• The 20th-ranked UWF football team travels to Big Rapids, Mich. for the 2019 NCAA Division II Football National Semifinal against second-ranked Ferris State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time/2:30 p.m. CT.
• Saturday's game features the last two national runner-ups (UWF in 2017 & FSU last season).
• The winner of the game will advance to the national championship next Saturday against the winner of the Minnesota State at Slippery Rock game. Kickoff at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas is at 2:00 p.m. Central Time.

UWF FOOTBALL 101
• UWF's first season of competition was 2016 ... UWF is 33-17 all-time, 20-9 on the road (6-2 in 2019) and 7-1 in the NCAA Playoffs.
• Saturday's game at Ferris State is UWF's 19th against a team ranked in the top 25, meaning that 19 of its 51 all-time games have come against ranked foes - 37.3 pct. UWF is 10-8 in the previous 18 and 8-4 on the road.
• Along those same lines, 17.6 pct. of UWF's games have been in the postseason. Going back to the 2017 postseason run, 8 of the last 29 games (27.5 pct.) have been in the postseason for the fourth-year program.

ABOUT UWF
• UWF enters the game at 11-2 overall and finished second in the Gulf South Conference with a school-record of 8-1. The Argonauts have established additional school records for home wins (5), longest winning streak (7) and best record after 13 games. The 11 victories have tied the school record set two years ago in the national runner-up season (11-4).
• The Argo offense is averaging 404.4 yards per game which ranks third in the GSC and 47th nationally. The 261.9 passing yards per game is also third in the league and 33rd in the country.
• Not to be outdone, the UWF defense has been lights out for the majority of season and ranks 55th in the NCAA, allowing 338.5 yards per game. The scoring defense of 18.5 points per game is 23rd nationally. The Argos are 22nd in the country in red zone defense, 55th in fewest passing yards allowed and third in fumbles recovered with 17. The UWF defense has forced at least one turnover in every game this season and in 46 of the 50 games in program history
• On special teams, UWF is second nationally in net punting - after ranking 12th in the country in 2018 - and 35th in punt return defense. They average 7.3 yards per punt return and 22.8 yards per kickoff return. Sophomore Dawson Hamlin was named Second Team All-Region and All-GSC and is fourth in the country with a 44.0 average.

ABOUT FERRIS STATE
• FSU is 12-0 on this season and has also won both playoff games following a first round bye. The Bulldogs went 8-0 in the GLIAC, going undefeated for the fourth time in the last six seasons as they claimed their 11th title.
• FSU ranked sixth in the country in total offense (510.3 yards per game) and ninth in rushing offense (262.5 ypg), while averaging 38.3 points per contest.
• On defense, the Bulldogs have been very strong, limiting opponents to just 12.5 points and 263 yards per game, ranking second and eighth nationally, respectively. They lead the country in 3rd Down defense and are sixth in 4th Down defense. UWF is eighth in 3rd Down and second in 4th Down defense.
• Senior DE Austin Edwards was named the Gene Upshaw Award winner as the top senior offensive or defense lineman in D2 football. He has 55 tackles and leads the team with 12 sacks, 16.5 tackles for loss and 10 QB hurries.

SERIES HISTORY
• This marks the first meeting between the teams in football.
• UWF has never played a team from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and has never played in the state of Michigan.

SHINNICK BITES
• Pete Shinnick was hired as the first head coach in program history on Feb. 2, 2014. The Colorado (1988) graduate is 33-17 in four seasons at UWF.
• He is 136-63 in his 18th season as a head coach, with previous stops at UNC Pembroke (50-24 from 2007-13) and Azusa Pacific (53-22 from 1999-2005).
• Shinnick was named the 2017 AFCA & D2Football.com Division 2 National Coach of the Year after leading the Argonauts to the national championship game in just the second season of play. He was also the AFCA Region 2 Coach of the Year.
• With last week's victory over Lenoir-Rhyne, he improved to 7-3 as a head coach in the Division II Playoffs.
• He was 0-2 at UNC Pembroke. His 2009 team was ranked 13th before losing to Arkansas Tech, 41-13, on the road in Russellville, Ark. In 2013, the 8th-ranked and 2nd-seeded Braves had a first-round bye but fell to 16th-ranked and 3rd seeded North Alabama, 37-13, in Pembroke, N.C.
• He also went 4-5 in the NAIA Playoffs while at Azusa Pacific from 1999-2005. The Cougars reached the national semifinals in 1999 & 2004.

UWF MAKES NCAA HISTORY AGAIN
• By virtue of its bid to the 2019 NCAA Playoffs, UWF has become the first football team in NCAA history to earn a postseason bid twice in the first four years of the program's existence.
• Two years ago the Argonauts made history with their first-ever tourney appearance, becoming the fastest startup program to reach the postseason. They followed that up with four-consecutive wins - all on the road against Top 25 teams - to reach the NCAA D2 National Championship Game.

PLAYOFF ROAD WARRIORS
• UWF has played eight NCAA Playoff games in its young history with seven of those on the road. The Argos are 7-0 in road playoff games, going 4-0 two years ago en route to the national championship game and 3-0 this season.
• In the last three years, UWF and Texas A&M-Commerce are the only schools to win seven or more playoff games away from home.

ARGOS ROAD SUCCESS CONTINUES YEAR AFTER YEAR
• UWF has gone 6-2 on the road this season. The six wins are tied for the highest total in the country with eight other schools.
• The Argonauts are 20-9 all-time on the road in four seasons of play, including an 8-1 mark two years ago when they tied Harding for the most road victories in the country.
• After a 2-4 road mark in the 2016 inaugural season, UWF has had a winning record away from home each year - 8-1, 4-2 and 5-2.

UWF WITH TOUGHEST OWP IN SUPER REGION 2
• According to the NCAA metrics on Strength of Schedule, UWF faced the toughest schedule in Super Region 2 this season, the second toughest nationally and the toughest among the four semifinalists.
• UWF's cumulative opposition's record is 93-40 for a .699 winning pct. A&M Commerce's mark is first at 97-40 (.708).
• In the NCAA Playoffs, UWF has faced a 1-loss team in WIngate and undefeated teams in Valdosta State, Lenoir-Rhyne and Ferris State. Those four teams have a combined record of 45-1 at the time of the game.
• Ferris State's cumulative opposition schedule is .647 (88-48), ranking third in the country. Slippery Rock is .615 (93-58) and Minnesota State is .600 (90-60).

UWF WITH SUCCESS AGAINST UNDEFEATED TEAMS
• This week's game against unbeaten Ferris State marks the 16th UWF opponent to enter the game without a loss at the time of the meeting. The Argonauts are 10-5 in those contests following the win over 13-0 Lenoir-Rhyne last week.

UWF WITH FAIR SHARE OF WEATHER GAMES IN BRIEF HISTORY
• With Saturday's weather forecast in Big Rapids putting game-time temperatures in the low-to-mid 30s and a chance of precipiation, it gives us an opportunity to look at the weather UWF has faced at times throughout it's 4-year, 50-game history.
• This week's game will go down as one of the two coldest in program history, with the current record holder coming in the 2017 national semifinals.

Coldest Games in UWF History
Temp.*    Weather    Opponent    Date    Result
31    Cloudy    at IUP    12/9/17    W, 27-17
41    Rain, Sideways    at West Georgia    10/19/19    W, 30-2
48    Sunny    at West Alabama    11/10/18    L, 7-45
51    Sunny    at Lenoir-Rhyne    12/7/19    W, 43-38
* Fahrenheit temperature at kickoff.

NINE ARGONAUTS RECEIVE BACHELOR'S DEGREE THIS WEEK
• Saturday's game will have a double meaning for nine members of the UWF football team, as the university celebrates the 2019 Fall Commencement at the Pensacola Bay Center.
• Due to the conflict of being in Michigan for the national semifinal, UWF President Dr. Martha Saunders organized a special graduation ceremony for the student-athletes - Samuel Antoine, Ethan Cruz, Devin Gibson, Nate Holloway, Ed Kinnon, Gage Krull, Riley Metheney, Quentin Randolph and Joe Wintrick - and their families on Wednesday afternoon on campus where they were received by their college deans and other university dignitaries. 

UWF ADDS TEAM IMPACT YOUTH TO ROSTER
• In August of this year, the UWF football team and Team IMPACT got together to add 9-year-old Logan Bush to the roster with a signing ceremony on Aug. 23. Bush is from Milton, Fla. (15 minutes East of UWF's campus) and suffers from cystic fibrosis. 
• Logan and his family have been honorary members of the team with access to the program, team meals, bowling functions, sideline access and post game events throughout the season. Logan was also at the special graduation ceremony earlier this week for the nine UWF student-athletes who would not be present at the university's commencement on Saturday in Pensacola.
• For the national semifinals, Team IMPACT has paid for Logan, his 12-year-old brother Gavin and his parents, Michael and Michaela to fly to Michigan and attend the game.
• Team IMPACT is a national nonprofit organization that supports children with chronic illnesses and pairs them with college athletic teams, forming lifelong bonds and life-changing outcomes. Learn more at GoTeamIMPACT.org.

ARGOS OUTRACE LENOIR-RHYNE FOR SUPER REGION 2 TITLE
• The 20th-ranked UWF football team went back and forth (but never trailed) with sixth-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne before coming away with a 43-38 win in the 2019 NCAA Division II Football Championship quarterfinals at Moretz Stadium last Saturday.
• The Argos put up 454 yards of total offense which included 360 yards passing and three touchdowns from freshman Austin Reed. Senior Quentin Randolph had 114 yards on eight receptions and a score. It marked his fourth 100-plus yard game of the season. Junior Rodney Coates had three catches for 92 yards and a touchdown.
• UWF remained perfect in NCAA postseason playoff games on the road, winning its seventh in two appearances over the last three years. Additionally, the Argonauts ended the Bears' 15-game home winning streak – the longest active streak in Division 2. Last week, UWF halted Valdosta State's 14-game home field streak.
• Junior DB D'Anthony Bell had a strong game, finishing with seven tackles, a fumble recovery on a muffed punt, two pass break ups, a break-up on a 2-point conversion and the game-clinching interception with 1:03 to play.

UWF KNOCKS OFF DEFENDING CHAMP VALDOSTA STATE
• UWF executed a 75-yard scoring drive in 2:06 and scored the winning TD on a 1-yard Anthony Johnson, Jr. run with 6 seconds left to upset the Blazers, 38-35, in Valdosta two weeks ago. Johnson ran for 73 yards on 18 carries with 3 TD.
• Tate Lehtio caught a school-record 14 passes for a career-high 140 yards. He was targeted 15 times with the one non-catch being a ball thrown behind him on a QB scramble. He caught five passes for 62 yards on the final drive, including a 4th-and-8 for 15 yards and a 3rd-and-Goal that put UWF at the 1-foot line to setup the winning play.
• Austin Reed was 25-for-37 for 298 yards with a TD. In addition to Lehtio's effort, Quentin Randolph had 72 yards receiving and Ka'Ron Ashley had 52 yards, including a 33-yard TD with 12 seconds remaining in the first half.
• UWF led 3-0 on a 27-yard Austin Williams FG on its first possession. It was the first time the Argonauts had not spotted the Blazers a 17-0 lead in the 5-game series. After VSU went up 7-3, UWF scored three TDs to lead 24-7. UWF led 31-14 at the end of the third quarter.
• UWF was 4-of-4 on 4th downs ... The Argos committed just five penalties for 35 yards.
• The win snapped VSU's Gulf South Conference record 25-game winning streak and it's 13-game home streak at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. It was also the first time UWF beat VSU in five all-time meetings.

UWF DOMINATES WINGATE IN NCAA FIRST ROUND
• UWF scored 31 unanswered points and forced three turnovers to defeat fourth-seeded Wingate, 38-17, in the first round two weeks ago.
• Anthony Johnson, Jr. ran for 109 yards on 19 carries as UWF advanced to the second round for the second time in as many appearances. The Argos rushed for 195 yards and outgained the Bulldogs 360-264 overall.
• Austin Reed threw for 165 yards with eight completions and three of those going for touchdowns. Tate Lehtio led the team with five receptions for 81 yards a score.
• Quentin Randolph followed last week's career game with two more touchdowns on two catches. He has now caught five touchdowns in his last nine receptions.

FIVE STANDOUTS NAMED TO D2CCA ALL-REGION TEAM
• The Argonauts were well represented on the D2CCA All-Super Region 2 Team last week, with a record five players named to the first or second team. The five awardees were the fourth-most in the region.
• The lone first team representative is offensive tackle Samuel Antoine, who now moves on to the national ballot with the first team honorees from all four regions.
• UWF players on the second team included quarterback Austin Reed, offensive guard Joe Wintrick, defensive end Ian Bush and punter Dawson Hamlin.

RECORD 11 ARGOS NAMED TO ALL-GSC TEAMS
• For the third-consecutive year the UWF football team had a record number of student-athletes recognized by the Gulf South Conference as all-league performers, including quarterback Austin Reed who was named the Offensive Freshman of the Year.
• First team representatives included running back Shomari Mason, wide receiver Tate Lehtio, offensive tackle Samuel Antoine, defensive lineman Ian Bush, nickelback Trent Archie and special teams utility player De'Marco Artis.
• Argos on the second team were Reed, wide receiver Quentin Randolph, offensive guard Joe Wintrick, linebacker Kedrick Bradley and punter Dawson Hamlin.

DEFENSE CONTINUES TO BE THE ARGOS' CALLING CARD
• The UWF defense has been solid just about every 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 23rd nationally in scoring defense, allowing 241 points for 18.5 points per game and has given up 30 TD (19 rushing/9 passing/2 INT) this season.
• The defense was especially stout from halftime of the Shorter game through the Valdosta State contest (7 and a half games), allowing just 10 TD in those 30 quarters.

D GETTING STINGIER AS THE GAME GOES ON
• The UWF defense has been strong all season, but especially in the second half. UWF has allowed 109 second half points for a 8.4 points per half average. They have had three second half shutouts.
• The Argos have allowed just three touchdowns in the third quarter (1 each by Carson-Newman, Florida Tech and last week at Valdosta State) and 11 TD and two FG in the fourth quarter.
• UWF has made excellent halftime adjustments, allowing fewer yards in the second half than the first in nine games this season (it had the potential to be nine but UWG went from 48 to 88 yards in that contest). The biggest changes came against Valdosta State in the first meeting when the Blazers went from 20 points and 374 yards to six points and 98 yards.
• Additionally, they have held six teams to less than 100 yards after halftime.

ARGOS HAVE FORCED TURNOVERS IN 46 OF 50 GAMES
• The UWF defense forced a school-record six turnovers earlier this season at West Georgia, and four more at Florida Tech last month. A forced fumble and interception last week at Lenoir-Rhyne extended the streak of consecutive games with a turnover to 13. The last time UWF didn't record a turnover was the finale at West Alabama last year.
• Further inspection shows the Argonauts have gotten at least one turnover in 46 of their 50 all-time games. UWF is 32-12 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.

ARGOS CLUTCH ON 3RD & 4TH DOWNS
• UWF ranks in the top 10 nationally in both 3rd & 4th Down Conversion pct.
• The Argos are eighth in the NCAA in 3rd Down play, converting 78-of-156 attempts for 50 pct.
• UWF has gone for 4th Downs 12 times and been successful 9 times for a 75 pct. rate - good for 2nd in the country.

PLAYING SMART
• UWF has averaged 56.8 penalty yards per game this season to rank 55th in the country.
• But in the last seven games, the Argos have averaged just 37.3 yards on 36 total penalties, with no more than five violations in any of those contests.
• In the three playoff games, the team has been whistled for 120 total yards - 35 against Wingate and Valdosta and 50 versus Lenoir-Rhyne.

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 44 of 50 times inside the red zone this season. That 88 pct. rate ranks 22nd in the country.
• On the flip side of that, UWF ranks 14th in the country after allowing the opposition just a 56.7 percent conversion rate (23-of-35) inside the 20-yard line. Opponents have scored just 14 TDs and nine FGs in the red zone on 35 trips. The Argos have surrendered just six passing TDs inside the Red Zone.

REED LAYING FOUNDATION FOR SPECIAL CAREER
• Redshirt freshman QB Austin Reed became the third player in program history to win a GSC Freshman of the Year award this season, joining current senior LB Trent Archie (Defensive FOY in 2016) and former QB Mike Beaudry (Offensive FOY in 2017).
• The St. Augustine, Fla. native averages 250.9 passing yards per game, has 31 passing TDs and a passing efficiency rating of 149.6.
• He is the first quarterback in program history to win his first seven starts and is currently 11-1 as a starter. He passed former QB Mike Beaudry as the UWF record-holder for wins as a starter with his win at Lenoir-Rhyne last week.
• He also hold all but one single-season passing mark at UWF (passing yards per game):
Year    Quarterback    Passing Yards    Yds Per Gm.    TDs
2016    Kaleb Nobles, Sr.    3,050    277.27    28
2017    Mike Beaudry, R-Fr.    3,215    229.64    29
2018    Sam Vaughn, Sr.    2,201    244.56    20
2019    Austin Reed, R-Fr.    3,262    250.90    31

RANDOLPH, LEHTIO LEADING DEEP RECEIVER CORPS
• UWF has a strong group of receivers led by senior All-GSC selections Quentin Randolph and Tate Lehtio. Lehtio paces the team with 75 receptions for 71.9 yards per game and Randolph has 858 yards with a team-high eight touchdowns and 66.0 yards per game. He ranks 25th nationally with 19.5 yards per reception.
• Randolph leads UWF with 17 20-plus yard plays. Kevin Grant is second with seven (3 for a TD) and Shomari Mason is third with six. Not to be outdone, Ka'Ron Ashley, Tate Lehtio and Rodney Coates all have five catches of at least 20 yards.
• The Argos have tossed 18 of their 47 20-yard passes for scores and three of their seven long play runs for a TD.

LEHTIO SETS UWF RECEPTIONS RECORDS...
• Senior WR Tate Lehtio pulled down his 137th career reception in the home win over Mississippi College, moving past Antoine Griffin for the most receptions in school history. Lehtio (Lee-tee-oh) now has 195 receptions. With his 75-yard day at Florida Tech, he passed Griffin on the career receiving yards list and now has 2,206. Griffin held that mark with 1,697 from 2016-18.
• His 195 receptions rank ninth among active Division 2 players and 45th among all NCAA division players.

... AND HE'S ALSO KINDA SMART
• Lehtio is also an CoSIDA Academic All-District selection this year. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Business and a 3.3 GPA last December and is currently enrolled in the MBA program at UWF. He is a 2-time Gulf South Conference Academic Honor Roll recipient after being voted onto the team by the league SIDs both years of his eligibility.

RUNNING BACK BY COMMITTEE
• The UWF rushing offense ranks 92nd in the country and seventh in the GSC at 143.2 yards per game. While that may not seem like daunting numbers, with the team's pass-oriented attack, the numbers are actually the best in program history, progressing higher than the previous season in each year of the program.
• The Argos have attacked the ground game with a quartet or rushers in junior Anthony Johnson, Jr., sophomore Jervon Newton, freshman Shomari Mason and sophomore Jaden Gardner - three of which rank in the top 20 of the GSC.
• Johnson is the elder statesman and leader of the group. He has a team-high 588 yards on 137 rushes in 2019 for a 4.3 yards per carry avg. and eight TD. He rushed for 109 yards on 19 carries with a TD in the playoff opener at Wingate three weeks ago. He tied the school record with three TD two weeks ago at Valdosta State.
• Newton is second in the group with 43.2 yards per game and a 4.3 yards per carry average, including two 100-yard performances. After missing the West Alabama and Wingate games, he returned against Valdosta State to rush for 55 yards and a TD on 10 carries with zero yards lost.
• Mason is arguably the most explosive in the group and has 416 yards on 64 carries for an eye-popping 7.7 per carry avg. - the third highest in the GSC and the highest by a RB. He has a pair of 100-yard performances against Delta State and at Florida Tech. He suffered a knee injury against West Alabama in the regular-season finale and is out for the remainder of the season.
• Gardner also has breakaway speed and is putting up 3.2 yards per rush over 70 carries. He had 15 rushes for 55 yards and a TD at Wingate.

WILLIAMS RESUMES PURSUIT OF GSC FIELD GOAL RECORD
• Senior PK Austin Williams made a pair of field goals last week at Lenoir-Rhyne, pushing his career total to 46 and moving into fourth place on the Gulf South Conference career field goals made list. Those 46 place him fifth among active Division 2 kickers in the country.
• He is just 7-for-15 on the season but has made 6-of-9 in the last seven games and one each in the three NCAA Playoff contests.
• Additionally, he now has 261 career points, extending his total as the program's all-time leading scorer. He has 46 career field goals and 125 career extra points.

 

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