Crunch time arrives for No. 2 Lions

As the North Alabama players celebrated Thursday night's 52-7 victory over North Greenville, assistant coach Sean Cannon delivered a message to the Lions' locker room.

"The preseason is over," Cannon said.

As has been the case in each of the past few years, UNA's season will be determined by what happens in an upcoming two-game span. The first of those games is Thursday night at No. 7 Delta State (5-1, 4-0 GSC). Kickoff is 7 p.m., and the game will be televised by Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (CSS).

While the Lions (7-0, 5-0) were tested in a 20-13 victory over Carson-Newman in their second game, they have won all of their other six games by at least 25 points. No. 2 UNA is averaging 46.3 points per game and giving up just 11.1 points per game.

"These next two games are the fun games," UNA offensive tackle Michael Hathorn said. "Playing against Delta State is always a challenge. We enjoy playing the non-conference games and the ones against the weaker conference teams, but these next two games are the ones that we really look forward to playing in."

Despite the anticipation of playing against Delta State, the Lions say they did not start thinking about the Statesmen until after the North Greenville game was over.

"We've done a good job this season of taking each game one at a time," wide receiver Jusmon Rivers said. "Whatever team is next on our schedule is the one that we've focused on. But it didn't take long after the game ended for us to start thinking about Delta State."

Unlike last season, this year's meeting between the two rivals is considered a conference game. UNA and Delta State are tied for first place in the Gulf South Conference standings, so Thursday's winner will be alone in first place.

After opening the season with a loss to NCAA Football Championship Subdivision member McNeese State, Delta State has reeled off five straight wins. The Statesmen are coming off a 21-14 victory over West Alabama on Saturday.

Coach Mark Hudspeth is pleased with what his team has accomplished in the first seven games. He also understands that a different type of challenge awaits the Lions.

"It's safe to say that these next two games are games that you circle on the schedule before the season begins," Hudspeth said. "We're still not where we want to be yet, but I do feel like we are entering this game with a lot of momentum. We've played well for seven weeks, and we've got here healthy. This will be another huge challenge on the road, and it will be a game with a great atmosphere."

UNA and Delta State have played each other twice in each of the last two seasons. The Lions have won both regular season games, while the teams have split two playoff games.

Defensive tackle Montrell Craft said the key for the Lions is to keep playing like they have for the first seven weeks.

"We need to continue to do what we do," Craft said. "These are the championship weeks, and Delta State is next in line. We know it will be a dogfight."

Jeff McIntyre can be reached at 740-5737 or jeff.mcintyre@timesdaily.com.