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LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The University of West Alabama football team returns to the Palmetto State for a second straight week, this time to open Gulf South Conference (GSC) play with North Greenville University. Kickoff happens under the lights at 6 p.m. from Younts Stadium.

Live coverage is provided on our website, uwaathletics.com/live with links for live video, live audio and more.

For each game during the 2023 season, SLYROCK 104.9 FM will be providing an audio-only opportunity for fans. Will Atkinson will provide the play-by-play duties. Fans can click on the link to the right or download the SLYROCK app to listen on your mobile device. 

PREVIEWING THE CRUSADERS
Going from Saints to Crusaders, the Tigers will look to start 1-0 in league play this weekend with North Greenville. 

NGU will host UWA for the home opener at Younts Stadium Saturday night after two challenging non-conference opponents. The Crusaders started the year by going to nearby Charleston to face NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly I-AA, opponent in Charleston-Southern.

NGU had the 10-3 advantage going into the final period, but a 44-yard field goal and a three-yard touchdown run gave CSU the 13-10 lead with seven minutes remaining.

NGU had one final gasp late in the game saw them at the Buccaneer three-yard line with less than 20 seconds remaining, but a false start penalty pushed the Crusaders back to the eight, and they could not snap the ball before the clock expired. 

The following week, North Greenville traveled to Newberry and had a 14-0 lead after one quarter en route to a 24-14 victory over the Wolves.

So far in two games, NGU has averaged 5.4 yards a play and 342 per game. However, the running game has been a struggle for the Crusaders in 2023, averaging 2.6 yards per attempt. 

NORTH GREENVILLE SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's GSC opener for both teams will be the seventh meeting between the two schools. North Greenville holds the 4-2 edge in the series. NGU edged UWA to spoil homecoming last year with a 34-33 result last Oct. 22.

After the two teams played each other as non-conference foes in 2016 and 2017, North Greenville joined the GSC as an affiliate member in 2018. 

West Alabama's two wins came in 2017 in Livingston and 2021 in Tigerville. 

SULLIVAN GARNERS SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The Gulf South Conference released on Monday afternoon that punter Trey Sullivan has been selected as the GSC Special Teams Player of the Week after his performance in Saturday's West Alabama victory over Limestone. 

The New Wakefield, Ala. native averaged over 43 yards per punt to help UWA knock off the Saints, 27-13. Limestone received votes in the latest American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll. 

Of his seven punts, three landed inside the 20-yard line and two were over 50 yards or better, including a career-best 58-yarder. 

His first punt was the career-long that started at the UWA 33-yard-line and landed at the Limestone nine-yard-line. 

Next, he pinned the Saints inside their own 10-yard-line again after a 48-yard punt from the UWA 47. 

So far in two games, Sullivan is third in the GSC and 38th in the nation in punt average of 40.5 yards.

350...SOON
With a win at North Greenville on Saturday night, it will be a milestone victory for the West Alabama football program, as the next victory will be the 350th. UWA started football in 1938 and is 349-446-14 in 82-plus seasons of football. 

UWA's first victory came in 1938, when the Tigers turned away the Gamecocks of Jacksonville State by a 7-0 decision.

THREAT ON THIRD DOWNS
UWA is second in the Gulf South Conference when it comes to third down efficiency on the defensive side with a 26.5 percentage, trailing Valdosta State, who has played Point (Ga.) and Albany State (Ga.). 

In Week 1 versus Angelo State, West Alabama had a 3-of-16 mark for a team that had the ball for nearly 29 minutes. 

Despite allowing Limestone to cross the first-down marker six out of 18 times last week, the Tigers are still able to keep the percentage under 30%.  

AND A BIGGER THREAT IN THE RED ZONE
UWA has only seen the opposition make it to the red zone just six times this season and is 3-of-6 so far in two games in 2023. Last season, UWA had a 77.5 percentage for defenses in the red zone. 

A BRICK WALL...WITH SOME PUNCH
UWA has 19.5 tackles for a loss, with five of those coming by sacking the quarterback. Averaging over eight tackles for a loss per game, the Tigers are 24th in the country in the category and third in the GSC. 

Jamarcus Smith had a memorable day for the defense last week at Limestone, totaling nine tackles with 1.5 for a loss, including a nine-yard sack. To add the cherry on top, he also had an interception.

Jamal Ellis leads the Tigers with four TFLs, including two sacks. 

CONSISTENCY NOW NEEDS TO COME FROM THE OFFENSE
In the Tigers' 27-13 win over the Saints of Limestone last week, the defense stood tall after a UWA fumble on the opening possession inside their own 20-yard-line and limited Limestone to a field goal.

It took 15 minutes, but the second quarter was the story of the game for West Alabama. Of the team's 285 yards, 178 of them came in the second quarter as UWA erased a 3-0 score with 13 unanswered points. 

While Spencer Arceneaux went 7-of-14 for 168 yards and two scores and added 49 yards on the ground, Darius Nalls made great work of his two receptions, as he found the end zone on both of them. 

The running game was what kept UWA maintaining drives on offense, and more importantly, giving the defense a longer break. The Tigers had 110 rushing yards, and after Arceneaux's 49 was freshman Brayden Jenkins, who had 11 carries for 39 yards in his first collegiate game. 

INTERCEPTION CITY
So far in two games, UWA has picked off the opposing quarterback five times, including three in its win at Limestone.

The Tigers are sixth in Division II in team interceptions, trailing Emporia State (Kan.), who has eight. 

Leading the charge is Artavious Washington, who has three of the team's five interceptions. The senior won the GSC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 5 after his two INTs versus Angelo State. His 1.5 interceptions is tied with with four other players in the country in the category.