MELBOURNE, Fla. – The 20th-ranked UWF football team has shown it can win at home, on the road, in a tropical storm, and now, with a lengthy in-game lightning delay as the Argonauts defeated in-state rival Florida Tech, 38-14, in the Coastal Classic at Panther Stadium.
 
UWF (6-1, 5-0 Gulf South Conference) ran its winning streak to six games and regained possession of the Coastal Classic Trophy for the third time in four years of its existence. The 6-game win streak also ties the program record set in 2017.
 
UWF finished with 224 yards passing and 172 rushing. Shomari Mason ran 10 times for 103 yards with a touchdown. Austin Reed completed 18 passes to nine different receivers, including Tate Lehtio who had seven receptions for 71 yards and a score.
 
The Argos claimed a 7-0 lead 10 minutes into the game when Reed found Lehtio in the back of the end zone on a 4-yard pass. Moments later the lightning sirens at Palm Bay High School went off and the teams headed to the locker rooms for what turned out to be a 82-minute delay.
 
When play resumed, UWF, which had already forced two turnovers, got another on a muffed punt early in the second quarter. That led to a 25-yard Austin Williams field goal for a 10-0 lead.
 
FT battled back and got a 91-yard run by Mike DiLiello two plays later.
 
The Argos collected their fourth turnover of the day on the next FIT possession when Kion Holder fought off a block before he turned and stripped Corey Lane from behind on a swing pass and recovered it himself. That setup Reed's 1-yard run six plays later to push the lead to 17-7 entering the half.
 
UWF came out and scored on the first two possessions of the third quarter to extend the lead to 31-7. Mason broke through for a 61-yard score on the second play of the half. Following a 3-and-out for the Panthers, the Argos went back to work and this time Melbourne native Kevin Grant made a 1-handed catch 50 yards into a 65-yard touchdown with a defender hanging all over him.
 
The Panthers scored on their next possession before the Argonauts responded with the final touchdown of the game – a 2-yard Jaden Gardner run that capped a 12-play, 75-yard drive.
 
UWF was 11-of-17 on third down and scored on four of five times inside the red zone.
 
Dawson Hamlin punted just three times but had a 51.7 average with two of those inside the 20 yard line.
 
FT (3-5, 1-4) had 384 yards of total offense and 197 on the ground, with 91 on the long DiLiello rush.
 
UWF returns home next week to play host to North Greenville (3-5, 2-4). The game will kickoff at 4:00 p.m. at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Tickets are available for as low as $10 in the bleacher seats and can be purchased at GoArgos.com/FootballTix.