UWF Football: Argos return to Delta State again. This time, it's for the first round of the playoffs.
Hello, old friend.
The University of West Florida football team travels to Delta State on Saturday for the first round of the NCAA Division II football playoffs. The game is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. in Cleveland, Mississippi, at Parker Field at McCool Stadium.
It’ll be the ninth meeting all-time between the Argos and Statesmen, making it the most-faced opponent for UWF’s young football team. UWF has won the last two contests, including last year’s second-round playoff game at Delta State, which was a 38-27 victory.
The last three of the last four matchups have been decided by one possession, notably the 45-42 double-overtime loss at home on Sept. 24, 2022.
“It’s hot because a lot of people outside (the conference) talk about it. We’ve played them a bunch in the last three or four years,” UWF head coach Kaleb Nobles said of the rivalry between UWF and Delta State. “We’re not worried about playing somebody multiple times or if it’s a rivalry. It’s a big game because we’re in it. It’s a big game because it’s a (Gulf South Conference) opponent.
And it’s the most important game because it’s the next one on our schedule.”
This is the fourth year in a row – minus 2020 when it was a canceled season due to COVID-19 – that the Argos have made the postseason. And it’s the fifth time in seven years since the program began.
While some might complain that there’s a first-round matchup between conference foes, it’s not the only one in the playoffs. Ferris State and Grand Valley State are scheduled to battle on Saturday in Super Region 3.
For the Argos, Delta State is ranked second in Super Region 2, while UWF is unranked so that the NCAA can avoid flying teams. If the two opponents are more than 600 miles apart, the NCAA will fly the visiting team. But if it’s 599 miles or less, the team must bus.
UWF and Delta State are roughly 365 miles apart.
“I know a lot of people were talking about a rematch and they hate that rematches are happening in the first round, but we could not care less. We’re just excited to be in, and we’re excited to play at a high level,” Nobles said. “You know you’re going to have to play really good teams no matter what conference they’re from. It doesn’t annoy me at all because, at the end of the day, we have to play at our best no matter who’s lined up across from us.”
Revisiting UWF’s win against Chowan University
Similar to Delta State, the Argos were able to close out their regular season in dominating fashion: a 52-6 win against Chowan University last week. Minus one drive where the UWF defense faltered a bit in the first quarter, the Argos were in full control of that game.
UWF’s wide receiver room showed up and out with Caden Leggett leading all receivers with 127 yards on three receptions – all of which resulted in touchdowns. But, eyes also shifted to John Jiles, who had 82 yards on seven receptions. He broke the single-season receiving yards record for UWF on Saturday.
Jakobe Quillen (16 yards), Jackson Blalock (14 yards) and Zac Offord (2 yards) also had one reception each during the night.
“They both have been performing at a high level all year – and the whole room’s been performing at a high level. (Jiles and Leggett) know we do a lot of things that move the offense toward them because they’re very talented and great players,” Nobles said. “Obviously we’ve had some really great players come through that have done some really good work. Our guys know there’s a high standard that’s been set here. … Those (current) guys know that the bar will not drop.”
Chowan was limited to just 240 yards of total offense, 75 of which came on the lone scoring drive for the Hawks. They also had a 70-yard drive in the third quarter, but turned the ball over on downs at the UWF 10-yard line.
Rashad McKee was sacked five times – three-and-a-half came from defensive lineman John McMullen – and he threw one interception, a 62-yard return from Amari Mitchell.
“Our guys came out and performed at a high level. … We’re excited that we earned a chance to get into the playoffs,” Nobles said. “We knew we had to go win – we had no chance to get in (the playoffs) if we didn’t win.”
Around the Gulf South Conference
All-team nods and individual awards were announced by the GSC on Thursday.
Twelve Argos were selected as either first-team or second-team honorees in the conference. Named to the first-team offense were Jiles, Leggett, and offensive lineman Nymonta Doucoure and Jacob Bruce. Doucoure played guard and Bruce was stationed at tackle.
On the first-team defense were McMullen, linebacker Gael Laurent and defensive back Quincy Milhomme.
The second-team offense was highlighted by running back C.J. Wilson – designated as an all-purpose back – and offensive lineman Colton Beesley, who was one of the guards.
On the second-team defense were defensive linemen Byron Puryear and Jacob Dorn, and linebacker Walker Robinson.
McMullen picked up Defensive Player of the Year honors with a league-leading 12.5 sacks for a total loss of 80 yards. He’s the first UWF recipient of the Defensive Player of the Year award. On the season, McMullen recorded 44 tackles, 21 for a loss of 108 yards and three forced fumbles.
Ralph Ortiz, who wasn’t named to either team, earned Defensive Freshman of the Year status. He was named GSC Freshman of the Week three times this season, finishing the year with 35 tackles and one sack. Ortiz also recorded three interceptions, including a pick-6 at North Greenville University. Ortiz is the first player from UWF to win the award since Trent Archie in 2016.
Other individual awards went to Delta State's Patrick Shegog (Offensive Player of the Year), West Georgia’s Cameran Brown (Offensive Freshman of the Year) and Delta State’s Todd Cooley (Coach of the Year).
Now that the regular season is completed, here are the final standings from the GSC.
Valdosta State (10-1, 7-1 GSC) – co-conference champion
Delta State (9-1, 7-1 GSC) – co-conference champion
West Florida (8-3, 6-2 GSC)
West Georgia (6-4, 5-3 GSC)
North Greensville (5-5, 4-4 GSC)
West Alabama (5-5, 4-4 GSC)
Mississippi College (3-7, 2-6 GSC)
Shorter University (3-8, 1-7 GSC)
Chowan University (0-10, 0-8 GSC)
This is the final year with Shorter University in the GSC, as the Hawks will join Conference Carolinas for the 2024-25 academic year, but will be independent as a football program since the new conference won’t sponsor the sport until the 2025 season.
West Georgia also announced earlier this year that it will make the jump to Division I and join the Atlantic Sun Conference, which also has a couple former GSC rivals – including the University of North Alabama and the University of Central Arkansas.
What’s Delta State been up to?
UWF came away with a comeback 24-21 victory at Delta State during the regular season on Oct. 21. During that game, the Argos trailed by 11 points at halftime and had allowed more than 200 yards of offense.
Then UWF’s defense came alive after Robinson sacked Shegog on a fourth-and-2 play. On the ensuing drive, the Argos scored to trim Delta State’s lead to just four points.
UWF scored again a few drives later, all the while holding onto the ball for 11 minutes, 32 seconds of the whole fourth quarter.
“Just looking back at it, watching the film, we saw the belief in our guys’ eyes, and playing at a high level. … Seeing it put on film, I remember watching them in the locker room at halftime and thinking, ‘OK, we’re going to be all right,’” Nobles said. “We know we didn’t play our best in the first half. Now it shows up in the win column – and now we’ve got to go try and do it again.”
But there’s one thing Delta State hasn’t done since the then-No. 5 team fell to the then-No. 18 team in the country in Week 8.
Lost.
Delta State claimed the co-conference championship with back-to-back wins after the loss to UWF, with victories at the University of West Georgia and against Mississippi College. The Statesmen finished the regular season with a 9-1 (7-1 GSC) record, including wins against the University of West Alabama and Valdosta State – both teams that the Argos fell to in the regular season.
In Delta State’s Week 11 game against Mississippi College, the Statesmen routed the Choctaws, 41-3. Shegog threw for 220 yards (22-for-33) and two touchdowns, while Kelvin Smith ran for 119 yards.
Smith, Christian Malloy (82 yards) and Shegog (69 yards) all scored on the ground.
The Delta State defense limited Mississippi College to just 39 yards passing and 180 yards rushing. Ben Pledger kicked a 20-yard field for the Choctaws right before halftime to erase the shutout.
It’s safe to say that Shegog hasn’t missed a beat, either, since the UWF game. He finished the season with 2,194 yards passing and 25 touchdowns, complimented by Smith’s 760 yards rushing and nine touchdowns on the ground.
“I’ve seen (Shegog) basically all six years of his career, and he’s got a great arm and he throws the ball very well,” Nobles said previously of the Delta State quarterback. “It’s not as simple as that. You’ve got to create pressure, get him moving in the pocket – but be able to hem him up and not let him scramble.”
Ben Grieco is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached on X (@BenGriecoSports) and via email at BGrieco@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: UWF football travels to Delta State for first round of NCAA playoffs
