By Bill Vilona
GoArgos.com Senior Writer
 
BOX SCORE
PENSACOLA, Fla. – The first two games, UWF never trailed and never faced an adverse moment, amid easy wins.

Just the opposite happened Saturday night in a disheartening way. 

After the sixth-ranked Argos rallied from a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter, then forced a second overtime, UWF's fourth turnover became decisive when unbeaten Delta State converted the mistake into a chip-shot, walkoff field goal and completed a stunning 45-42 win in the teams' wild Gulf South Conference opener at Pen Air Field. 

"You can't turn the ball over four times, you can't have the penalties we had, and we gave up big plays," said UWF coach Pete Shinnick. "The fact we actually made it to two overtimes, credit to our guys to keep fighting, but we have to play much better than that."

The Argos (2-1) had entered their second home game riding high. They outscored their first two opponents by a combined 101-13 and the Argos offense led all NCAA Division II teams in a couple categories. 

But this was a completely different kind a game. And much stronger opposition. 

"This was our first true test and we didn't get it done," said defensive tackle Aidan Swett. "So, it is a huge wakeup call for us. We have to get better."

The Argos will have that chance at home next Saturday when facing North Greenville (2-2), which won its conference opener.

On the first play of their second offensive possession, the Statesmen (4-0) created an omen for the game when quarterback Patrick Shegog connected with Dohnte Myers for a 70-yard touchdown pass play. 

When UWF tied the game in the second quarter on a 16-play, 99-yard scoring drive – capped by C.J. Wilson's 3-yard run -- Delta State's Tyler Kennedy returned the ensuing kickoff 96-yards for a touchdown. 

This is how it went for UWF. The Argos tied the game two more times on touchdown passes from quarterback Peewee Jarrett to Shomari Mason (13-yards) and a 75-yard catch-and-run by David Durden.

They trailed by only a touchdown in the third quarter despite having Ra'veion Hargrove lose the ball at the Delta State three in the first quarter, then reliable kicker Griffin Cera missed a 31-yard field goal in the third quarter. 

"Kickoff return was huge," Shinnick said. "Completely unacceptable. We have to do a much better job at that. I mean that is just giving points away. I felt like we needed a better kick and I felt like we needed better coverage. That's where their big plays offset what ours were."

The Argos, who had scored on 11 of 12 first half possessions the first two games, trailed 28-21 at halftime. The third quarter resulted in empty possession and Jarrett lost a fumble on his own 15 that Delta State converted into a 35-28 lead. 

"In the third quarter, (Jarrett) struggled a little bit," Shinnick said. "I felt like he was off. We went for it on fourth down, had two guys open and he missed them. And then he fumbled on next series, but he found a way to bounce back. We believe in him. There was an ugly stretch there for six to eight minutes in the third quarter where we couldn't do much."

In the final seven minutes, however, the Argos suddenly grabbed an emotion edge. Jarrett connected with Caden Leggett on two touchdown passes – the latter with just 1:38 left to tie the game at 35-35.

Delta State then took advantage of another strong kickoff return and set up for a 40-yard field goal attempt to with 1.6 seconds left to win the game. But Nick Herber pulled the kick wide left and the Argos bench was dancing again. 

"I felt really good about our chances (in OT). I felt like it was playing out in our direction," Shinnick said. 

In the overtime. UWF won the toss, chose defense and forced Delta State into a 3rd-and-11 situation that could have won the game. Instead, Shegog hit Kelvin Smith on a screen pass and he eluded a UWF defender en route to the end zone.

The Argos answered with Shomari Mason's 1-yard run to tie the game 42-42. 

Mason, who finished with a school-record 214 yards rushing, then broke free in the second overtime when the ball was stripped from him and Delta State pounced on its fourth takeaway. 

That led to the chip-shot field goal to win it. 

"We could never get over that hump," Shinnick said. "But (Delta State) answered. They found a way to get big plays. Extremely pleased with how we handled the fourth quarter to get back into it. But you can't turn the ball over in overtime. 

"Shomari is the reason we got back in the game and he's the reason we're there (in overtime). I felt like Shomari was playing phenomenal, I think it's a shame he fumbles the ball, but he had been great all game. Just needed to finish, I will continue to hand him the ball. Just unfortunate that took place." 

The Argos finished the game with 646 offensive yards and nearly a 20-minute edge in time of possession. 

But it wasn't enough. 

"Turnovers always come back to bite you," Jarrett said. "(646 offensive yards) is a big number, but you would rather have a win. It's a humbling experience, but you just get back on Monday and get to work." 
 
GAME NOTABLES
--- Former NFL standout offensive guard Josh Sitton, a Pensacola Catholic graduate and now business owner, was honored as honorary captain before the game and participated in the opening coin toss. 

--- UWF's first NFL player, defensive back D'Anthony Bell, who played for the Argos last season and made the Cleveland Browns roster as a free agent, was also saluted during pregame in his return to campus. The Browns played Thursday night, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

--- The UWF singers joined with the UWF pep band to perform the National Anthem.