UWF Argos Beat Statesmen 38-27 In NCAA Second Round

November 27, 2022

The UWF football team continues to cause Delta State fits at McCool Stadium.

Last year it was a 20-point halftime deficit for a come-from-behind win. And on Saturday, the Argos erased a 14-point hole in the fourth quarter with 28 points and the game-winning score with 30 seconds left for a 38-27 win in the Second Round of the 2022 NCAA Division II Football Championship.

Third-seeded UWF (11-1) rushed for 336 yards in the game, including 55 on the final drive that saw the Argonauts go 75 yards on 10 plays in 3:40 following a DSU field goal. C.J. Wilson found the end zone from a yard out to complete the comeback.

“I thought our offensive line really started to wear on their defense in the fourth quarter,” said UWF coach Pete Shinnick. “When you can throw three running backs the way we do… Shomari can tell you, he’s fresh and a 1,000-yard rusher averaging eight yards a carry.”

Shomari Mason went over 1,000 yards for the second-consecutive season with 120 yards on 16 carries and a score. Wilson had 85 yards on 11 rushes and Ra’veion Hargrove churned out 83 yards with nine runs for a 9.2 yards per carry average. All three backs had at least one run of 21 yards or longer against the Statesmen. In the first meeting with DSU on September 24, UWF controlled the ground attack to the tune of 386 yards.

The win sends UWF into the Super Region 2 finals next Saturday against Wingate (11-2). The unseeded Bulldogs will travel to Pensacola for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Pen Air Field after they upset No. 1 seed Benedict, 23-6, for their second-straight playoff road victory.

UWF grabbed a 3-0 lead 2:57 into the game when Griffin Cerra made a 25-yard field goal after the Argos forced a Patrick Shegog fumble on the second play of the game.

The Statesmen fought back and took a 10-3 lead with a Shegog touchdown from a yard out and a Nick Herber 25-yard field goal.

After the teams traded punts, UWF tied it at 10-10 when Jarrett found David Durden in the end zone from 52 yards out.

Midway through the second quarter, the Statesmen got a 76-yard run by Alfonso Franklin to setup another Shegog 1-yard score that eventually sent the teams into the locker room with Delta leading 17-10.

Following a missed field goal on UWF’s opening possession of the second half, the Statesmen went ahead 24-10 on Shegog’s third touchdown.

The Argos started their comeback on the next possession, finishing off a 75-yard drive when Jarrett connected with a wide open Jakobe Quillen from 35 yards. After forcing Delta to punt on the next drive, UWF tied it up at 24-24 when Hargrove, Jarrett and Mason each carried the ball twice en route to a Mason touchdown from the three.

The Statesmen kicked a go-ahead field goal with 4:10 to play following a UWF goal-line stand on 1st and goal at the four.

The gave Jarrett plenty of time to engineer his second fourth quarter game-tying or go-ahead drive in the last four games.

He finished with 161 passing yards with two touchdowns while rushing for 48 on 12 carries.

The Argos put the Okra in the pot on the first play of their next possession when Anthony Johnson, Jr. picked off Shegog and returned it 39 yards to the end zone. Johnson was the one who stayed at home on the third down play and forced Shegog to throw it away on the previous possession.

DSU (11-2) had 469 total yards on 315 rushing, with 131 coming on Franklin’s long run and a 55-yard fake punt in the first quarter. It was the second loss in the final 30 seconds for the Statesmen, who also allowed West Georgia to score 28 points in the final quarter of a 52-42 loss three weeks ago.

Photo: Morgan Givens/UWF

Comments

One Response to “UWF Argos Beat Statesmen 38-27 In NCAA Second Round”

  1. NPC on November 27th, 2022 10:30 pm

    Congratulations to the team and staff. What a wonderful addition to our area and for them to be playing at their own stadium for home games is marvelous.

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