helped rebuild from 2006-2010.  He is ready for his players to play and he understands the importance of this game, but he does not want his players to change up anything that they are doing just because it’s a “ big game,” he said.

 “(We have to) do everything we have been doing, focus on improving in practice, so we can have a good game plan,” Wallace said.

He has a 10-1 career record against UWA, with the only lost coming last season in Livingston, Ala.

 “”It’s going to be a great Saturday afternoon for football,” said Hall in a press release. “It will be arguably the biggest game in the long history of this rivalry.”

West Alabama has a great team, Wallace said.

They are coming into the game ranked 11th in the nation and they are in 1st place in the conference with a 4-0 record in conference play.

“West Alabama is undefeated in the conference, we have one loss,” Wallace said. “If we win we have a shot at the conference championship.”

The Tigers come into the game with one of the best offenses in the country while UNA’s defense has allowed over 24 points in only one game this season.

“They lead in almost every statistical category offensively, and we lead in almost every statistical category defensively,” Willis said. “Something has to give.”

The Lions defense is a concern for Hall and his offense, he said.

“Defensively they are not real flashy, but they have speed and are really big at defensive end,” Hall said. “They are long, athletic and fast.”

UNA’s defensive backs and linebackers are important to their defense, he said.

“They have a great secondary with one of the best safeties in the conference for three years in Caleb Massey,” Hall said. “They have the leading tackler in the conference at linebacker in Tavarius Wilson. Those guys run around and make a lot of plays.”

Kyle Caldwell, UWA’s quarterback, is a dynamic playmaker, Willis said.

“He is a really good QB, hard to contain, tackling must be key.” Willis said.

UNA forced 6 turnovers against Valdosta State University in their game on Oct. 26.

“We are playing much cleaner at this point in the season, we are rushing the passer and getting turnovers,” Willis said.

Cody Gross, UNA offensive coordinator, is excited about the game, he said.

“On a scale of 10, I would rank our offense an eight, we must make sure we score in the red zone, and keep improving,” Gross said.

Lamonte Thompson, running back, has been dealing with a bad ankle for the last few weeks, but is healthy for Saturday, Wallace said.

“Lamonte is healthy, he played about 10 snaps Saturday and could have played more if needed,” Wallace said.

The game starts at 3 p.m. in Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence.