PENSACOLA, Fla. – The UWF football team used a strong defensive effort in the second half to help erase a halftime deficit in a 28-14 win over Mississippi College at Blue Wahoos Stadium Friday.
 
UWF (4-1, 2-1 Gulf South) tied the school-record with three interceptions, including Marvin Conley's game-clinching 98-yard return for a touchdown with 2:38 to play.
 
Sophomore Grey Jackson made his first career start and finished 10-for-21 with 101 yards. He also scored on a 6-yard run late in the third quarter that put UWF ahead for good at 21-14.
 
Sophomore Chris Schwarz rushed for a career-high for the second-consecutive week, finishing with 83 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown.
 
Mississippi College (0-6, 0-4) outgained the Argos 322-244, but were held to just 51 yards in the third quarter, compared to 99 for the home team. The Choctaws had 210 yards on the ground and 112 through the air.
 
UWF got on the board first midway through the first quarter when Anthony Johnson capped an 8-play, 63-yard drive with a strong run from seven yards. The freshman appeared to be bottled up over right guard before bouncing off the scrum and scooting up the field for his first career touchdown.
 
The Choctaws answered on the ensuing drive as tailback Tiberias Lampkin carried the ball four times for 17 yards, including a 2-yard run inside the left pylon to knot the score at 7-7.
 
MC grabbed a 14-7 lead after taking advantage of a botched UWF punt snap that gave the Choctaws the ball at the Argonauts' 26. Six plays later – which included a first down by penalty on third down – saw backup quarterback Aaron Feazelle connect with Nathan Faciane from seven yards out for the touchdown.
 
That's the way things stood through half time as UWF was unable to get much going offensively in the second period.
 
But the Argos got a big play early in the third when sophomore linebacker Andre Duncombe intercepted his second ball in as many weeks, returning this one 14 yards to the 17. UWF tied it when Schwarz went untouched from five yards out 1:45 into the third.
 
UWF re-took the lead on Jackson's run in the third and iced it on Conley's pick-six – the longest play in program history and the second-longest interception return in Division II this season.
 
Senior linebacker Reggie Barnes led all players with 14 tackles, while also wrestling a ball away from Faciane in UWF territory for an interception in the fourth quarter.
 
UWF will return to action next Saturday, Oct. 14, when it plays host to No. 9 Delta State. Kickoff for the Homecoming contest at Blue Wahoos Stadium is set for 4:00 p.m.