North Alabama falls in road matchup against Arkansas

SportsArkansas wide receiver Ismael Cisse (4) dives over North Alabama defensive back Kanijal Thomas (4) to score a touchdown during an NCAA college football game in Fayetteville, Ark., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)AP Photo/Michael WoodsBy Thomas Ashworth | tashworth@al.comNorth Alabama was dealt its first loss of the season with a 31-14 loss on the road against Arkansas on Friday at Razorback Stadium.The matchup in Fayetteville, Ark., marked the first SEC matchup for North Alabama since 1959, when the Lions played Vanderbilt.UNA trailed 21-0 after a touchdown pass from Montgomery native KJ Jackson with 6:49 left in the third quarter.RELATED: How much will North Alabama be paid for football matchup with Arkansas?Destin Wade provided the first score of the day for North Alabama on a 6-yard touchdown run with 2:10 left in the third quarter.The quarterback also scored on a run from 4 yards out with 10:24 left to play to make it a 28-14 game before Arkansas kicker Max Gilbert hit a 33-yard field goal with 2:59 left to play.Wade finished 12-for-23 passing with 113 yards in the loss along with his two touchdown runs. Xavier Johnson led North Alabama with six catches for 82 yards, including a team-high 59-yard reception in the fourth quarter.Jalen Fletcher ran the ball four times for a team-high 24 rushing yards.Safety Leo Glover led the defense with 10 tackles, and Avery Howard had 2.5 tackles for loss with 1.5 sacks. Defensive back Trevion Butler had an interception with 25 seconds left in the first half.Arkansas’ Jackson, a graduate of Saint James School in Montgomery, finished the game 24-for-35 passing with 267 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He also ran the ball 10 times for 27 yards.North Alabama (1-1) will travel to Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday. Kickoff in Hammond, La., is set for 6 p.m., and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.Thomas is a sports reporter for AL.com. In 2025, he was named Alabama Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. His work has also earned awards from the Alabama Sports Writers...