UWF Football Notes: Argos stay put in AFCA poll; Jacob Dorn earns GSC weekly award
It was another week where the American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches Poll saw some shakeup at the top.
And this time, the University of West Florida lent a helping hand in knocking one team down in the rankings.
The Argos stayed at No. 18 (292 points) in this week’s poll, despite a 24-21 comeback victory at Delta State. The Statesmen fell to 16th (295 points) in a tie with Bemidji State.
Delta State remains the top Gulf South Conference team in the AFCA poll. However, Valdosta State returned to the poll this week, slotting in at No. 24 (81 points) after falling out of the Top 25 a couple weeks ago.
UWF hosts Valdosta State on Saturday for another ranked matchup for the Argos this season. The Blazers are coming off a 42-14 victory against Shorter University.
The top five teams in the poll also saw some major changes. While Colorado School of Mines (724 points) and Pittsburg State (693 points) remain the top two teams in the country, the next few spots now feature new teams.
Grand Valley State continues its climb up the rankings, now sitting in third (652 points) while Harding University took fourth (635 points). Benedict College rounds out the top five with 567 points.
Minnesota State, previously No. 3, fell to 13th after falling to Augustana. Delta State was previously ranked fifth.
Dorn picks up GSC weekly award
In a game where UWF’s defense held Delta State’s offense to its lowest point total of the season, several defenders could have received recognition.
But it was Jacob Dorn who received the nod as the Gulf South Conference’s Defensive Player of the Week after eight tackles (6 solo, 2 assisted) and a broken up pass against the Statesmen. On the GSC announcement, it was noted that Dorn was credited with three quarterback hurries, but the UWF stats don’t have him credited with any.
In his first season with the Argos, the graduate student from St. Johns, Michigan, now has 28 tackles (2.5 of which were for a loss of 6 yards). He also has a fumble recovery on the season.
Other awards in the GSC included West Georgia’s Rajaez Mosley as Offensive Player of the Week, Mississippi College’s Marcus Williams as Special Teams Player of the Week, and West Georgia’s Cameran Brown for Freshman of the Week.
UWF’s John Jiles (Offensive), Logan Gregory (Special Teams) and Ralph Ortiz (Freshman) were all nominated for awards as well.
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 remains No. 18 in AFCA Poll; Jacob Dorn earns GSC honor
