By Bill Vilona
GoArgos.com Senior Writer
 
BOX SCORE | POST GAME NOTES

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The UWF football team had reached this point with road wins the past two weeks in rough weather, against charged up opponents.
 
The 20th ranked Argos proved on a clear-sky Saturday how they could win despite self-inflicted woes.
 
Playing their first home game in a month, UWF gave up an interception return for a touchdown on the game's first play, trailed 7-3 at halftime amid two more turnovers, but survived with a 17-14 victory against North Greenville at Blue Wahoos Stadium for a school-record seventh consecutive win.
 
"I've been coaching a long time and I have lost these games," said UWF coach Pete Shinnick. "When nothing is going right, I have seen my team lose. 
 
"Credit our team as a whole to find a way to win this game and find a way to hold on.  We have gone 4-0 at home, 6-0 in conference and won seven in a row. That's a great tribute to our team making this thing work."
 
Bottom line, too. The Argos are 7-1, tied with top-ranked, defending national champion Valdosta State (8-0) for first place in the Gulf South Conference heading into next Saturday's showdown in Valdosta, Ga. in a game designated as the NCAA Division II national game of week on ESPN3.
 
"Winning is hard," Shinnick said in summing how the Argos have managed success. "There are lot of distractions."
 
In Saturday's case, a lot of early miscues, too.
 
Quarterback Austin Reed's first play, 16 seconds into the game, resulted in a 32-yard interception on a deflection return by North Greenville's Aaron Watson for a touchdown.
 
Reed, a redshirt freshman, showed maturity well beyond his age by assessing blame on himself.
 
"It was just amateur," he said. "It wasn't the right play to make. It was bad. 
 
"We have thrown an interception the first drive the last three games and it was a little bit of a joke during the week (of practice). 'Oh, throw an interception… win.' But it needs to stop."
 
The rest of the game, Reed completed 21-of-31 passes for 254 yards and a season-highlight throw for a fourth-quarter touchdown that ultimately won the game.
 
"I feel like if I could figure that out (Reed's early-game mistakes), my life would be a whole lot easier," Shinnick said. "But I think that's all part of growth. And you have to get so many games under your belt to see this. 
 
"That's the reason why the quarterback position is as hard as it is. I love how he responded and how he handled himself."
 
The Argos' next possession in the game resulted in running back Shomari Mason's lost fumble at the 40. Later in the first quarter, Ka'Ron Ashley fumbled on a punt return.
 
It was that kind of start. 
 
"When you throw a pick six, then you turn around and fumble the next series, then two series later you fumble a punt return, you are just not giving yourself an opportunity to get any momentum," Shinnick said. "We had no momentum whatsoever in the first half."
 
All except on defense. UWF continued to show off its defensive strength by overcoming the turnovers, the field position and keeping the game a one-score difference. 
 
"Our defense was absolutely insane," Reed said. "They kept us in the game the whole game. It was 100 percent them."
 
The second half began with North Greenville using nearly seven minutes of the third-quarter on a 55-yard drive ending in a second missed field goal by Matt Gravely, who has been one of the best kickers this season in Division II.
 
UWF then impressed with a 12-play, 80-yard drive, including a fourth-down conversion at the 2, then Jervon Newton's one-yard plow for the go-ahead touchdown.
 
The next time the Argos got the ball, following a punt and penalty, it was at their own 1-yard line.
 
What happened? Just your basic, nine-play, 99-yard drive for a touchdown. 
 
The capper was a keeper when Reed made a perfect throw from the North Greenville 32 and Ashley made an even greater, over-the-shoulder catch with a defender on him in the front corner of the end zone with 11:45 left in the game.
 
"Austin gave me a great ball and I just went and made a play," Ashley said. "I want to thank God. My teammates telling me they still trust me (after earlier miscues), my coaches not giving up on me. I just kept my head down and (told himself) let's just win the game. 
 
All the better, this happened in the UWF students' end zone. This was a play UWF can save to show. 
 
"To me, the 99-yard drive was as good of football as we have played offensively all year long," Shinnick said. "You get the ball at the one and you end up in the end zone. There is a lot of belief going on there. And there's a lot of guys, digging and fighting to win."
 
North Greenville, which threw a scare into Valdosta State last week before the Blazers prevailed with a 20-15 victory, showed its own fight. The Crusaders drove 80 yards in 12 plays to pull within 17-14 when Lucas Catalfomo caught a 25-yard pass with 2:12 left.
 
North Greenville then recovered an onside kick at the UWF 49. After getting a first down, however, UWF's defense forced a four-play stop to win the game with a sack, and three incompletions.
 
"For me, I love those type of moments," said UWF defensive tackle Ian Bush, whose six tackles included a sack and forced fumble. "It's not that big of a deal. You just go out there and play. Just try and make something happen."
 
Now, the Argos will try to make something big happen next Saturday against Valdosta State. 
 
"I'd be lying if I told you it was just another game," Reed said. "I'd be lying if I told you take it week by week. It's a big game, number one team in the nation. We have to be dialed in because we have to play our best game."