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GSC
PENSACOLA, Fla. -
The eighth-ranked UWF football team will hit the road this week for the first of back-to-back games away from home when they face Valdosta State on Saturday. Kickoff at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium is at 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT.
FOUR DOWNS WITH UWF
1. UWF has one of the top offenses in the country, averaging 43.8 points per game (5th) on 464.8 yards of total offense (13th) with 256.6 rushing (6th) & 208.1 passing (72nd). The offensive line has allowed 3 sacks in 494 plays.
2. UWF has had at least one passing TD in 53-consecutive games & 68 out of 71 all-time. The Argos have had at least two passing scores in 20 of their last 22 games, and at least 2 rushing TDs in all eight games this season.
3. David Durden is one of the top playmakers in the country, ranking 27th with 84.4 receiving yards/game and 56th with 4.9 receptions/game. Additionally, he leads the country with 20.3 punt return yards per game.
4. UWF has won the last two games against Valdosta State but has yet to win at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium in the regular season.
HERE ARE SOME MORE QUICK HITTERS ON THE ARGOS
• UWF is third in the country with 7.53 yards per play.
• Junior QB Peewee Jarrett is 29th in the country in passing efficiency, 19th in passing TD (19), 14th in passing yards per completion (14.9) and 20th in points responsible for per game (16.5).
• Shomari Mason and Ra'veion Hargrove lead the UWF rushing attack, which is ranked 6th in the country and second in the GSC with 256.6 ypg. The Argos are No. 1 in D2 with 7.25 yards per rush & VSU allows 5.81 ypr - 12th lowest in the country. Mason is 23rd nationally with 100.0 ypg and 4th with 7.92 yards per rush. Hargrove averages 8.3 yards per rush with 532 yards on 64 carries.
• A year ago, UWF averaged 45.7 points per game and 485.3 yards of total offense. The squad churned-out 170.0 rushing yards per game while passing for 315.3 ypg - all school records.
• The Argonauts were the Gulf South Conference Co-Champions and qualified for the NCAA Playoffs for the third time in the last four championship seasons.
• UWF was picked to finish second in the GSC Preseason Coaches Poll and received two of eight possible first-place votes.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
• UWF enters the game in second place in the GSC standings, a game behind Delta State. If DSU loses to West Georgia and the Argos defeat Valdosta State, UWF and DSU would share the league title. UWF defeated VSU on the final game of the regular season in 2021 to win a share of its first-ever league championship.
• UWF was picked to finish 2nd in the GSC earlier this year by the coaches. The Argos can finish no lower than a tie for second currently, meaning they will have met or exceeded the GSC preseason poll in five of their six seasons of football.
UWF 4TH IN NCAA SUPER REGION 2 RANKING
• UWF was listed at No. 4 in the second NCAA Division II Football Super Region 2 Ranking that was released by the NCAA Football Committee on Monday.
• In the ranking, Delta State, Benedict and Wingate are all ahead of UWF. Virginia Union, Tusculum and Tuskegee are seeded fifth through seventh, respectively, with Albany State, Limestone and Fayetteville State rounding out the region.
• The top seed in the four super regions will earn a first round bye in the NCAA Division II Football Championship, with the 2-4 seeds hosting first round games on Saturday, Nov. 19. The Football Selection Show will be aired on ncaa.com on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 4 p.m. CST.
ABOUT VALDOSTA STATE
• Valdosta State is 4-5 on the season and 2-4 in GSC action. The Blazers snapped a 4-game losing skid last week with a 58-37 road win over North Greenville.
• The Blazers average 487.8 yards of offense behind 277.6 passing and 210.2 rushing. They have one of the most dynamic backfields in the country with Jamar Thompkins and Seth McGill each pushing 600 yards on the year.
• The defense has allowed 482 yards of total offense with the bulk of that coming with 266.4 on the ground.
SERIES HISTORY
• VSU leads the all-time series 4-2 but the Argos have won the last two contests.
• The last three games have decided wither the GSC title or came in the NCAA Playoffs.
ROAD WIN STREAK AT 13, 2ND LONGEST IN D2
• UWF controlled the second half at West Georgia and dominated Shorter throughout as it extend its road win streak to 13 games. That ranks second in Division 2 behind Ferris State's 25.
• The Argos have won their last six on the road by an average of 34 points.
• UWF is 30-9 (.769) all-time on the road and 28-5 (.848) since 2017.
• 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, 6-0 and 3-0.
2022 TEAM IS UWF'S MOST BALANCED TEAM EVER
• Pete Shinnick's teams have usually been a pass-first look, with the run game serving as a complimentary component. Things have shifted this season with the steady emergence of the Argo rushing attack.
• UWF is averaging an NCAA-best 7.25 yards per rush and 256.6 yards per game - both of which are school records.
• Here is a look at the yearly breakdown of UWF's offensive production:
Rushing Passing Rush/Pass
Year YPG YPG Pct. Ratio
2016 99.2 308.4 24 / 76
2017 115.9 228.1 34 / 66
2018 132.3 228.8 36 / 64
2019 131.1 281.2 32 / 68
2021 162.4 313.3 34 / 66
2022 256.6 208.1 55 / 45
MASON GRABBING SOME RUSHING RECORDS, SETS TOTAL TD MARK
• Junior RB Shomari Mason busted out for a career-high 214 yards on 29 carries against Delta State earlier this season, establishing UWF single-game records for both categories (tied Chris Schwarz's 29 carries at IUP in 2017). He was equally impressive, powering through NGU a week later for 153 yards on 11 carries -- 13.9 yards per rush, and continued through the year with another strong effort in the win over MC - 137 yards on 15 rushes.
• As a result, Mason's 3-year career totals are now 2,231 yards on 275 rushes.
UWF CAREER RUSHING LEADERS
RUSHING YARDS
1. Shomari Mason (2019, 21-pr.) 2,231
2. Chris Schwarz (2016-18) 1,992
3. Anthony Johnson, Jr. (2017-19, 21) 1,668
YARDS PER CARRY
1. Shomari Mason (2019, 21-pr.) 8.1
2. Chris Schwarz (2016-18) 4.8
3. Anthony Johnson, Jr. (2017-19, 21) 4.5
RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
1. Shomari Mason (2019, 21-pr.) 22
2. Anthony Johnson, Jr. (2017-19, 21) 20
3. Chris Schwarz (2016-18) 11
TOTAL TOUCHDOWNS
Listed as Rushing-Receiving-Total
1. Shomari Mason (2019, 21-pr.) 22-2-24
2. Ka'Ron Ashley (2017-19, 21) 0-23-23
3. Anthony Johnson, Jr. (2017-19, 21) 20-0-20
4. David Durden (2021-pr.) 1-16-18*
5. Quentin Randolph (2016-19) 0-16-16
6. Rodney Coates (2016-19) 0-14-14
Kevin Grant (2016-19) 0-14-14
Tate Lehtio (2016-19) 0-14-14
* Durden also has one punt return for a touchdown.
IS SHOMARI MASON THE MOST EFFICIENT RUNNER IN THE NCAA? WE THINK SO
• A year ago, Shomari Mason led D2 with 8.5 yards per rush, finishing with 1,015 yards on 120 carries. This year has seen him continue to bulldoze his way into opposing secondaries, totalling 800 yards on 101 carries for 7.9 yards per rush (4th nationally).
• Those numbers, along with his 416 yards on 54 rushes (7.7 ypr) in 2019 have placed his career yards per rush at 8.1, a figure that is second among all active rushers in all NCAA Divisions.
NCAA ACTIVE CAREER
RUSHING LEADERS (All Divisions)
YARDS PER CARRY
1. Ronnie Brown, Shepherd 8.4
2. Shomari Mason, UWF 8.1
3. Ivory Durham, Valdosta State 8.0
4. Toriano Clinton, UIndy 7.9
5. Jamar Thompkins, Valdosta State 7.7
6. Giovanni Weeks, Wheaton 7.4
6. Ethan Greenfield, North Central 7.3
DURDEN CONTINUES TO SET RECORDS
• When senior WR David Durden caught eight passes for 142 yards at West Georgia this season, he move to the top of the UWF record book with his sixth 100-yard receiving game. He added to that list a week later at Shorter, tying his career high of nine receptions on his way to 111 yards.
• He passed Ishmel Morrow (2016, 18), Antoine Griffin (2016-17), Tate Lehtio (2016-19) and Quentin Randolph (2016-19) who all had five 100-yard receiving games in their careers.
• In 2021, he set the UWF record for consecutive games with a TD reception, crossing the goal line in the first five games of the season, passing Randolph, Hasic and Morrow - who each had a catch in three straight at one time in their careers.
DURDEN HAS WHEELS
• Senior WR David Durden is one of the fastest players on the team... and probably in the GSC. He leads the team with 591 receiving yards on 34 catches for 17.4 per catch. Further exploration shows he has 209 yards after the catch, for an average of 6.3 YAC.
DURDEN, LEGGETT THE TOP RECEIVING DUO IN THE GSC
• WRs David Durden and Caden Leggett have proven to be Peewee Jarrett's top targets this season - and that's a good thing because the duo has combined for 938 yards on 56 catches. They each average over 15.8 yards per reception and have 12 of the team's 20 TDs through the air.
• They are tied for first in the GSC with 6 TD in a group of seven that also includes B.K. Smith and Victor Talley of Valdosta State.
DEFENSE COMING ALIVE
• The UWF defense delivered another strong performance against Mississippi College two weeks ago, holding them to 211 yards rushing - 145 below their season average. As a team, the Argos are allowing 365.0 ypg and has forced 12 turnovers this season.
• The defense has been playing better and better over the past four games. In fact, since half time of the West Georgia game - the last 14 quarters - the Argos have held the opposition to 5.9 yards per play and 6.1 points per quarter while forcing five turnovers.
ARGO DEFENSE HAS FORCED A TURNOVER IN 62 OF 71 GAMES
• The UWF defense has always been a ball-hawking, aggressive unit that has forced at least one turnover in 62 of their 71 all-time games. UWF is 46-16 (.729) when getting a turnover and 5-4 (.555) when unable to force a sudden change.
• The Argos have forced 140 turnovers in 71 games for an average of 1.99 per game.
• The UWF defense forced a school-record six turnovers twice in 2019 - at West Georgia and at Ferris State. Those big plays were part of the UWF record 15-consecutive games with a turnover.
• 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 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.
UWF, STEVE DAWSON AMONG PUNTING ELITE
• UWF is fourth in the country in net punting, putting up 41.67 yards per punt. The Argos are allowing 7.33 yards per return.
• A large part of that goes to punter Steve Dawson, who averages 41.4 yards per punt on 16 kicks this season. That would rank 18th in the country and second in the GSC, except he doesn't have enough attempts to meet the NCAA minimum of 3.6 punts per team game (25.2 at this point) to qualify for the rankings. He has four of his 14 punts of at least 40 yards, including three of his last eight. Additionally, 10 of his 16 have been inside the 20 and eight have been fair caught, including five of his last six over the last three weeks, with the one not caught, going out of bounds at the 10.
CERRA BECOMING AN ELITE FIELD GOAL SPECIALIST
• Redshirt junior Girffin Cerra (pron. Sara) was named the GSC Special Teams Player of the Week after he made five field goals and three PATs last week in the win over West Alabama. The FG total set a UWF single-game record and tied the GSC mark, which has been set twce already this season.
• Cerra has made his last 10 kicks and is 11-for-13 on the season. He is third in the GSC in scoring with 78 points and second with 9.8 points per game.
