PENSACOLA, Fla. – The UWF defense held Florida Tech to three field goals and a pair of touchdowns, but the Argo offense just couldn't get going in a 30-28 Coastal Classic loss at Blue Wahoos Stadium Saturday night.
In a game delayed 1 hour, 35 minutes due to lightning, 19th-ranked UWF (5-3, 3-2 Gulf South) raced out to a 21-3 lead on the strength of touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams. But FIT (6-2, 3-2) manage to record it's first win in the 3-year series between the only Division 2 football teams in the state of Florida, scoring 27-unanswered for the win.
The Argonauts cut the margin to 30-28 in the final two minutes and recovered an on-side kick before their fifth turnover of the game allowed the Panthers to secure the win.
UWF finished with 242 yards of total offense on just 48 plays. Quarterback
Sam Vaughn threw for 174 yards on 11-for-28 with two touchdowns.
Ishmel Morrow led the receivers with two catches for 87 yards.
Alden McClellon had 12 tackles with one for loss to lead the UWF defense.
Gavin Burford also had a big game, finishing with 11 stops. The defense sacked Trent Chmelik four times and had two hurries and an interception returned for a score.
UWF got out to the quick lead following a punt on its first possession.
David Richardson stepped in front of a Chmelik 3rd-down pass for a 17-yard interception return.
The Panthers regrouped on their next possession, driving 83 yards to the UWF two where Trey Schaneville made a 20-yard field goal.
UWF answered right back to grab a 14-3 lead when Vaughn went over the top to Morrow for 72 yards. The play was the longest this season and the third-longest pass play in program history.
The Argonauts extended their lead to 21-3 when
Antoine Griffin made program history with the first punt return for a touchdown, scampering 61 yards for the score.
The Panthers got a defensive score of their own late in the second quarter when Richard Levelle stripped Vaughn on a pass play and scooped it up at the five and ran in for the touchdown, trimming the UWF lead to 21-10.
After a pair of punts to open the third quarter, FIT needed just six plays to cover 66 yards when Romell Guerrier caught a pass from 10 yards for the touchdown.
FIT closed to within a point at 21-20 when Schaneville kicked a low, floater just over the cross bar from 33 yards with 4:19 to play in the third. They took the lead for good seven minutes later on a 32-yard field goal.
Fit made it a two-possession game on a 79-yard Chmelik to Guerrier passing touchdown with 5:39 to play.
The Argos got to within two on a Vaughn-to-
Kevin Grant score that capped a 70-yard drive with no timeouts in 94 seconds. But the comeback ended in heartbreak when Vaughn was stripped on the first play after
Tate Lehtio recovered the on-side kick and FIT got possession.
FIT ran 87 plays and accumulated 452 yards. Antwuan Haynes led the team with 118 rushing yards and caught three passes for 31 yards. Guerrier had 116 receiving yards on six catches.
The Panthers held the ball for 41:46 compared to just 18:14 for the Argos.
UWF hits the road next week, traveling to Tigerville, S.C. to face North Greenville (4-3, 3-2) on Saturday, Oct. 27. Kickoff at Younts Stadium is set for 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time and the game will be available on the UWF Sports Network, ESPN Pensacola 94.5 FM.
