The University of North Alabama was founded in 1830. That's 196 years. Older than the Civil War. Older than the state of Texas being a state. On Saturday night, the Lions will host a home football game on their own campus for the first time in the history of the school. Since 1949, every home game they've ever played has been at Braly Municipal Stadium, a city-owned field a few miles off campus. Students got in a car or on a bus. Nobody walked out of a dorm and into a game. Their head coach Brent Dearmon put it about as plainly as it can be put. "For years, this program was a road warrior. Even at home." That ends at 6 p.m. Saturday. Bobby Wallace Field at Bank Independent Stadium sits in the heart of campus in Florence, Alabama. Over 10,000 seats. Chairbacks. A 360-degree concourse. A players' tunnel. A video board comparable to what South Alabama has. Students and the band get their own sections. The field is named for Bobby Wallace, who coached the Lions to three consecutive national championships in the mid 1990s. Alcorn State comes in from Lorman, Mississippi, 338 miles away. The two schools have never played each other in football. North Alabama only moved up to Division I in 2018. This season is the first time they've ever had six home games as a D1 program, and it's the first year every one of them is on campus. The athletic director, Josh Looney, has been selling it the same way since construction started. "A state-of-the-art, on-campus stadium will elevate our gameday experience, and we look forward to creating unforgettable memories for the Shoals community." Dearmon said something simpler about what it means to his players. Being able to play in the heart of campus for the first time in school history allows them not just to win, but to defend their home. A hundred and ninety six years is a long time to wait for a home game.