EKU is coming off their first win of the season, and it was a dandy. Patrick Nations hit the game-winning field goal as time expired sealing the victory. North Alabama comes into the week 2-3 on the season, already improving on last year’s 1-10 year. North Alabama played EKU tough last year when the Colonels won 56-53 in a shootout. The Colonels hope to contain the Lions better this year. Here is the EKU at North Alabama Preview.
North Alabama Offense
The Lions lost their most impactful offensive player to the transfer portal, but Sophomore QB Noah Walters has led the offense this year. Walters has over 1,000 yards passing, 7 TDs, and 4 Interceptions. Takairee Kenebrew is the leading receiver with 18 catches, 291 yards, and 4 TDs. The 2023 Lions are a passing offense compared to the 2022 Lions who ran the ball a lot.
EKU Offense
Last week the Colonels had a solid balance on offense. Parker McKinney threw the ball to nine different Colonels for 260 yards, and 3 TDs. Braedon Sloan broke free for 122 yards and 2 TDs. The Offensive Line has kept McKinney fairly clean this year, if they can continue to create space for the run game, we could see another balanced performance this week.
North Alabama Defense
The Lion’s defense has only been able to contain Tennessee Tech and Mercer this season. They have recorded 5 sacks, 6 interceptions, and 4 forced fumbles. In their loss last week to UT Martin they gave up 308 rushing yards and 4 rushing TDs.
EKU Defense
The Colonels dominated the line of scrimmage and put consistent pressure on the QB last week. Two players recorded multiple sacks, Ryan Jackson 2.5 and Frank Lee 2. The Jeremiah Bailey strip-sack with 30 seconds left set up the game-winning field goal. The run defense has been solid, and the pass rush has been improved, but the pass coverage has much room for improvement.
Vince’s Prediction
The offense may have found its footing, and the North Alabama Defense is suspect. The problem is that the strength of the Lion’s offense lines up against the weakness of the EKU defense. I do not think North Alabama can drop 53 on EKU again, but I do think they could cause problems early. When it is all said and done I think EKU gets their first comfortable win of the year. Give me an EKU win with the final score being 43-27.
Vince talks EKU football every Monday with EKU DT Ryan Jackson on the Sports Stove. Follow Vince on Twitter for more EKU coverage. All pictures used in this article were taken by members of the EKU staff.
