North Alabama heads to Reynolds Razorback Stadium next weekend with some momentum after opening the season with a 22-10 win over Samford on Saturday night in Huntsville, Alabama.
The Lions got exactly the kind of start they needed after finishing last season 2-10 and ending on a five-game losing streak. This was their first victory since Oct. 18, 2025, and it also marked North Alabama’s first season-opening win since 2019.
“[To be] 1-0, get an FCS in-state win, it’s huge,” North Alabama coach Brent Dearmon said on the Lions’ postgame radio show. “We needed to start off with this W to get the ball rolling. We’re going to celebrate it tonight.”
The biggest swing in the game came midway through the second quarter, when Xavier Johnson hauled in a 95-yard touchdown pass from Destin Wade for the longest play in program history. The score put North Alabama in front 7-0 after a third-and-long conversion, following a first down that had been wiped out by a penalty.
“I’m just happy that I was able to be there when they needed me the most,” Johnson said on the postgame radio show.
North Alabama kept building from there. Moments after Johnson’s touchdown, Kamore Harris and Avery Howard dropped Samford quarterback Gabbari Johnson in the end zone for an 11-yard safety, pushing the lead to 9-0.
Samford answered with a big play of its own, trimming the margin to 9-7 on an 86-yard touchdown pass from Gabbari Johnson to Marquise Henderson with 4:19 left in the second quarter. But the Lions closed the half with a methodical 13-play, 88-yard march, finished off by Roderick Taylor’s 3-yard touchdown run with 21 seconds remaining to make it 16-7 at the break.
The Bulldogs got back within one score on Ty Ippolito’s 26-yard field goal with 14:53 left, but North Alabama answered again. Ty Watkins capped a 10-play, 91-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run at 6:38, and that was enough to put the game away.
North Alabama controlled the game on both sides of the ball, finishing with a 394-237 edge in total offense. Samford managed minus-8 yards rushing. In his first game as defensive coordinator, Clint Bowen’s unit piled up 13 tackles for loss and six sacks, producing 44 lost yards.
“Our defense won the game for us,” Dearmon said. “I've bragged about our front seven and they showed up today. I bet Coach Bowen is going to be stingy and say they should even have more [lost yardage] but, man, our front seven dominated this game.”
The Lions now turn their attention to Arkansas, with kickoff set for next Saturday at 3:15 p.m.
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