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The sixth-ranked and third-seeded UWF football team play host to 22nd-ranked Wingate in the NCAA Division II Football Super Region 2 Championship Game on Saturday. Kickoff at Pen Air Field on the UWF campus is at 1:00 p.m.

FOUR DOWNS WITH UWF

1. UWF has one of the top offenses in the country, averaging 43.4 points per game (2nd) on 466.8 yards of total offense (8th) with 252.2 rushing (7th) & 214.5 passing (64th).
2. UWF has had at least one passing TD in 57-consecutive games & 72 out of 75 all-time. The Argos have had at least two passing scores in 23 of their last 26 games, and at least 2 rushing TDs in 11 of 12 games this season.
3. UWF has forced three turnovers in each of its NCAA Playoff games, coming up with three fumbles & three interceptions. Only Pittsburg State had more through the second week. UWF also blocked a punt & returned it for a TD.
4. UWF is playing a SAC opponent for the fourth time in 13 playoff games. The Argos defeated Wingate in 2017 & 2019, and Limestone in 2022.

HERE ARE SOME MORE QUICK HITTERS ON THE ARGOS
• UWF is second in the country with 7.56 yards per play.
• Junior QB Peewee Jarrett is 18th in the country in passing efficiency, 6th in passing TD (30), 3rd in passing yards per completion (16.6) and 8th in points responsible for per game (19.2).
• Shomari Mason and Ra'veion Hargrove lead the UWF rushing attack, which is ranked 7th in the country with 252.2 ypg. The Argos are No. 2 in D2 with 6.88 yards per rush. Mason is 39th nationally with 87.8 ypg and 2nd with 7.90 yards per rush. Hargrove averages 8.9 yards per rush with 796 yards on 89 carries for 66.3 ypg.
• David Durden is one of the top playmakers in the country, ranking 53rd in all-purpose yards/game (111.2), 21st with 88.5 receiving yards/game, 78th with 4.4 receptions/game & is third nationally with 17.7 punt return yards/game.
• 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.

UWF POSTSEASON 101
• UWF is continuing its fourth appearance in the NCAA Division 2 Playoffs, with previous showings in 2017, 2019 & last season.
• UWF is 11-2 in postseason play and an amazing 9-0 in road contests.
• The Argonauts went 4-1 in 2017 and lost to Texas A&M Commerce in the national championship game. UWF became the fasted startup to reach the postseason in NCAA history.
• Two years later, they turned in arguably the greatest postseason run of all time on their way to the national title. UWF defeated four undefeated teams and three number 1 seeds - both for the first time in NCAA D2 history. UWF's title in its fourth season of play matched Georgia Southern in 1985 as the fastest to win a title since starting a program - 4 years.
• In 2021, UWF fell to Newberry, 33-30 in overtime at Blue Wahoos Stadium in downtown Pensacola. The Argos led 27-14 early in the fourth quarter.

UWF CONTINUES TO LEAD D2 IN POSTSEASON WIN PCT.
• Following the 2019 run to the national championship, UWF took over the top spot in the NCAA Division 2 Record Book as the winningest postseason team in the division's history with a minimum of 10 games. The Argos are now 10-2 with a .833 winning pct.

NCAA DIVISION 2 CHAMPIONSHIP HIGHEST WINNING PCT.
SCHOOL    RECORD    PCT.
WEST FLORIDA    11-2    .846
Northwest Mo. State    53-20    .726
North Dakota State    30-12    .714
Grand Valley State    37-16    .698
Texas A&M Commerce    9-4    .692
Valdosta State    29-14    .674
North Alabama    35-18    .660
Ferris State    23-11    .676
Delta State    16-9    .640
*Minimum 10 Games Played

UWF IN QUARTERFINALS FOR THIRD TIME IN 5 YEARS

• UWF is making its third appearance in the NCAA D2 National Quarterfinals since 2017. That ranks tied for the second-most appearances during that time frame.

NATIONAL QUARTERFINAL APPEARANCES SINCE 2017
School    No.    Years
Ferris State    5    2017-18-19-21-22
WEST FLORIDA    3    2017-19-22
Minnesota State    3    2017-18-19
Angelo State    2    2021-22
Colo. Sch. of Mines    2    2021-22
Shepherd    2    2021-22
Indiana (Pa.)    2    2017-22
Northwest Missouri    2    2019-21
Valdosta State    2    2018-21
17 teams with 1 appearance each
* The 2020 Playoffs were not played due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CHECKING THE PERFORMANCE INDICATOR IN SUPER REGION 2
• One of the metrics the NCAA Division II Football Committee uses to help determine the postseason field and seedings is the Performance Indicator (Takes results of home, road and neutral games and assigns a point value that is then averaged to give the PI number). UWF has the second highest in Super Region 2 entering the playoffs at 27.667.
• Of the remaining teams in the bracket, the Argos are fourth, behind Angelo State (29.636), Grand Valley (29.800), and Ferris State (29.222). They are ahead of Shepherd (27.636), IUP (27.300), Colorado Mines (26.727) and Wingate (26.364).

UWF WITH TOUGHEST SOS IN SUPER REGION 2
• At the end of the regular season, UWF's strength of schedule was listed at .538 which was 12th in Super Region 2 and first among the seven postseason teams. Wingate was the next highest postseason team at .531.
• Among the eight quarterfinalists, UWF's SOS is fourth behind Ferris State (.614), Grand Valley (.575) and Colorado School of Mines (.544).

DECEMBER SUCCESS
• UWF is 5-1 all-time in games played in December. The Argos went 2-1 in the 2017 playoffs and 3-0 in the 2019 playoff run.

GSC IN THE POSTSEASON
• In the last five postseasons, seven different GSC teams have made the NCAA Playoffs.
• A GSC school has won a D2 best 12 national championships, with UWF claiming the most recent one in 2019. The GSC has put a team in the national title game each of the last five years, with three different schools in the first three years - North Alabama in 2016, UWF in 2017 & 2019 and Valdosta State in 2018 - marking the first time in D2 history that three different teams from the same conference made the title game in consecutive seasons.
• A GSC school has won the NCAA Division II Super Region 2, formerly the Southeast Region, crown 17 times in the last 19 seasons.
• Since Division II went to regionalization in 1990, a GSC school has advanced to the national semifinals 24 times in 31 seasons.

SHINNICK REACHES 150 CAREER VICTORIES, 50 UWF VICTORIES
• Pete Shinnick was hired as the first head coach in program history on Feb. 2, 2014 and has done a marvelous job since day one building the program from the ground up.
• Shinnick is in his sixth season at UWF (eighth year overall) and 20th as a college head coach, and enters the Wingate game at 158-66 (.705) overall and 55-20 (.733) at UWF. He currently ranks tied for seventh among active D2 head coaches in career victories.
• Wingate head coach Joe Reich is tenth with 149 career wins.
• 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 15-9 all-time in the postseason - 11-4 in the Division II Playoffs and 4-5 in the NAIA Playoffs while at Azusa Pacific from 1999-2005.

UWF-WINGATE SERIES HISTORY
• UWF and Wingate are meeting for the third time, with the two previous matchups also occurring in the NCAA Playoffs.
• UWF is 5-2 against South Atlantic Conference teams, having defeated Wingate in the 2017 & 2019 NCAA First Round and Lenoir-Rhyne in the 2019 Regional Final. They have split a home-and-home with Carson-Newman in 2018 & 2019. The Argos lost to Newberry last season in the playoffs and bested Limestone two weeks ago here at Pen Air Field.
•  In 2017, UWF played its first-ever postseason game at Wingate and came away with a 31-0 NCAA First Round victory. Mike Beaudry threw three TD and completed 18-of-31 passes for 160 yards, connecting with seven different players. The Argo defense had four turnovers and nine sacks while holding the Bulldogs to 205 yards of total offense and 140 rushing. Jalen Spencer had a pair of interceptions, including a pick-6 on the third play of the game.
•  In 2019, UWF was again shipped to N.C. and this time opened the team's run to the national championship with a 38-17 victory at Irwin Belk Stadium on a 56-degree, rainy, sloppy day. After the Bulldogs got a field goal midway through the first quarter, the 20th-ranked Argos scored 31 unanswered. Anthony Johnson, Jr. ran for 109 yards on 19 carries as UWF rushed for 195 yards and outgained WU 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. The UWF defense had six TFL, forced two fumbles and got an interception.

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 7.62 yards per play, due in large part to 6.88 yards per rush (2nd in NCAA) and  244.6 yards per game - both of those running stats 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    253.5    214.7    54 / 46

PEEWEE'S BIG ADVENTURE
• Junior QB Peewee Jarrett has steadily improved at UWF, gaining experience and mastering the playbook on a weekly basis. He has thrown for 2,385 yards on 144-of-282 passes with 30 touchdowns and a 153.7 passing efficiency rating.
• The Des Moines, Iowa native who was a NJCAA All-America at Iowa Central, has five games of 200 passing yards or more and has nine multi-TD passing games.
• Those numbers have increased on a regular basis, but in the last month he has really stepped up his rushing attack which has made him much more difficult to defend.

    First 7    Last 5
    Games    Games
Rushing YPG/TD    49.9/2    70.0/6
Passing YPG/TD    208.7/18    188.4/12
Total Offense    258.6    260.0
TD Responsible For    20    18

MASON GRABBING SOME RUSHING RECORDS, TIED FOR TOTAL TD MARK
• Junior RB Shomari Mason rushed for 120 yards on 16 carries (7.5 per rush) last week at Delta State, pushing him over 1,000 yards for the second time in his career. He enters the Wingate contest with 1,053 yards on 137 carries this season.
• In the first meeting with Delta State, he busted out for a career-high 214 yards on 29 carries, establishing UWF single-game records for both categories (tied Chris Schwarz's 29 carries at IUP in 2017). He was equally impressive, powering through North Greenville a week later for 153 yards on 11 carries -- 13.9 yards per rush, and continued through the year on his way to First Team All-GSC honors for the second time in his career.
• As a result, Mason's 3-year career totals are now 2,484 yards on 311 rushes.

UWF CAREER RUSHING LEADERS
RUSHING YARDS
1. Shomari Mason (2019, 21-pr.)    2,484
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.)    8.0
2. Chris Schwarz (2016-18)    4.8
3. Anthony Johnson, Jr. (2017-19, 21)    4.5

RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
1. Shomari Mason (2019, 21-pr.)    23
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.)     23-2-25
2. David Durden (2021-pr.)    1-21-23*
3. Ka'Ron Ashley (2017-19, 21)     0-23-23
4. Anthony Johnson, Jr. (2017-19, 21)    20-0-20
5. Quentin Randolph (2016-19)    0-16-16
* 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 1,053 yards on 137 carries for 7.7 yards per rush (2nd nationally).
• Those numbers, along with his 416 yards on 54 rushes (7.7 ypr) in 2019 have placed his career yards per rush at 8.0, a figure that is third 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. Ivory Durham, Valdosta State    8.1
3. Shomari Mason, UWF    8.0
4. Jaden Shirden, Monmouth    7.8
5. Toriano Clinton, UIndy    7.7

HARGROVE TURNING IT ON IN THE POSTSEASON
• RB Ra'veion Hargrove had 121 yards on nine carries with a TD in the NCAA First Round win over Limestone. His yards per carry average hit 13.4!
• At Delta State last week, he went for 83 yards on nine rushes for 9.2 yards per rush.
• His 2022 postseason numbers are now 204 yards on 17 rushes for 11.33 ypc - the most in the playoffs.
• On the season, he has 796 yards on 89 rushes for 8.9 yards per carry, which would lead the NCAA if he had the minimum of 10 rushes per game.

DURDEN CONTINUES TO CLIMB THE RECORD BOOK
• When senior WR David Durden caught eight passes for 142 yards at West Georgia this season, he moved 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 with 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.
• He currently ranks fourth at UWF in single-season receiving yards as he could become just the fourth 1,000-yard receiving in program history.

SINGLE-SEASON RECEIVING YARDS
1. Tate Lehtio    1,120    2019
2. Quentin Randolph    1,169    2019
3. Ishmel Morrow    1,038    2016
4. David Durden    973    2022

SINGLE-SEASON RECEPTIONS
1. Tate Lehtio    95    2019
2. Ishmel Morrow    71    2016
3. Antoine Griffin    63    2017
4. Quentin Randolph    58    2019
5. David Durden    48    2022

SINGLE-SEASON TD RECEPTIONS
1. Ka'ron Ashley    12    2021
    Quentin Randolph    12    2019
3. David Durden    11    2022
4. David Durden    10    2021
5. Caden Leggett    9    2022

CAREER RECEIVING YARDS
1. Tate Lehtio    2,463    2016-19
2. David Durden    1,760    2021-pr.
3. Antoine Griffin    1,697    2016-18

CAREER TD RECEPTIONS
1. Ka'ron Ashley    23    2016-19, 21
2. David Durden    21    2021-pr.
3. Quentin Randolph    15    2016-19
4. Tate Lehtio    14    2016-19

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 1,516 yards on 82 catches. They each average over 16 yards per reception and have 20 of the team's 32 receiving TDs through the air.

ARGO DEFENSE HAS FORCED A TURNOVER IN 65 OF 75 GAMES
• The UWF defense has always been a ball-hawking, aggressive unit that has forced at least one turnover in 65 of their 75 all-time games. UWF is 49-16 (.754) when getting a turnover and 6-4 (.600) when unable to force a sudden change.
• The Argos have forced 147 turnovers  in 75 games for an average of 1.96 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 second in the country in net punting, putting up 40.8 yards per punt. The Argos are allowing 5.17 yards per return.
• A large part of that goes to punter Steve Dawson, who averages 41.9 yards per punt on 29 kicks this season. That would rank 14th in the country, except he doesn't have enough attempts to meet the NCAA minimum of 3.6 punts per team game to qualify for the rankings. He has five of his last 11 punts have gone for at least 40 yards.
• Additionally, 17 of his 29 have been inside the 20 and 14 have been fair caught, including 10 of his last 13 over the last four weeks.
• Of his seven punts in the playoffs, six have been fair caught and two went out of bounds at the one and three yard lines.

SINGLE-SEASON PUNTING AVERAGE
1. Dawson Hamlin    52-2261    43.5    2019
2. Steve Dawson    29-1216    41.9    2022
3. Steve Dawson    25-1046    41.8    2021
4. Andrew Bogaenko    28-1122    40.1    2016
5. Dawson Hamlin    51-1977    39.2    2018

CAREER PUNTING AVERAGE
1. Steve Dawson    54-2262    41.89    21-22
2. Dawson Hamlin    103-4238    41.14    18-19

CERRA BECOMING AN ELITE FIELD GOAL SPECIALIST
• Redshirt junior Girffin Cerra (pron. Sara) was named a Second Team All-GSC kicker two weeks ago.
• He earned the third of his GSC Special Teams Player of the Week after he made five field goals and three PATs 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 had made his last 10 kicks prior to a miss at Valdosta State. He is 14-for-18 on the season. He is third in the GSC in scoring with 109 points and 9.1 points per game.

CERRA A BE THE MATCH DONOR, SAVED A LIFE EARLIER THIS WEEK
• For the past few years, UWF assistant head coach/offensive line coach Steve Saulnier has spearheaded the on-campus push to participate in the Be The Match, operated by the National Marrow Donor Program.
• UWF placekicker Griffin Cerra came up as a match for a 32-year-old female with lukemia.
• His preparation involved five days of three injections per day that began on Thanksgiving day. Long snapper and nursing major Wyatt Adams helped administer the shots. The side effects (mostly intense bone pain & headaches) set in after 24 hours, but Cerra played in last week's Second Round win at Delta State. On Sunday he flew to Seattle for Monday's collection, which took about 4.5 hours.
• He is the second player with UWF ties to be a match. Former QB Mike Beaudry did a cheek swab when he was a student at UWF and was found to be a match last winter, helping provide stem cells for a 68-year-old male battling lymphoma. Beaudry is currently a backup QB with the Edmonton Elks in the Canadian Football League.