10 CHAMPIONS WAY (September 26, 2026) – Bobby Wallace Field at Bank Independent Stadium had its first dramatic finish on Saturday.
In a game that will be talked about for ages, the University of North Alabama football team completed a last-minute comeback to defeat Western Illinois by a 23-20 final in Florence. The Lions close non-conference play with a 3-2 record — the best five-game start for UNA since 2018.
It took all 60 minutes to decide a winner. The real fun took place with 1:53 remaining, as Western Illinois (2-3) extended a 20-16 lead with a 37-yard field goal. The Lions had all three timeouts and drove the length of the field in a matter of one minutes and two seconds, scoring with 51 seconds remaining on a quarterback sneak by redshirt junior captain Destin Wade to take a 23-20 lead.
Western Illinois nearly broke the hearts of Lion fans in the final minute, storming down the field and using a 26-yard pass from Kennedy McGill to Ihson E. Jackson-Anderson to get on the one-yard line with 12 seconds to go. Redshirt sophomore Kamore Harris made a game-saving tackle to prevent the touchdown. This prompted WIU to use its final timeout.
As both teams returned to the field, WIU seemed to have the momentum, but the Lions did not back down. A bad snap allowed UNA’s defense to come up with the final stop, as senior captain Joshua White led a swarm of Lions to the quarterback for a five-yard sack. Sophomore Tae Martin and redshirt senior Mond Cole were two of the others that met White at the QB.
With no timeout, WIU was unable to get back on the ball in time to spike, sending the Lions’ sideline into a frenzy.
It was not an easy game for either team, as both defenses held the opponent to under 100 rushing yards. Despite being outgained 354-247, the UNA offense came up with a major drive when it needed it most.
It started with a five-yard run by Wade at his own 25-yard line, followed by a 25-yard pass to leading FCS receiver Xavier Johnson to ignite the crowd. Redshirt sophomore Snap Reed caught the next two — 18 and 16 yard receptions — muscle-running his way to the red zone. A face mask on that second catch allowed Wade to get near the goal line and follow his offensive line into pay dirt. Behind Wade was defensive linemen Donovan Nevils and Kamore Harris to help push him in. This came moments before Harris made a heroic tackle on the last drive.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Western Illinois started on its own two-yard line on the kickoff after the returner slipped on the turf, but the Leathernecks drove 98 yards to take the opening lead. A 62-yard pass on the second play helped get WIU away from the goal line, then a nine-yard pass to David Hargro made it 7-0 with 11:15 left in the opening frame.
UNA answered with 1:20 left in the quarter on a blocked punt by LaFenis Mays Jr. From their own two-yard line, the Leathernecks fumbled the snap and Mays made the block and recovered in the end zone for six. The Lions failed on a two-point conversion to trail 7-6.
The Lions flipped the lead late in the second quarter, going up 13-7 on a two-yard rush by Wade and a PAT from senior kicker Ian Vachon. Coming out of the break, UNA took its largest lead with a Vachon field goal from 46-yards out — currently the longest field goal in Bank Independent Stadium history. This came with 6:54 to go.
Western Illinois scored the next 13 points in the third and fourth quarter, using another Hargro touchdown and two field goals by Ronan Culkin to make it 20-16 with 1:53 remaining, setting the table for the dramatic finish.
THE NUMBERS
Johnson continued his stellar start to the season, catching six passes for 121 yards. He has won United Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week three of the first four weeks and has had over 80 yards in every game this season. He entered Saturday leading the nation with 472 receiving yards and now has 593 yards over five games.
Wade went 15-for-27 for 219 yards while adding two rushing touchdowns. When taking out negative plays, he gained 39 yards on the ground.
Defensively, redshirt junior Avery Howard was undeniable with six tackles, including three sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. He also recorded five quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and two pass breakups. He is now the UAC leader in sacks.
Sophomore Cayden Adkins led with seven tackles, followed by Howard, Leo Glover, Fred Vili and Kanijal Thomas with six. Glover had five solo tackles. Redshirt sophomore Anthony Young also added four tackles and two pass breakups in coverage. Harris had three tackles for loss and a hurry.
On a social media note, UNA improved to 2-0 in the Hack City Pod “Grimace Standings” that keeps up with any purple vs. purple match-ups in FCS. UNA was third in the rankings, while Western Illinois was 10th. UNA and Stephen F. Austin are the only purple teams that are 2-0 against other purple teams.
Tonight was also a “Scorigami” as UNA finished with a 23-20 score for the first time in school history, dating back to the start of the modern era in 1949.
Tonight’s attendance was 9,872 for the second game in Bobby Wallace Field at Bank Independent Stadium history.
COMING UP NEXT
UNA will open United Athletic Conference play next Saturday at EKU at 5 p.m. CT in Richmond, Ky.
