Week 2 Recap: Argos Move to 2-0 Behind Another 35-3 Win
Notes from Rewatch
Peewee is really acclimating to this new offense well. Last year he was mostly a big shot or run kind of QB, this year he has looked solid in the short to intermediate game and hasn’t really run off of many scrambles.
Through two games he is averaging 80% completions on 50 attempts, pretty good start for a guy who only had one game over 70% last year. He also set his UWF single game high with 329 yards passing.
The offensive line is playing well, but they’ve got room to grow and the competition gets very stiff this weekend vs FAMU.
Running the ball has been pretty good, it helps that Wilson and Jarrett are so hard to tackle.
Starting RG Colton Beesley has struggled a little bit through two games, I believe both sacks allowed by UWF so far have been against him.
The coaches are seem to be trying to figure out the right side, with Ben Freeman again getting in the game early and sliding Chop Doucoure inside to RG.
This defense hits hard. Maybe it is selective memory, but I don’t remember the defense hitting with this much force last year. Gael, Breland, Swett, McMullen, and Dorn all had memorable shots on Saturday.
Not only are they hitting hard, but they tackled well too. Sometimes those two things dont go together, so far this defense hasn’t missed many tackles.
Alignment-wise offense and defense was pretty similar to week 1. LB and S depth was more traditional facing a more traditional offense.
UWF took a few more deep shots this week, nearly connected on one to Leggett early in the game, then found pay dirt on the second TD of the night. Still not a major part of this offense… yet.
Holding a team to 28 yards rushing on 23 attempts is super impressive, add in 7 sacks for -60 yards and you’ve got a truly dominating front 7 effort.
Six offensive players had at least two receptions, four had at least five rushing attempts. I’m loving the depth of skill on this team through two games.
The starters played pretty much the whole game on offense, defense brought in some second teamers in the 4th quarter.
UWF Players of the Week
Offense: WR John Jiles (3 catches 102 yards 2 TD)
This could have gone to Peewee again, but Jiles made his QB’s life easy on Saturday so he gets the nod. The big highlight of the night was a catch and run on a free play in the 3rd quarter, where he absolutely stuck a DB and then raced past the remaining defenders for a walk in TD.
He is just too physical and athletic for most DBs, and even as competition increases he is going to continue to be a problem for opposing defenses. I’m excited to see how the rest of his 2023 season unfolds.
Defense: DL John McMullen (4 tackles 3.0 sack 3.0 TFL)
This feels like it could be a trend… McMullen scored his second multi-sack game in as many appearances as an Argonaut. He was just a total force on the line, nobody could block him. Not only does he create for himself, but teams focusing on him create a lot of opportunities for his linemates, as evidenced by four more sacks from Argonauts defenders on Saturday. McMullen is going to be a critical piece of the Argos’ front in GSC play this year.
Special Teams: P Logan Gregory (2 punts 92 yards, 46 long)
He wasn’t asked to do a lot, but he performed well when he got the chance. Gregory had two 40+ yard punts, and put the defense into good field position both times. UWF isn’t used to punting a ton, but having an effective weapon there is going to make this team that much better.
From Around the League
West Alabama (1-1) handled 27-13 Limestone on the road
Delta State (2-0) and Chowan (0-2) opened conference play ending in a 42-18 Statesmen win*
*The game was called early after a fight erupted on the Chowan sideline involving players and fans attacking Delta State players
Shorter (1-1) posted their first win of the season beating Erskine 28-7
Valdosta State (2-0) secured a close road win 21-16 against in state rival Albany State
North Greenville (1-1) also beat an in state rival on the road with 24-14 win at Newberry
Mississippi College (1-1) fell on the road 30-17 against Midwestern State in Texas
West Georgia (1-1) also picked up their first loss in Texas 20-17 against TAMU-Kingsville
GSC Offensive Player of the Week
QB Peewee Jarrett West Florida (21-28 329 yards 4 TD 1 INT 11 carries 46 yards)
GSC Defensive Player of the Week
DL John McMullen West Florida (4 tackles 3 sacks 3 TFL)
GSC ST Player of of the Week
P Trey Sullivan West Alabama (7 punts 43 yard average 2 50+ 3 inside the 20)
GSC Freshman of the Week
QB Joshua Brown Shorter (15-18 197 yards 1 TD 0 INT 4 carries 32 yards)
Coming up This Week
This week is a big one for smaller school football in the Sunshine state. UWF will take the short trip down I-10 to Tallahassee to play against a very game Florida A&M team coached by Willie Simmons and lead by a number of All-SWAC caliber players on both sides of the ball. Saturday’s game is a huge test for the Argonauts, playing just their second FCS game in program history and against one of the premier FCS HBCU programs in the country. FAMU is 1-1 this season and coming off a good effort in the road loss against USF last weekend. They opened the season with a 28-10 victory against SWAC rival Jackson State.
