WISE - - UVA Wise hits the road Saturday to face an NCAA Division I FCS opponent for the second consecutive season when
Dane Damron's squad takes on North Alabama in a 7 p.m. kickoff in Florence, Ala.
Behind a record-setting defensive performance, the Cavaliers enter the game 1-0. Last week, UVA Wise held Ferrum to negative 18 rushing yards en route to a 41-9 win on opening night. As a unit, defensive coordinator
Matthew White's bunch tallied 16 tackles for loss, the most by any NCAA football team to this point in this season.
While the defense was locking down the run, a pair of Cavs had superlative days on offense.
Markel Harrison caught a career-high nine passes en route to a career-best 98 receiving yards while
Jaevon Gillespie rushed for 106 yards and scored three times on just 10 carries.
In the special teams game, sophomore
Kellan Dalton made history as his 50-yard field goal in the third quarter was the longest in school history. Dalton added a 31-yard boot in the win as he was named South Atlantic Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.
Chris Willis is in his sixth season directing the Lions who are coming off a 3-8 campaign in 2021. Last season, North Alabama dropped three games by six points or less and the trend continued in the team's season opener last week.
North Alabama will be looking to bounce back after a 17-14 overtime loss at Indiana State. The Lions forced overtime behind the play of freshman quarterback Noah Walters who fired a 10-yard touchdown pass to Corson Swan in the game's final minute before falling in the extra session.
Saturday's game will be the first for North Alabama as a full NCAA Division I FCS member at home. A member of the Atlantic Sun Conference, the Lions recently completed a four-year transition to FCS after being a dominant NCAA Division II program. The school won three consecutive NCAA Division II football national titles from 1993 to 1995 while posting a 41-1 record over the three seasons.
North Alabama will host its first NCAA Division II school since 2018. Additionally, it will be the first meeting between the Lions and Cavaliers in any sport, not just football.
Next week, UVA Wise returns home to begin SAC play when Barton College visits Smith Stadium for Homecoming 2022. North Alabama hits the road to face Chattanooga.
