No. 7 UWF Silences Kentucky Wesleyan, 35-3, In Game One Of Kaleb Nobles Era

September 2, 2023

In a year defined by newness, seventh-ranked UWF played like the best version of its old self in a 35-3 blowout win over Kentucky Wesleyan in the season opener for both squads Friday night.

West Florida (1-0) dominated in every phase of the game, racking up 403 yards of total offense while holding the Panthers (0-1) to just 168. The Argos out-rushed the run-heavy Panthers 142 yards to 128 and out-passed them 261 to 40.

“Super excited about how our team played,” first-year head coach Kaleb Nobles said. “They did a great job of competing, chasing the football, what I’ve talked about all fall camp since I’ve been here. Just did a great job of being relentless on defense, being very efficient on offense – running the ball like I thought we should.”

The Argos were a model of methodical success on offense, getting off 66 plays from scrimmage despite the best efforts of Kentucky Wesleyan to burn clock with a deliberate, run-based offense.

Senior quarterback Peewee Jarrett completed 19-of-22 passes for 230 yards and a touchdown and rushed for a pair of first-half scores.

Jarrett, who wowed Pen Air Field crowds with his immense arm in 2022, was a bit more judicious with the deep ball Friday night, partially due to a Panther secondary that erred on the side of preventing big plays.

He still completed his share of deeper throws, including a 51-yarder, but was more willing to take what the Kentucky Wesleyan defense gave him. The end result was an efficiency that served as an early indicator that Jarrett is on his way to achieving one of his and Nobles’ primary goals for 2023.

“Coach Nobles came to me right away and one of the first conversations we had he said I probably left 600 to a thousand yards on the field last year,” Jarrett said. “Plays I could have made getting the ball out quicker, so that was something. If the defense is going to give it, we’re just going to take it.”

Jarrett added, “They were playing really off, didn’t want us to beat them over the top, and we just took everything underneath.”

The West Florida defense proved as dominant as its offensive counterpart, limiting the Panthers to just 10 first downs, forcing four fumbles, and sacking Kentucky Wesleyan quarterback Christian Arrambide twice.

Defensive back Virgil Lemons, a newcomer making his first appearance for UWF after transferring in from UNC-Pembroke, hauled in a key early interception that set up the Argos’ first score.

But it was junior linebacker and UWF mainstay Will Breland who paced the UWF defense, registering seven tackles.

Byron Puryer and John McMullen, both transfers making their Argo debuts, added four tackles and a sack apiece.

“We were all very eager about getting this first game,” Breland said. “We have a lot of athletes, a lot of great players, but we haven’t played together yet. So, it was really good to get that first game under our belt playing together, rushing to the ball. Made some mistakes, but … did a lot of great things. We’re going to clean up on it and come back even better next week.”

It was a big night for Nobles, too, as he made his head coaching debut before a sellout crowd of 4,068 at Pen Air Field.

“I’m just very blessed to be here,” Nobles said. “Very excited to be here. But, really, it’s because of the players. I’m super excited to be here because of guys like Peewee, guys like Will Breland. Everybody downstairs in that locker room. So excited to be the leader of them … I told them yesterday that I am so proud to be their head coach. And I tell them all the time that I love them, because I want them to know that I care about them more than just what they are doing on the field. This is a great opportunity and great university to have the chance to be the head coach.”

The game was all but decided by half as the Argos scored twice in the first quarter and once in the third and took a 21-3 lead into the break.

C.J. Wilson, whose 540-yard, 12-touchdown 2022 made him the most experienced returning tailback for West Florida, carried the ball nine times for 39 yards and a touchdown.

In the receiving corps, John Jiles, a senior transfer from Virginia Union, caught six passes for 75 yards and a touchdown while Caden Leggett (4-34), Zac Offord (3-48), and KJ Franklin (3-47) gave the Panther secondary fits all game.

Next up for the Argos will be a Sept. 9 visit to McKendree in Lebanon, Illinois.

Photo Emily Miller/UWF for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News, Sports, TOP sports