LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The University of West Alabama Football team returns to Tiger Stadium for the first time in 2026 on Saturday as they host the Pittsburg State Gorillas for a 12:00 p.m. CST kickoff on Family Day.

UWA (2-0) comes into their home opener after a 34-23 road win over Lenoir-Rhyne. As for No. 25 Pittsburg State (0-2), they come to Tiger Stadium after dropping their first two contests at home to begin the year. 

West Alabama and Pittsburg State have never played each other, with Saturday being the first contest in the series' history. The Gorillas will make the trip down to Livingston from Pittsburg, Kansas, which is 615 miles away.

There is a ton of excitement surrounding UWA's home opener after a 2-0 start, including a roller-coaster victory over Lenoir-Rhyne last Saturday. Through two games, the Tigers are averaging 30.5 points per game on 353.5 total yards of offense while only allowing 20 points per game. 

West Alabama's defense has forced eight turnovers thus far which is the second most in the country. Led by the National and GSC Defensive Player of the Week in Legend Doggett, along with Joseph Harper, KC Bradford, and Chrissean Jones, the Tigers' defense has wreaked havoc through two weeks of play. Doggett stands tall amongst everyone else as he's set to play his first game in Tiger Stadium after carrying UWA to their victory over Lenoir-Rhyne last week. In that game, Doggett scored two defensive touchdowns, with both coming in the fourth quarter. The Cornerback was responsible for three takeaways on the day, while causing another as he deflected the pass that was intercepted by Issaiah Parrish which also came in the fourth quarter. Doggett leads a DB room that includes uber talented players such as Jones and Bradford. 

Jones also recorded an interception last week against the Bears as he picked off the first pass attempt of the game. Bradford is one of the captains, alongside Harper at Linebacker, solidifying a strong defensive unit for UWA.

Up front, Ayden Gibson has shined to begin the year. The redshirt sophomore leads the team in tackles for loss and sacks with 4.0 and 2.0, respectively.

Offensively, Luther Richesson leads the charge. Richesson is the reigning back-to-back GSC Offensive Player of the Week after, recording 553 total yards and five touchdowns through two games. The Quarterback enters the matchup against the Gorillas after a sharp and efficient performance against Lenoir-Rhyne where he threw for 201 yards along with two touchdowns on a 71 percent completion percentage. Richesson has spread the ball around to a host of targets as Kaden Cupp, Madixx Morris, Cam Joseph, and Jaxon Colvin have already caught touchdowns while Jaylon York and TD Parker lead the team in receiving yards.

On the ground, Brayden Jenkins and Dakarai Shanks have accrued much of the workload. Shanks leads all backs with 4.4 yards per carry while Jenkins leads the team with 28 carries. 

It's been a rough start to the 2026 season for Pittsburg State after a 10-3 season in 2025. The Gorillas entered the season ranked fourth in the country in the AFCA Coaches Poll but, through two weeks, are still searching for their first win. Pittsburg State has struggled on both sides of the ball to begin the year as they're only averaging 268 yards per game while allowing 466 yards per game.

The Gorillas offense is averaging 12.0 points per game through their first two contest. Pittsburg State lost their starting Quarterback from a season ago in Jackson Berry and new starter, Jake Wolff has struggled to begin the year. Berry threw five interceptions all of last season, and through two games this year, Wolff has matched that total. Wide Receiver, T.J. Starks has caught the lone touchdown of the year through the air for the Gorillas as he also leads the team with 119 yards. Greyson Holbert led Pittsburg State with 59 catches and 586 yards last season and is back in 2026. Holbert recorded seven catches and 81 receiving yards against No. 1 Ferris State in the season opener.

On the ground, Diego Cearns leads the way with 98 rushing yards while Syre Padilla sits right behind with 87 rushing yards and one touchdown on 13 carries.

Defensively, Blake Carr has been a force at Linebacker. Carr leads the team with 16.0 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. Paxton Wehner has recorded an interception from the Linebacker group while Defensive Back Aabiyas Wakes has accumulated three pass breakups and an interception through the Gorillas' two games.

After a phenomenal 2025 campaign, Pittsburg State is looking to get their 2026 season in order when they travel to Livingston this weekend. The Tigers will look to defend their home turf, with excitement spilling over for the home opener.

Kickoff for Saturday's contest between West Alabama and No. 25 Pittsburg State is set for 12:00 p.m. from Tiger Stadium.