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UNA takes on national spotlight during FCS Kickoff in Montgomery
North Alabama traveled south but got to stay in its home state for the 2024 season opener as the Lions took on Southeast Missouri State in Montgomery.
UNA had the lead at halftime but struggled to score in the second half, finishing with four total turnovers which help the Redhawks pull away with a 37-15 victory.
Still, the game served as an opportunity for the Lions to play in the national spotlight as the first primetime game of the year on ESPN. Keep reading to find out everything you may have missed from Saturday’s FCS Kickoff game.
Eyes of the football world on Montgomery
A SEMO flag flies over an RV outside the Cramton Bowl. (Caleb Turrentine / The Bama Buzz) 
Cramton Bowl under the lights. (Caleb Turrentine / The Bama Buzz) 
UNA fans packed the visitor sideline despite being closer to home. (Caleb Turrentine / The Bama Buzz) 
North Alabama’s band took the field before the game. (Caleb Turrentine / The Bama Buzz)
Football fans from all over came to Montgomery on the opening day of the 2024 college football season. RVs and tailgaters were set up in the parking lots surrounding the Cramton Bowl, counting down the minutes until kickoff.
Southeast Missouri had a good showing from its fanbase but it was more than just fans of the two teams playing in the game. There were plenty of neutral fans in attendance including ones that traveled to the capital from North Dakota!
One fan from Virginia said he made the trip to Montgomery to knock Cramton Bowl off his list of stadiums, which is now up 74 different college football venues.
The official attendance was 4,358 but there were certainly more eyes on Saturday’s game. The game was televised on ESPN, wrapping up the network’s first full Saturday with football this fall.
$2M improvements at Cramton Bowl
A new videoboard + LED lights along with upgrades to the stadium’s sound system debuted during Saturday’s game. The city said more than $2 million were invested in the project.
“We have enhanced our gameday experience. We’ve upgraded our video board this year with a new LED board that went up in June that we’re ready to use this weekend. It’s a great modernization of our Cramton Bowl experience for our fans and spectators in Montgomery.”
~ Brandon Dean, City of Montgomery Director of Parks and Recreation
The new video board display is 21.5 feet high and 38.5 feet wide, featuring a 15HD pixel layout to deliver excellent image clarity with wide-angle visibility. It also features environmental protection to ensure it operates as expected in any kind of weather.
Surrounding the video display, new fixed-digit scoreboards were installed to ensure fans can stay up to date with the action on the field. This includes game information like:
- Score
- Time and quarter
- Down and distance
- Timeouts remaining
To provide a similar experience as other major stadiums, the new LED lights will produce a light show when a team scores.
Tuskegee will take the field at Cramton Bowl next week in the Red Tails Classic.
Looking ahead for the Lions
UNA will take on one of its toughest tests of the season next week as the Lions head to Memphis to face its lone FBS opponent of the year.
That trip will be followed by the first home game at Braly Stadium. Tickets are still available.
Check out North Alabama’s full schedule:
- Aug. 31: at Memphis, 6PM
- Sept. 7: Illinois State, 6PM
- Sept. 14: at UT Martin, 6PM
- Sept. 21: Tarleton State, 6PM
- Sept. 28: at West Georgia, 1PM
- Oct. 5: Utah Tech, 4PM
- Oct. 12: Abilene Christian, 6PM
- Oct. 26: at Central Arkansas, 4PM
- Nov. 2: Austin Peay, 4PM
- Nov. 9: at Southern Utah, 2PM
- Nov. 23: at Eastern Kentucky, 1PM
Did you watch North Alabama play in the FCS Kickoff game? Let us know by tagging The Bama Buzz on Instagram, X, Facebook + LinkedIn.
