• UWF hits the road for the next three weeks, beginning Saturday night at Mississippi College on the GSC Game of the Week.
• Last week's home game was the only one in a stretch of five weeks for the Argonauts. Next week they will be at Delta State and North Alabama the following week.
TOP STORYLINES
• UWF plays its first GSC road contest of the year following last week's GSC-opening win over Shorter. The Argos improved to 1-2 in confernece openers. They enter this week's game at 1-1 in GSC road openers (L at Valdosta in 2016; W at Florida Tech in 2017).
• UWF is 9-8 all-time in GSC regular-season games, with a 5-4 record at home and 4-4 on the road.
• UWF is ranked No. 10 in the AFCA poll (11 by the media of D2Football.com), putting the Argos into the rankings for the fifth-consecutive ranking period after ending the 2017 season ranked No. 2.
• Both teams have excellent punt coverage units. MC is second in the country in net punting (-2.0 ypr), while UWF is 88th (0.3 ypr) and hasn't allowed a return yard in its last nine punts.
THE COACHES
• UWF coach Pete Shinnick was hired as the first coach in program history on Feb. 6, 2014. He has a 121-57 career record in his 16th season as a head coach, which includes a 50-24 mark at UNC Pembroke from 2007-13 and 53-22 at Azusa Pacific from 1999-05. He was named the AFCA and D2Football.com National Coach of the Year last season.
• Mississippi College coach John Bland is in his fifth season at MC with a 9-33 record. He is in his 14th season as a head coach, compiling an 84-55 mark. He was 5-5 at Southern Ark. in 2000 and 70-21 in eight years at the Univ. of the Cumberlands (Williamsburg, Ky.). He led the Patriots to the 2013 NAIA title game with a 13-1 record. He also was the QB coach at Rice from 2001-05.
ABOUT UWF
UWF is 2-1 on the season and ranked No. 10 by the American Football Coaches Association. The Argonauts defeated Shorter, 51-7, last week in handing the Hawks their 31st-consecutive loss.
The Argonauts are averaging 288 passing yards and 149 rushing yards on the season.
Graduate QB Sam Vaughn has completed 61 percent of his attempts for 838 yards (279 ypg) and six TD.
The running back trio of Chris Schwarz, Quaide Weimerskirch and Anthony Johnson, Jr. have combined for 350 yards on 81 carries.
The defense ranks 46th nationally, allowing 320 yards per game and forcing six total turnovers in fthree games.
UWF returns nine starters on offense and eight on defense to begin the year. In terms of statistical production, those players have accounted for 60 percent of last year's offense and 72 percent of the defensive tackles.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE
Mississippi College is off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2010. MC had last week's GSC opener at North Greenville canceled due to Hurricane Florence.
QB Detric Hawthorn is leading the GSC with 216 rushing yards and 108.0 yards per game.
Jaylan Hassell leads the Choctaws with 13 tackles, while Dalton Frederick has a team-high 2.5 tackles for loss to go along with 10 stops. Elijah Rogers has a pair of interceptions on the year.
SERIES HISTORY
UWF leads the all-time series 2-0. The Argonauts have earned a pair of 14-point victories in each of the last two seasons.
In 2016, UWF rolled up 499 yards of total offense on its way to a 42-28 win in Clinton. The receiving trio of Antoine Griffin, Ishmel Morrow and Caleb Robinson helped quarterback Kaleb Nobles go 22-for-32 passing with 282 yards and four touchdowns. Griffin, Morrow and Robinson each posted at least 60 yards receiving, with Griffin leading the way with eight receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns. UWF scored in all six of its red zone attempts, which totaled 32 points. The Argos went 11-for-14 in third down attempts, while holding MC to an 8-for-13 success rate.
Last season in Pensacola in a game played on a Friday night to beat the landfall of Hurricane Nate, UWF erased a halftime deficit for a 28-14 victory. UWF tied the school-record with three interceptions, including Marvin Conley's game-clinching 98-yard return for a touchdown with 2:38 to play. 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. Chris Schwarz rushed for a then-career-high 83 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown. MC outgained the Argos 322-244, but were held to just 51 yards in the third quarter.
UWF WITH SUCCESS AGAINST UNDEFEATED TEAMS
Saturday's game at unbeaten Mississippi College presents the ninth UWF opponent to enter the game without a loss on the season. The Argonauts are 7-1 in those contests following their first-ever loss in the 38-17 setback at No. 10 Midwestern State two weeks ago.
VAUGHN COMING OFF CAREER HIGH GAME
Graduate QB Sam Vaughn made his first career start at Midwestern State two weeks ago in place of week-one starter Mike Beaudry, who suffered an injury against Carson-Newman.
Vaughn had a solid game, throwing for 251 yards on 19-of-37 passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Fort Pierce, Fla. native had a great game last week in the win over Shorter, throwing for a career-high 369 yards on 25-of-34 passing with three touchdowns. His 72.5 percent completion rate was the second-highest in program history, while his 193.8 passing efficiency was tos in 29 all-time games.
In week one, he came on in relief of Beaudry, completing 17-for-29 for 218 yards with a TD and an interception. It was the first time in program history that the Argos had to make an in-game switch at quarterback due to injury.
Vaughn spent the past four years as a walk-on at Georgia and did not appear in a game. Prior to last Thursday, the last time he played in a live game was as a senior at Fort Pierce (Fla.) Central HS.
RUSHING ATTACK CONTINUES TO MAKE PROGRESS
Dating back to the 2015 season when UWF fielded a team of redshirts with five scrimmages, head coach Pete Shinnick has continued to praise the improvement of the offensive line.
That improvement was again on display last week with 195 yards rushing on 41 attempts - both ranking third all-time in UWF history. The four rushing TDs tied the school record set at Ave Maria in the inaugural game on Sept. 3, 2016.
Junior RB Chris Schwarz went for 101 yards on 13 carries for the second-highest single-game performance in school history.
RUSHING YARDS PER GAME
Net Rushing Yards
Year Yards Per Game
2016 1091 99.2
2017 1734 115.6
2018 447 149.0
DEFENSE TO FACE ANOTHER RUN-ORIENTED ATTACK
For the second time in four games, the UWF defense will face a run-oriented offense in Mississippi College. The Argonauts went up against Carson-Newman's split-veer offense in week one and held their own, limiting the Eagles to nine points - their lowest in any game in five years and their fewest in a season opener since 1967.
The second-half effort was the perfect storm as the Eagles were held scoreless and managed just 67 yards of total offense in the final 30 minutes. Additionally, C-N totaled just eight yards on 10 plays in the fourth quarter and were held to one or fewer yards on seven of them.
DEFENSE HAS FORCED TURNOVERS IN 26 OF 29 GAMES
The UWF defense has forced six fumbles with five recoveries in its first three games, extending it's streak of games with at least one turnover to five games.
While that doesn't seem like a great streak, further inspection shows the Argonauts have gotten at least one turnover in 26 of their 29 games all-time UWF is 17-9 when getting a turnover and 1-2 when unable to force a sudden change.
PUNT UNIT PROVING TO BE VERY STINGY
UWF freshman punter Dawson Hamlin enters the game with a 38.2 yards per punt average over 10 kicks.
Further examination shows a dramatic increase over the last seven attempts, which have resulted in a 43.1 avg with five inside the 20-yard line and zero return yards.
UWF ON THE ROAD
UWF made its magical run through the postseason with some of the best road play in the country. The Argonauts went 8-1 last year with five-consecutive victories heading into the neutral-site National Championship Game.
The Argonauts are now 10-6 all-time away from Pensacola, 3-2 in regular-season non-conference road games and 2-1 in road openers following the loss at Midwestern State.
DIVISION II ROAD VICTORIES IN 2017
8 WEST FLORIDA, Harding
7 Texas A&M-Commerce
6 Central Wash., Findlay, Minn.-Duluth, Minnesota State, Virginia State
5 Ashland, Assumption, Bowie State, Delta State, Fort Hays, Indiana (Pa.), Shepherd, Shippensburg, Tuskegee, West Chester, Winona State.
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