• The fifth-ranked UWF football team travels to Mississippi College this week as it opens a crucial 3-game stretch to end the regular season. Kickoff at Robinson-Hale Stadium in Clinton, Miss. on Homecoming is at 6 p.m. CT.

FOUR DOWNS WITH UWF
• UWF's offense ranks in the top 25 nationally in scoring offense (5th, 43.1), passing offense (8th, 325.7), total offense (14th, 463.3), first downs per game (23rd, 25.1), third-down conversion (12th, 50.8%), tackles for loss allowed (1st, 1.3) and sacks allowed (6th, 0.6 per game).
• On defense, UWF ranks among the nation's best in rushing defense (17th, 90.6) and sacks (12th, 3.6).
• UWF is looking for its fifth victory over MC, winning the previous four contests.
• UWF is 41-18 all-time for a .695 winning pct. That would rank third among active Division 2 programs but UWF does not have the minimum 20 seasons of competition for inclusion.

HERE ARE SOME MORE QUICK HITTERS ON THE ARGO
• The Argos average 25.1 first downs per game which is second in the GSC.
• UWF has had at least one passing TD in 41-consecutive games & 56 out of 59 all-time games.
• UWF won a school-record 11-consecutive games prior to the loss to then-No. 12 West Georgia two weeks ago. The 30-26 loss also ended UWF's home winning streak at a school-record six.

ABOUT UWF
• UWF enters week eight of the 2021 season at 6-1 and ranked No. 5 in the country.
• The Argos average 43.1 points per game (5th nationally) on 463.3 yards of total offense, led by 325.7 yards through the air. Dating back to the national championship game in 2019, UWF has scored at least 35 points in seven of its last eight games, including a school-record six-consecutive prior to the UWG game two weeks ago.

ABOUT MISS. COLLEGE
• Mississippi College is 3-4 overall and 2-3 in GSC play.
• The Choctaws brings its triple-option rushing attack into the game, churning out 284.3 rushing yards per game, which ranks fourth nationally. On the flip side, they throw the ball an average of 7.4 times per game for 64.3 ypg, ranking them 162 out of 163 teams in D2.
• The Choctaws are 11th in 3rd Down Conversion Pct. at .513. and 13th in Fewest Penalties Per Game at 4.6.

SERIES HISTORY
• UWF is 4-0 all-time against Mississippi College, winning twice in Clinton and twice in Pensacola.
• The two wins at MC came in 2016 and 2018.

MUST BE SOMETHING IN THE MISSISSIPPI WATER
• UWF has played five games in the state of Mississippi during it's four-plus years of football. In that time, the Argos have gone 4-1 against Mississippi College and Delta State.
• UWF has scored at least 30 points in all five games while averaging 39.2 points per game.

UWF #5 IN FIRST REGIONAL RANKING
• The NCAA Division 2 Football Committee announced the first edition of the regional rankings this week and the Argonauts came in at No. 5 in Super Region 2.

SUPER REGION 2
        In-Region    D2
Rk.    Team    Record    Record
1.    Valdosta State    7-0    7-0
2.    Bowie State    5-0    7-0
3.    Albany State    7-1    7-1
4.    West Georgia    7-1    7-1
5.    West Florida    3-1    5-1
6.    Wingate    6-1    6-1
7.    Mars Hill    5-2    5-2
8.    Newberry    6-2    6-2
9.    West Alabama    5-2    5-2
10.    Fayetteville State    6-1    6-1

• UWF was No. 5 in the first poll in 2019.
• The poll is the first of four regional rankings released by the football committee, which are used to determine the 28-team bracket for the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs. The top seven teams from each of the four regions in the final rankings on Sunday, Nov. 14 will advance to the Division II Playoffs, with the top seed receiving a first round bye.

SHINNICK BITES
• Pete Shinnick was hired as the first head coach in program history on Feb. 2, 2014. The 1988 Colorado graduate is 41-17 in four seasons at UWF.
• He is 143-64 in his 19th 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 2019 D2Football.com Division 2 National Coach of the Year and the 2017 AFCA & D2Football.com D2 National Coach of the Year. He was also the AFCA Region 2 Coach of the Year in 2017.
• He is 13-8 all-time in the postseason - 9-3 in the Division II Playoffs and 4-5 in the NAIA Playoffs while at Azusa Pacific from 1999-2005.

D2 WINNINGEST ACTIVE COACHES
COACH    RECORD
1. Bill Zwaan, West Chester    203-77
2. Tom Sawyer, Winona State    193-89
3. Keith Otterbein, Hillsdale    176-132-3
4. Lee Owens, Ashland    163-119
5. Bill Maskill, MSU Texas    160-65
6. Todd Knight, Ouachita Baptist    157-129-2
7. Todd Hoffner, Minnesota State    153-52
8. Tim Clifton, Mars Hill    147-143
9. Pete Shinnick, UWF    143-64
10. Garin Higgins, Emporia State    136-81
* Minimum 5 years as a D2 head coach; record at 4-year schools only.

GSC READY SINCE DAY ONE
• Even before they played a game in 2016, coaches, administrators and fans across the Gulf South Conference footprint had a feeling UWF could be a major player in the league and region really quick. In their four-plus seasons of football, the Argonauts have won 21 GSC contests, ranking them fourth in the league.

UWF'S PRESEASON COACHES POLL VS. ACTUAL FINISH
YEAR    PREDICTION    ACTUAL
2016    8TH    T-6TH
2017    7TH    T-2ND
2018    2ND    5TH
2019    4TH    2ND

RECORD IN GSC REGULAR-SEASON
TEAM    '16    '17    '18    '19    '21    TOTAL
VSU    6-2    5-3    8-0    8-0    4-0    31-5
UWG    4-4    5-3    7-1    4-4    5-1    25-13
UWA    6-2    7-1    5-3    3-5    3-2    24-13
UWF    3-5    5-3    4-4    7-1    3-1    22-14
FIT*    5-2    3-5    5-3    3-5    ---    16-15
DSU    3-5    5-3    2-6    5-3    1-4    16-21
NGU    ---    ---    3-4    2-6    1-3    6-13
MC    1-7    1-7    1-6    4-4    2-3    9-27
Shorter    0-8    0-8    0-8    0-8    0-5    0-37
* Fla. Tech dropped football in Spring 2020.

ARGOS USING THE COMEBACK SPEECH
• UWF erased a 20-point halftime deficit at Delta State, outscoring the Statesmen 29-3 in the final 30 minutes. That 20-point hole established a new school-record for the biggest comeback in a victory.
• UWF is 29-3 all-time when leading at the half, 10-15 when trailing and 3-0 when tied.
• The Argos have won their last 15 when leading at the break. They have won four of their last six when trailing heading into the locker room.

BIG PLAY OFFENSE
• UWF has had 56 plays of 20 yards or more, including season-highs of 13 at Delta State and 11 last week against Shorter. A total of 34 have been through the air, eight on the ground, eight kick returns, three punt returns and three interceptions.
• David Durden leads the team with 10 big plays. Rodney Coates has nine and Ka'Ron Ashley has eight.
• The Argos average 25.5 first downs per game, with a season-high 30 against SW Baptist, one shy of tying the school record.

ARGOS #3 NATIONALLY IN YARDS PER PLAY
• UWF's offense has always leaned towards the big play and 2021 is no exception. The Argonauts average 7.56 yds per play, which ranks third in the country and is on pace to set a new school record.
• Twice this season, UWF has set the single-game record for yards per play, putting up 8.3 at McNeese before 9.3 last week against Shorter.

UWF #12 NATIONALLY IN 3RD DOWN PERCENTAGE
• One of the many recipes for success is UWF's efficiency on 3rd down, where the Argos rank 12th nationally and third in the GSC with a 50.8 pct. conversion rate. MC is 11th in the NCAA and second in the GSC at 51.3 pct.
• The Argos are 29-for-57 on the season, converting a season-best 8-of-10 against SW Baptist and then 7-of-12 three weeks ago at NGU.
• UWF has been especially stout in the first and third quarters, making 7-of-11 (63.6%) and 9-of-14 (64.3%), respectively.

UWF BACKFIELD: NO VISITORS ALLOWED 
• Through seven games, UWF has allowed just four QB sacks for 35 total yards, But further inspection shows the starters have allowed just two QB sacks. The other two sacks have come with backups and on backup QB Wyatt Eget.
• Additionally, UWF has only allowed nine other tackles for loss for a combined 35 yards.

REED-ICULOUS START
• Sophomore Austin Reed took over as the starting quarterback in the second game of 2019 and led UWF to it's first national title, throwing for 4,000 yards and 40 TDs while amassing a 13-1 record as a starter. Those numbers earned the St. Augustine, Florida native National and GSC Freshman of the Year.
• But the awards only tell part of the story. To say he got better as the season went along would be a huge understatement. In UWF's first nine games, he threw for 2,001 yards and 19 TD, before exploding for identical numbers of 2,088 yards and 21 TD in the final six games.
• In the national championship, he shattered both the UWF and NCAA Championship single-game records with 523 passing yards and tied both organization marks with six passing TD. He was 33-of-54 on the day with his completions tying the finals mark and his attempts setting a new top effort. He had 399 yards by halftime to break the previous yardage mark of 361 which had stood since 2002.
• Through seven games in 2021, he ranks 10th nationally with 315.6 passing yards per game and 6th with 15.8 yards per completion. His 25 passing TDs rank 7th.
• Reed and Shepherd's Tyson Bagnet are the only two players nationally to rank in the top 15 in passing yards per game, passing efficiency and points responsible per game.
• In the week two win over SW Baptist, he set a UWF record with a 210.72 passer rating, completing 20-of-26 passes for 257 yards while playing into the first drive of the third quarter.
• As a senior at St. Augustine HS in 2017, Reed was the Florida Class 6A Player of the Year after throwing for 2,925 yards and 34 TD.

JOHNSON SETS TD MARK
• Senior RB Anthony Johnson, Jr. had three rushing touchdowns on five carries against SW Baptist in week two, tying his own single-game record set at Valdosta State in the 2019 NCAA Playoffs. The final score against the Bearcats pushed his career TD number to 16, moving him past Quentin Randolph  (2016-19) into first place all-time at UWF.
• He ranks second in UWF rushing history with 335 carries and 1,411 yards. Chris Schwarz compiled 413 rushes for 1,992 yards from 2016-18.

ARGOS RECEIVING CORPS AMONG THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY AGAIN
• UWF has had one of the top receiving groups in the country the past two seasons. This year the Argonaut wide receivers have averaged 21.3 receptions per game and 322.7 yards per game.
• Senior Rodney Coates leads the team with 31 catches and 522 yards, to go along with six TD and 74.6 yards per game. He had a career day against Southwest Baptist, hauling in 126 yards on nine catches with two touchdowns, which earned him GSC Co-Player of the Week honors.
• Junior David Durden has been a force since transferring from Mercer two years ago. He had a dynamite debut against McNeese this year, catching six passes for 172 yards and one TD, while running once for a 6-yard TD. He leads the team with seven TD receptions and also has 22 receptions for 490 yards and 22.3 yards per catch over six games.
• Durden had at least one TD catch in the first five games, moving him into first place for consecutive games with a TD, passing three great Argo receivers - Quentin Randolph, Anas Hasic and Ishmel Morrow - who each had a catch in three-straight at one time in their careers.
• The Midville, Ga. native transferred to UWF prior to the 2020 academic year from Mercer, where he had 1,054 receiving yards and 971 return yards on 37 returns (26.2 ypr) in two seasons. He earned FCS Freshman All-America honors in 2018.
• Durden was a 20th Round draft pick by the Red Sox in the 2017 MLB Draft and played in 30 games for the GCL Red Sox.
• Grad student Ka'Ron Ashley had a career game two weeks ago against No. 12 West Georgia, hauling in 12 catches for 169 yards and three touchdowns. All three stats were the most by a receiver in the GSC this season and among the top 5 in UWF history.
• Ashley joined former Argo standouts Quentin Randolph and Anas Hasic as the only players to catch three TD passes in a single game.
• Freshman Jared Smith made his first career start last week against Shorter, producing in a big way with four receptions, 116 yards and two TD - all career-highs. The Enterprise, Ala. native has 11 receptions for 229 yards and three scores this year. His 20.8 yards per catch are second on the team.
• Sophomore RB Shomari Mason has also gotten into the fold with the receivers, catching 16 passes for 116 yards (10.6 avg.) out of the backfield. Against West Georgia two weeks ago, he had a school-record six receptions by a RB.

ARGOS HAVE FORCED TURNOVERS IN 52 OF 59 GAMES
• The UWF defense forced a school-record six turnovers twice last season at West Georgia and at Ferris State. Those big plays were part of the 15-consecutive games with a turnover. Sadly, the streak ended in week one when they failed to get a turnover at McNeese State. A new streak started with a special teams turnover against SW Baptist and continued for three weeks until the last two weeks when the Argos failed to get a turnover.
• Further inspection shows the Argonauts have gotten at least one turnover in 52 of their 59 all-time games. UWF is 38-12 when getting a turnover and 3-6 when unable to force a sudden change.
• 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 round wooden disk has a large UWF logo on a navy blue background. The shield, which is a replica of what Jason and the Argonauts may have used in mythological times, is then signed in silver marker by the player(s) who had a hand in creating the turnover. New for 2021 is a metal trash can that is struck with a wooden sword in celebration.

UWF AMONG THE BEST AT FORCING TURNOVERS
• UWF is one of the best teams in the country at forcing turnovers. In fact, the Argonauts are one of just three teams nationally to rank in the top 20 each of the last three seasons in turnovers gained, joining CSU Pueblo and Winona State.
• Since 2017, UWF has 102 turnovers gained in 46 contests, averaging 2.2 per game.

CERRA STILL PERFECT
• Redshirt sophomore PK Griffin Cerra (pronounced 'Sara') had a nice debut for the Argos four weeks ago at Delta State, making five PAT & a 26-yard FG. He has since run his season totals to 20-for-20 PAT & a 4-for-4 on FG, making one in each of the last four games.
• Cerra transferred to UWF this season after three years at Southern Illinois. He was 47-of-48 on PATs and 5-for-6 on FGs with a long of 50 yards in 2018-19. He did not play in 2020.

ARGOS' ROAD SUCCESS CONTINUES YEAR AFTER YEAR
• UWF went 7-2 on the road in 2019. The seven wins tied for the highest total in Division 2 with Minnesota State's 7-0 mark.
• Following the North Greenville win last week, the Argonauts are now 25-9 all-time on the road in their fifth season of play, including an 8-1 mark in 2017 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, 7-2 and 4-0.

115 PLAYERS IN CAMP, 11 W/ 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.

    SENIORS/
    GRADUATES    JUNIORS
2016    5    14
2017    16    15
2018    27    40
2019    30    30
2021    26    24

• UWF has 11 football student-athletes who have received their bachelor's degree, making them one of 15 D2 programs with double-digit graduates. That continues a trend for the Argo- naut program, as they have averaged just over 10 graduates on the fall roster in their 5-year history. They led D2 with 11 playing graduates in 2018.

FRESH FACES WITH COLLEGE EXPERIENCE
• Since the end of the 2019 national championship season, UWF added 34 transfers – 14 from FBS schools, 9 from FCS level, 3 from other Division 2 programs & 8 from junior colleges. 18 of those are among the 2-deep this week with seven each on offense and defense, and four among the specialists.

THE ORIGINAL ARGOS
• Due to a variety of factors, UWF has two student-athletes that have been with the program since the practice season of 2015 - Trent Archie and Rodney Coates.
• Two additional Argos have been around since the inaugural season of 2016 - Ka'Ron Ashley and Marcus Clayton.

UWF PICKED FIRST IN GSC PRESEASON POLL, RECORD 10 ARGOS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-CONF. 
• UWF was picked first in a vote of Gulf South Conference coaches in the 2021 GSC Preseason Football Poll that was announced in August.
• UWF earned five of the seven possible first place votes and totaled 47 polling points. Valdosta State had the remaining three first place votes and was picked second with 45 points. Delta State, West Alabama, West Georgia and Mississippi College were bunched together in third through sixth, respectively. North Greenville and Shorter were at the bottom of the poll.
• UWF had a league-high nine student-athletes selected to 10 positions on the preseason all-conference team.
• On offense, five Argonauts were chosen, led by quarterback Austin Reed, wide receiver Rodney Coates, tight end Jacure' Jackson, and offensive linemen Jacob Bruce and Mike Dilla. The defensive representatives are Matthew Gotel on the line, Trent Archie at nickel back, and defensive backs D'Anthony Bell and Marcus Clayton. Jackson was also voted on special teams to the blocking team position.

2021 GSC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Pl. School – Points
1. WEST FLORIDA (5) 47
2. Valdosta State (3) 45
3. Delta State 33
4. West Alabama 30
5. West Georgia 26
6. Mississippi College 22
7. North Greenville 14
8. Shorter 7
* First place votes in parenthesis