THE SERIES
This is the first time in program history that UWA will face Morehouse on the gridiron. Morehouse is a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). West Alabama has faced nine teams currently in the conference: Albany State University, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, Miles College, Spring Hill College, Savannah State University, and Tuskegee University. UWA is 24-4 against SIAC schools.

WEST ALABAMA
This is the first time the Tigers take the field since an abbreviated Spring 2021 season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. UWA is set to play an entire season with 11 games scheduled, highlighted by six home competitions.

MOREHOUSE
Morehouse opted out of the 2020-2021 season amid Covid-19 concerns. Morehouse's last outing was the closing game of the 2019 season in a 40-39 victory over Clark Atlanta.

THE COACHES
Bret Gilliland is 45-26 in his eighth season as head coach, all at UWA. He is the winningest coach in West Alabama and will have the opportunity to break 50 wins this season.
Rich Freeman is in his 13^th season at Morehouse and holds a 70-61 record with the team.

RADIO
SLY 104.9: Robert Upchurch & Will Atkinson on the call. The Tiger Tailgate show starts at 5 p.m.

FLOFOOTBALL.COM
The Gulf South Conference signed a partnership with FloSports for all of GSC football and postseason play. FloSports will carry all Tiger football home games at FloFootball.com. Monthly access starts at $12.50.  The live video feed of the game will incorporate the radio call of action.

HOMETOWN TICKETING
UWA has switched to an all-digital platform for ticketing services. To purchase your ticket, visit UWAAthletics.com, click Fans and Tickets. For a more convenient way to buy and access your tickets, download the Hometown Fan app on any IOS or Android device. 

STADIUM RENOVATION
The UWA Board of Trustees approved the renovation of Tiger Stadium at its March 1 meeting in 2021. Construction of two new wings of the press box, a new entertainment area, new reserved seating, and an academic center started this week.

NEW TURF
This will be the first full season of UWA football on the new playing surface installed in the summer of 2020.

NEXT WEEK
UWA travels to Abbott Memorial Alumni Stadium in Tuskegee, Ala., to play Tuskegee University. The game time is 1 p.m.
 
EXPERIENCE
The NCAA extended an additional year of eligibility to all collegiate athletes who played during the 2020-21 season. Several UWA football players opted-in, which has created a roster with 40 fifth-year, graduate students, or true seniors.

SEASON OPENERS
West Alabama is 6-1 in season openers, including a 5-0 home turf record, under head coach Brett Gilliland.

COACH GILLILAND'S THOUGHTS
"Having older guys on the team can be a double-edged sword, but it depends on who those guys are, what their makeup is, and how bought into the program they are. I feel like this group is great in that regard. This year it is a big bonus with guys who care about this program. It has been great leadership that has come out of it.

"This game is all about us. We want to be able to execute our plays on offense no matter what they line up in, efficiently run our offense, and sustain drives and score points.

"On defense, we want to have a dominant demeanor about us to where everything Morehouse gets on Saturday; they have to earn it. We don't want to give up big plays.

"We have to be consistent on both sides of the ball. "

THE OFFENSE
The Tiger return All-GSC First Team honoree Bayley Blanchard, who broke the top-10 all-time receiving yards for UWA in the spring of 2021. The graduate wide receiver has recorded 112 receptions for 1,531 yards and 14 touchdowns, all at West Alabama.

UWA had two players recognized on the All-GSC Preseason team. Senior offensive guard Joe Oliver and senior wide receiver Smiley Martin.

In 2019, Oliver guided the path to the Tigers being third in the GSC in scoring at 29.4 points per game and third in the league in total offense at 410 yards per game. In passing, UWA was second in the conference with 271.8 yards per game.

Martin had a tremendous two-game spring 2021 season. The Goose Creek, S.C. native had 15 receptions for 239 yards and two touchdowns.

In 2019, he played in 11 games for 44 receptions, 535 receiving yards, and five touchdowns.

Quarterback Jack McDaniels heads the Tiger offense. The Lorton, Va. native led UWA with 2,330 offensive yards in 2019 and tallied 598 in the two games during the spring of 2021.

THE DEFENSE
The D-block is back on the field for the 2021 season, returning veteran players in Undreaz Lilly, Shamar Lewis, and Josh Hatcher.

Lilly has acted as a utility player for the Tigers defense during his three full seasons of action. He played as a linebacker, defensive tackle, and defensive end. The Montevallo, Ala. native has played in 28 games for 41 solo tackles and 61 assists with five sacks.

Lewis enters his second season with UWA. The junior defensive back played in 11 games in 2019 to register 45 tackles (33 solo). He broke up five passes and forced one fumble. In 2021, he played in two games for 13 tackles (11 solo), had one tackle for a loss (-4), defended on a pass, and recorded one interception for a 12-yard return.

Hatcher has been with the program for four seasons and is a proven leader on the field. In 2019, the Roanoke, Ala. native recorded 55 tackles, two sacks, intercepted one pass for a 23-yard return, broke up two passes, and recovered two fumbles.

In spring 2021, he played in two games at linebacker for 19 tackles (eight solo) and defended one pass.

BE THE B.E.S.T
Tiger football student-athletes and coaches strive to "Be the B.E.S.T" on and off the field and in life. It is the core value of the program.

The B stands for brotherhood. It is being humble and understanding that each person plays their part and is a part of something bigger.

The E is effort. It is hard work both in competition and in the classroom.

The S is having a standard of excellence. Each student-athlete must hold themselves to a higher standard, whether on social media, in life, in the classroom, or on the field. It is also about having accountability to hold themselves and others to a very high standard.

The T is toughness, both mentally and physically. The Tigers strive to handle adversity and success while handling the next play or the next thing life throws at them.