The UNA Lions football team lost its first home football game of the 2012 season to the Harding University Bisons with a score of 31-10.

The Lions, who completed only 19 yards passing and were 3 of 12 in third down conversions, struggled to protect quarterback Chris Alexander from the Bison defense.

Defensively, missed tackles and assignments created chances for Harding to score, said Head Coach Bobby Wallace.

“We fumbled the ball, and dropped passes and didn’t take our assignments on defense so we’ve got to do a better job coaching,” Wallace said.

The Lions held an early lead after Michael Schuster scored a field goal with 5:58 left in the first quarter.

Three drives later, after UNA freshman quarterback Luke Wingo was intercepted by Aaron Gillaspie, Harding quarterback Kelvin Martin carried the ball 19 yards to score the first touchdown of the game.

The second quarter saw another touchdown from Harding, leaving the halftime score at 14-3.

The Lions scored early in the third quarter with a 38-yard rush from Lamonte Thompson.

Four minutes later, at 9:06, Martin completed a 60-yard pass to Donatella Luckett for a touchdown. Multiple missed tackles by the UNA defense let Luckett run unaccompanied into the UNA endzone. The score at the end of the third quarter was 21-10.

The final quarter saw no scores from the Lions. Harding scored a touchdown on their first drive, making the score 28-10. After two unsuccessful drives by the Lions, including an 11-yard loss caused by quarterback Chris Alexander being sacked, Harding made their final score of the game.

A field goal by John Gay gave the Bisons a lead of 31-10 with 3:36 left in the game. The Lions played two more drives in which they were unable to score. The final score was 31-10, Bisons.

The UNA Lions play Kentucky Christian at home next Saturday, Sept. 15, at 6 p.m. The game will be the last non-conference game before the Lions face off against Gulf South Conference rival Delta State on the Statesmen’s home turf, Sept. 22 at 6 p.m.