The University of West Florida (UWF) football team defeated No. 16 Southern Illinois 34-31 Thursday night in its first game as a Division I FCS program. The game, played at PenAir Field, drew a record crowd of 6,124.
The Argos (1-0 overall) achieved a balanced offensive performance and forced four turnovers on defense. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Ty'jay Davis completed seven of 17 passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns, also rushing for 88 yards in his first collegiate start. UWF’s rushing attack totaled 226 yards, led by TJ Lane with 71 yards and Markel Townsend with 33 yards and a touchdown on five carries.
Southern Illinois (0-1) faced a setback when their preseason All-American quarterback, DJ Williams, left the game with an injury in the second quarter after completing three of eight passes for 19 yards and running for 46 yards. Jake Curry replaced Williams, finishing with 14 of 30 passes for 168 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions, adding 31 rushing yards and a touchdown.
UWF opened the scoring with a 45-yard touchdown run by Davis with 1:13 left in the first quarter, giving the Argos a 7-3 lead. After a field goal by SIU’s Seth Adams, Davis connected with Jakari Mozelle for an 18-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 13-6. Williams’ injury occurred during the subsequent drive, followed by an interception by Noah Gibson of UWF. A'khoury Lyde then intercepted Curry and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown, increasing UWF’s lead. Adams added another field goal for SIU before halftime, making the score 20-9.
Townsend scored a nine-yard touchdown early in the third quarter, pushing UWF’s lead to 27-9. However, SIU began a comeback, recovering two fumbles by UWF’s Cannon Brite and Keishawn Smith. Curry found Allen Middleton for an 18-yard touchdown and Lem Wash for the two-point conversion, cutting the deficit to 27-17. Curry then ran for a 19-yard touchdown, bringing SIU within three points at 27-24.
UWF responded with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Davis to Luc Carroll with 2:37 remaining, sealing the 34-31 victory after Eli Webb recovered a fumble with 6:19 to go.
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