• The 20th-ranked UWF football team heads east for the Fourth Annual Coastal Classic when it faces Florida Tech on Saturday in Melbourne, Fla. Kickoff at Florida Tech Panther Stadium is 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time/Noon Central Time.
• The game is the GSC Game of the Week and will be televised on ESPN+ with Don Russell and Rick Rhoades on the call.
• This will be the last of three-consecutive Homecoming games for the Argos. UWF won on its Homecoming three weeks ago and claimed a 30-2 win at West Georgia on the Wolves' HOCO last week.

ABOUT UWF
• UWF enters the game at 5-1 overall and 4-0 in Gulf South Conference play. The Argonauts have won five-consecutive games and are coming off a 30-2 road win over West Georgia last week.
• The Argo offense is averaging 408 yards per game (dropped 38 yards after the UWG game played in Tropical Storm Nestor) which ranks second in the GSC and 45th nationally. The 243.7 passing yards per game dropped from first to fourth in the league and are 45th in the country (previously first and 22nd with 288 ypg).
• Not to be outdone, the UWF defense has gotten better each game and ranks fifth in the NCAA, allowing 242.3 yards per game. The scoring defense of 10.0 (60 total) points per game is second nationally behind Colorado Mines at 9.1. The Argos lead the country in fewest passing yards allowed at 107.3 and red zone defense.
• On special teams, UWF is fourth nationally in net punting - after ranking 12th in the country in 2018 - and 22nd in kick return defense, allowing just 16.6 yards per return.
• UWF has outscored its last two opponents by a combined score of 78-5 and its last four 174-26 (43.5-to-6.5).

ABOUT FLORIDA TECH
• Florida Tech comes into the game at 3-4 on the season and 1-3 in GSC play. The Panthers have dropped their last three games following a 44-10 win over West Georgia four weeks ago. They are averaging 28.0 points per game (4th in GSC) while allowing 30.3 (8th in GSC).
• The offense has averaged 403 yards per game and is led by senior QB Trent Chmelik, along with redshirt freshman Mike DiLiello. Chmelik has thrown for 782 yards and five TD, while DiLiello has 379 rushing yards and 54.1 ypg with a GSC-high 10 rushing TDs, which also ranks seventh in the country.
• The FIT defense ranks eighth in the GSC with 409 yards allowed per game. The Panther's rushing defense is last in the GSC and 143 out of 166 in the country with 219.4 ypg allowed.

SERIES HISTORY
• UWF leads the all-time series 2-1 with seven points being the combined margin of victory. The Argonauts won the first two games before the Panthers had a come-from-behind win a year ago. The first two contests were nationally televised as part of the D2 National Showcase and this year's matchup will be on ESPN+.
• In 2016, UWF won 42-39 as it upset the 16th-ranked Panthers in Pensacola for the program's first-ever GSC win and win over a Top 25 team. The Argos scored  21 unanswered in the second quarter and held off a late FIT rally for the win. 
• The 2017 game in Melbourne authored up the wildest finish in UWF history. FIT led by a point and had the ball near midfield with 6 seconds left when Mark Cato was flagged for intentional grounding on 4th down. The penalty for loss of down gave the ball to UWF at the FIT 28 and 1 second remaining. Austin Williams then booted the first walk-off FG in program history from 44 yards for a 23-21 win.
• Following a 95-minute lightning delay prior to the start of last season's game, UWF grabbed a 21-3 lead before FIT scored 27-straight for a 30-21 lead. UWF scored to pull within 30-28 with 1:13 left and recovered an on-side kick but fumbled on the first play when Sam Vaughn was sacked.

MORE ABOUT THE COASTAL CLASSIC
• The teams play for the Coastal Classic Trophy, which stands 24 inches tall on a six-inch wooden base. It features a large bronze anchor and 6-pointed ship's wheel with nautical sailing rope as the focal point of the trophy. A small bell is attached to the anchor with a white segment of sailing rope attached its clapper.
• The rivalry name comes from the fact that FIT is located on Florida's Space Coast and UWF is on the Emerald Coast of the state.
• The game is one of 32 trophy games in Division 2 and the youngest, having started in 2016. The oldest is the Old Hickory Stick game between Northwest Missouri State and Truman State which began in 1931.

WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE
• UWF enters the seventh week of the season with just one loss and 4-0 in the Gulf South Conference for the first time in program history. The Argos are trying to finish the second half as strong as they ended the first half and make a run at a playoff berth. A year ago, UWF went 1-4 to close the season at 6-5 and missed the playoffs after their 5-1 start.
• UWF is 5-1 through six games for the second-consecutive season. A win against Florida Tech surpass last season's 5-1 mark as the best 7-game start in program history.
• UWF is 9-6 all-time in October following wins over Delta State and West Georgia in 2019.

DEFENSE GETTING STRONGER EACH WEEK
• The UWF defense has continued to improve each week this season. The Argonauts rank first or second in the GSC in scoring defense, total defense, passing defense, red zone defense, QB sacks, turnovers gained, first downs allowed, third down defense and fourth down defense.
• UWF ranks second nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 60 points for 10.0 points per game and has given up just seven TD (5 rushing/1 passing/1 INT) this season.
• The defense has been especially stout the past 4 and a half games, allowing just three TD in the last 18 quarters.
• UWF has held its last four opponents to season-lows for total offense up to that point in their schedule.
Opponent    Avg. Entering    vs. UWF    Difference
Virginia-Lynchburg    211.7    127*    -85
Mississippi College    277.3    227*    -50
Delta State    383.9    217*    -163
West Georgia    433.3    147*    -286
* Season Low

ARGOS HAVE FORCED TURNOVERS IN 39 OF 43 GAMES
• The UWF defense forced a school-record six turnovers last week at West Georgia to extend its streak of consecutive games with a turnover to six.
• Further inspection shows the Argonauts have gotten at least one turnover in 39 of their 43 all-time games. UWF is 27-10 when getting a turnover and 1-5 when unable to force a sudden change.
• UWF finished 2018 with 15 fumble recoveries to rank first nationally and 10 interceptions - including a pick 6 by David Richardson against FIT and another by Jamel Jackson at North Greenville. The Argos did not get a turnover in the finale at West Alabama, ending their streak of games with at least one turnover at 12 games.
• The turnover prize for UWF is a navy blue Turnover Shield and was created by Defensive Coordinator Darian Dulin prior to the 2018 campaign. The 3-inch round wooden disk has a large UWF logo on a navy blue background. The shield, which is a replica of what Jason and Argonauts may have used, is then signed in silver marker by the player(s) who had a hand in creating the turnover.

WHOA! ARGOS LOVING THE RED (ZONE)
• If Joey Russo's character from the hit sitcom 'Blossom' was watching the Argos this season, he might blurt out his catch phrase of 'WHOA!' numerous times during a game. That's because UWF has converted 20 of 24 times inside the red zone through six games.
• On the flip side of that, UWF leads the country after allowing the opposition just a 45.5 percent conversion rate (5-of-11) inside the 20-yard line. Opponents have scored just two TDs and three FGs in the red zone on 11 trips. The Argos have kept the opponent off the scoreboard each of the last three times - and four of the last five - they entered the red zone.

OFFENSE AVERAGING BIG PLAYS IN BUNCHES
• The UWF offense has consistently been producing plays of 20-yards or more this season. They have made 26 big plays through six games with at least eight in three contests.
• They have had 23 pass plays for at least 20 yards and 11 for 30 or more. Senior WR Quentin Randolph has been the top big play recipient with seven (of his 13 total) catches for at least 20 yards. He is averaging 23.9 yards per catch and 51.8 per game this season.
• Kevin Grant has four big plays out of his eight ttoal catches on the year. He is fourth on the team with 19.5 yards per reception.

RECAPPING THE 30-2 WEST GEORGIA WIN LAST WEEK
• UWF forced a school-record six turnovers (5 fumbles and an INT) in a dominating 30-2 win at West Georgia last week. The game was played in the constant downpour from Tropical Storm Nestor on the natural grass field at University Stadium in Carrollton.
• The 2 points were the fewest scored by a UWG team since at least 2010. Records prior to that are hard to find. The Wolves managed just 147 yards of total offense - 286 yards below their 433 average coming into the game.
• Redshirt freshman Gael Laurent was named the GSC Freshman of the Week after finishing with seven tackles, two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
• Not to be outdone, graduate transfer Ian Bush led the team with nine tackles, six tackles for loss, a sack and two forced fumbles.
• Redshirt sophomore Jervon Newton rushed for 100 yards on 21 carries, marking his second 100-yard game this season. He was the fourth different player to lead the Argos in rushing in a the last four games.

115 PLAYERS IN FALL CAMP, 5 WITH BACHELOR'S DEGREE
• UWF currently has 115 student-athletes on its roster entering the opening week of play. Since the program started filling out the roster in the Spring of 2015, the maturation levels have continued to rise throughout the program.
• Additionally, UWF has 5 players who have earned their undergraduate degree and are working towards a second. That places them fifth in Division II in 2019. They led the nation with 11 graduates playing a year ago.

UWF PICKED 4th IN GSC PRESEASON POLL, THREE ARGOS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE
• A year removed from a 6-5 season that saw the team miss the NCAA Playoffs, the UWF football team was picked fourth in the 2019 GSC Preseason Coaches Poll as announced by the league office.
• Additionally, three Argonauts – Samuel Antoine on offense, Trent Archie and Andre Duncombe, Jr. on defense – were named to the preseason all-GSC team by the league's nine head coaches.
• Antoine has been named All-GSC each of the last two years and returns for his senior season at tackle. The third-year player from Weston, Fla. has helped anchor an offensive line that averaged 351.4 yards of total offense over the past two seasons. 
• Archie, who sat out the 2018 season, has averaged 93 tackles in his two previous stints on the field as a safety and nickelback. The Mobile  Ala. product was the 2016 GSC Defensive Freshman of the Year and a Second Team All-Region selection. 
• Duncombe is a preseason honoree for the second-consecutive year and has 169 career tackles as an Argo. The linebacker from Miami, Fla. has a school-record 33.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 quarterback sacks.