Football Preview | UWA vs Valdosta State | Game 3

#8 WEST ALABAMA (2-0, 0-0) vs VALDOSTA STATE (2-0, 0-0)
Sept. 15, 2018 l Tiger Stadium | Livingston, Ala. | 6 p.m. CDT l ESPN 104.9

THE SERIES
This is the 38th meeting between the Tigers and the Blazers. VSU leads 32-5.

WEST ALABAMA
West Alabama is 2-0 after beating Miles, 37-21, in the season opener last week.

VALDOSTA STATE
The Blazers are 2-0 after hammering Fort Valley State, 55-6, last week.

THE COACHES
Brett Gilliland is 31-17 in his fifth season at UWA, his fifth as a collegiate head coach. Kerwin Bell is 15-7 in his third season at VSU, 81-42 in his 12th year as a head coach.

COVERAGE
Radio: ESPN 104.9: Robert Upchurch & Will Atkinson handle the call.
Twitter: @UWAAthletics
Stats: http://statb.us/b/227486
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/uwa/

GILLILAND SET TO BECOME UWA WINNINGEST COACH
With the win over Miles last week, UWA head coach Brett Gilliland tied Frank North atop the all-time Tigers head coaching win list. In his fifth season, Gilliland has 31 victories. North won 31 from 1979-84. Below are the top three on the list:

Coach	Years	W-L-T	Pct.
Brett Gilliland	2014-Present	31-17	.646
Frank North	1979-84	31-29	.517
Jim King	1973-76	29-14-1	.663

SAULSBERRY SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF WEEK
UWA WR and KR Christian Saulsberry racked up 193 all-purpose yards in the win over Miles to earn GSC special teams player of the week. He returned a kickoff 95-yards for a TD, while catching six passes for 98 yards and two more touchdowns.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE BLAZERS
West Alabama claimed the outright 2017 Gulf South Conference football championship with a 38-14 victory over Valdosta State at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium on Nov. 4, 2017.?

18 of 22, 13 of 16
West Alabama has won 18 of its last 22 games, an . 818 winning percentage dating back to the middle of the 2016 season. West Alabama is 13-3 against GSC opponents over the last two seasons.

HOF INDUCTIONS
Four former Tigers, two from the football program, will be indicted into the UWA Athletic Hall of Fame Saturday morning, serve as honorary captains for the game versus VSU and then be honored again at halftime. Included in the 38th HOF Class are former quarterback Deon Williams, former running back Robbie James, former baseball pitcher Brandon Dill and former women's basketball star Beverly Reed Lockett.

HARRY CLIMBING THE CHARTS
QB Harry Satterwhite sits in fourth place on the all-time UWA passing yards list with 5,333. He is just the fifth quarterback in UWA history to pass for more than 5,000 yards and is third all-time with 48 TD passes.

TOP 5 PASSERS IN UWA HISTORY
Player                       Years        Yards       TDs
Kyle Caldwell            11-14         7,711       72
Deon Williams           08-10        7,034       64
Brett Gilliland             00-03      6,689       36
Harry Satterwhite    15-18        5,333       48
Marty Washington     92-93        5,018       40

2018 UNIFORM COMBINATION RECORD
Red Jersey, White Pants: 1-0
Red Jersey, Red Pants: 1-0
White Jersey, Red Pants: 0-0
White Jersey, White Pants: 0-0
Red Jersey, Black Pants: 0-0
White Jersey, Black Pants: 0-0

FIFTH WITH FIVE
The Tiger defense is fifth in the nation and leads the GSC with five interceptions after just two games. Safety Nicarius Peterson leads the way with three.

SAULSBERRY AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
Tiger kickoff returner Christian Saulsberry is leading the Gulf South Conference and is second in the nation in kickoff returns, averaging 36.88 yards per return.

14th IN APY
Christian Saulsberry is also 14th nationally in all-purpose yards per game with 363 after two games, an average of 181.5 per game.

HIGH SCORING AFFAIR?
Saturday's game features two of the top three scoring offenses in the GSC. Valdosta State leads the league, averaging 50 points per game, while UWA is third at 36.5 per game.

PLAYING THE LEADERS
Valdosta State leads the GSC in total offense, total defense and scoring offense. The Blazers are second in scoring defense.

TIGER AIR RAID
West Alabama leads the conference in passing yards per game at 286.5 per game. WB Harry Satterwhite leads the league in passing yards per game (274) and total passing yards (548).

TOTAL OFFENSE
Harry Satterwhite also leads the league in total offense with 278.5 yards per game.

RETURN POLICY
West Alabama leads the league in kickoff returns at 36.9 yards per return.

MATTER OF DISCIPLINE
UWA is the least penalized team in the GSC with just 10 penalties for 55 yards after two games.

HEAD COACH BRETT GILLILAND
Record setting quarterback and University of West Alabama Athletic Hall of Fame member Brett Gilliland came home on Dec. 9, 2013 to be the 21^st head football coach at his alma mater. Now in his fifth season as the Tigers head coach, Gilliland is set to become the winningest coach in school history with a win over Valdosta State Saturday.

Gilliland was 5-6, 7-4 and 7-4 in his first three seasons at UWA. In his fourth year as head coach he led the Tigers to a 10-3 record, the 2017 Gulf South Conference championship and a third round trip in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Under Gilliland, the Tigers became just the third team in school history to win at least 10 games and the first since 1975.

Following his playing days at UWA, Gilliland began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Georgia Tech before moving on to the offensive staff Georgia Southern. While at Georgia Tech, Gilliland was a part of three Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Coastal Division Championships (2006, 2008 and 2009).

In 2007, Gilliland worked with Yellow Jacket quarterbacks after assisting with the receiving corps in 2006, including Biletnikoff Award winner Calvin Johnson. Gilliland coached the running backs for two seasons at Tech, a group that included Doak Walker semi-finalist Jonathan Dwyer. Dwyer was the ACC rushing leader and 2008 player of the year.

In three seasons at Georgia Southern, Gilliland worked with the running backs (2010), tight ends and tackles (2011) and wide receivers (2012). He took over the recruiting coordinator duties following the conclusion of the 2011 season. With Gilliland on staff, Georgia Southern posted a 31-12 (.721) overall record, won two Southern Conference titles (2011, 2012) and made three consecutive NCAA Football Championship Series (FCS) semifinal appearances.

Gilliland was a regional finalist for the Harlon Hill trophy in 2003. He earned all-region recognition from the Football Gazette (2002). He concluded his career as the Tigers' single-season (3,213) and career passing yards (6,689) record holder.

In 2012, he was inducted into the UWA Athletic Hall of Fame. At the conclusion of his playing career, Gilliland had posted four of the top 10 single game passing performances in school history, including a then school-record 470 yards against Valdosta State in 2002.

A two-time member of the All-Gulf South Conference Academic list, he was a two-time winner of the Asa Green Scholar-Athlete Award, an award presented to the UWA student-athlete with the highest grade-point average on the football team, winning it in 2001 and 2003. A 2003 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District IV selection, he also was honored twice with a Gulf South Conference "Top Eight" award before graduating magna cum laude from UWA in 2004.

Gilliland and his wife, Amanda, are the parents of a son, Rece (7), and a daughter, Ella Kate (2).

UWA FOOTBALL ASSISTANT COACHES

Assoc. HC /Receivers/Special Teams
Lamont Seward (Western Carolina 2003)
4th Year at UWA

Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
Steve Sisa (Virginia Tech 2001)
2nd Year at UWA

Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Don Bailey (Portland State 1991)
3rd Year at UWA

Tight Ends
David Thornton, (UAB 1995)
7th Year at UWA

Defensive Line
Roberto Pinilla, (West Georgia 1997)
5th Year at UWA

Defensive Backs
Ervin Jackson (Ohio 2008)
7th Year at UWA

Running Backs
Deon Williams (UWA 2011)
7th Year at UWA

Offensive Line
Devin Myers (UWA 2016)
4th Year at UWA

Defensive Graduate Assistant
Sean Osnowitz (Faulkner 2015)
1^st Year at UWA

Defensive Graduate Assistant
Jared Boddie (Taylor University 2013)
1^st Year at UWA

Offensive Graduate Assistant
Barnard McGhee
1^st Year at UWA

Special Assistant to the Head Coach
Ryan Cram
4^th Year at UWA

UWA Record Breakdown
Overall: 2-0
GSC: 0-0
Home: 2-0
Road: 0-0
Day: 0-0
Night: 2-0
Aug: 1-0
Sept: 1-0
Oct: 0-0
Nov: 0-0
Score First: 0-0
Lead After 1st Quarter: 1-0
Trail After 1st Quarter: 1-0
Tied After 1st Quarter: 0-0
Lead At Half: 2-0
Trail At Half: 0-0
Tied At Half: 0-0
Lead After 3rd Quarter: 1-0
Trail After 3rd Quarter: 1-0
Tied After 3rd Quarter: 0-0
1-5 Points: 1-0
6-10 Points: 0-0
11-19 Points: 1-0
20-29 Points: 0-0
30 or More Points: 0-0
Overtime: 0-0
GSC Home: 0-0
GSC Road: 0-0
ESPN3: 0-0

DEFENSE DEPTH CHART			OFFENSE DEPTH CHART
CB 1 Chase Mitchell, 5-11, 190, Jr.			WR 8 Tyriq Martin, 6-3, 183, Fr.
20 Jordan Graddy, 5-10, 167, So.			82 Jurmorris McMillon, 5-9, 180, So.

CB 21 Danny Rambo, 5-11, 170, Sr.			TE 18 Qua Boyd, 6-5, 245, Sr.
27 Trey Elston, 6-2, 175, Fr.			26 Markeith Gray, 6-3, 216, Jr.

S 3 Nicarius Peterson, 5-11, 183, Jr.			LT 64 Kornelius Rogers, 6-4, 272, Jr.
25 Abraham Wallace, 6-0, 190, Sr.			74 Jalen Gardner, 6-3, 313, Rfr.

S 7 Tavarius Hutchinson, 5-10, 170, Jr.			LG 62 Stuart Mixson, 6-2, 333, So.
8 Montell Dent, 5-8, 178, Sr.			50 Fabion Jones, 6-2, 331, Jr.

Mike 38 Savon Parker, 6-0, 199, Jr.			C 55 Call Dyer, 6-4, 357, So.
4 Michael Anderson, 6-0, 206, Rfr.			51 Mason Langley, 6-4, 290, RFr.

Will 14 Terry Samuel, 6-2, 200, Sr.			RG 66 Brett Houston, 6-3, 359, Rfr.
41 Josh Hatcher, 6-0, 192, So.			70 Aaron Ferguson, 6-6, 335, Jr.

Sam 34 Skylar Mosley, 6-1, 233, Jr.			RT 75 Brandon Anderson, 6-3, 287, So.
5 Dorsett Johnson, 6-2, 215, Jr.			53 La'Thomas Sharp, 6-3, 315, Jr.

End 10 Darius Ellis, 5-10, 233, Sr.			WR 89 Bailey Blanchard, 67-1, 184, So.
11 Dakota Rushing, 6-6, 260, Sr.			37 Seth Knotts, 6-1, 204, Sr.

N 98 Carmarcus Williams, 6-1, 271, Jr.			WR 4 Dominique McNealey, 5-10, 180, Jr.
43 Levi Hammack, 6-0, 280, So.			2 Christian Saulsberry, 5-8, 188, Jr.

DT 54 Undraez Lilly, 6-0, 251, So.			RB 5 Tevin Moore, 5-11, 215, Sr.
94 Jon Michael Edwards, 6-4, 250, So.			28 Tyler Rogers, 5-10, 211, Sr.

End 42 Jordan Jones, 6-2, 234, Jr.			QB 15 Harry Satterwhite, 6-1, 182, Sr.
52 Jai Smith, 6-2, 260, RFr.			6 Jacob Murphree, 6-2, 190, So.

KO 39 Jordan Bennett, 6-0, 178, Sr.			LS 60 Jared Adair, 6-2, 205, Jr.
95 Ibrahima Sylla, 6-2, 180, Fr.			44 Drew Edgar, 5-9, 235, Sr.

FG 39 Jordan Bennett, 6-0, 178, Sr.			P 17 Zach Gaines, 6-1, 218, So.
95 Ibrahima Sylla, 6-2, 180, Fr.			31 Nathan Cobb, 6-0, 167, Fr.

SEASON IN REVIEW
Game 1 - West Alabama 36, Lenoir-Rhyne 32
August 30, 2018 - Livingston, Alabama

Tevin Moore scored on a 15-yard run with 12 seconds left to lift 11^th-ranked West Alabama to a 36-32 season-opening win over Lenoir-Rhyne (0-1) at Tiger Stadium.

After building an 11-point lead in the first half and a 10-point advantage early in the fourth quarter, the Tigers (1-0) almost let the home-opener get away.

Trailing 29-19, Lenoir-Rhyne scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, both on 53-yard passes from Grayson Willingham. The first one was to Dareke Young with 2:06 left to play and the second to T. J. Smith with 1:56 left in the game.

Moore's game-winner capped a nine-play, 66-yard drive orchestrated by Tiger quarterback Harry Satterwhite in 1:37. Satterwhite and Qua Boyd hooked up for five yards on a fouth-and-4 on the fourth play of the drive to keep UWA's hopes alive.

Satterwhite completed 23-of-44 passes for 256 yards and two scores. He had touchdown passes to Dominique McNealey and Tyriq Martin. McNealey's was a 4-yard slant for the Tigers first touchdown and Martin's was on a 47-yard streak down the west sideline to give UWA a 29-19 lead.

Boyd finished with 82 yards on eight receptions, followed by McNealey with five receptions for 70 yards.

Tyler Rogers led West Alabama rushers with 75 yards on 16 carries, Derrick Underwood had 32 yards on five trips, including a 23-yard TD. Moore's game winner was his second touchdown of the game. He also scored on a 1-yard plunge in the second quarter.

Tavaris Hutchison had 11 tackles for West Alabama, followed by Terry Samuel with nine. Terrence Jones and Jordan Jones had eight tackles each. Jordan Jones had a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss. Dakota Rushing had a sack.

Game 2 - West Alabama 37, Miles 21
Sept. 6, 2018 - Livingston, Ala.

Christian Saulsberry scored three touchdowns and Harry Satterwhite threw four touchdown passes as 10^th-ranked West Alabama (2-0) overcame a sluggish start to defeat Miles College (0-2), 37-21.

The Tigers outgained the Golden Bears 261 yards to 80 in the final two quarters. The UWA defense allowed Miles just 11 yards in the fourth quarter.

With the win, Tiger head coach Brett Gilliland tied Frank North for most all-time coaching wins at UWA with 31.

Saulsberry caught two touchdown passes from Satterwhite and returned a kickoff 95 yards for another score. He finished with six receptions for 98 yards as the Tigers piled up 317 yards passing.

Sophomore wide out Bayley Blanchard hauled in a career-high nine receptions for 75 yards, including a 2-yard scoring toss from Satterwhite late in the first half to give UWA a 20-14 lead at the break.

Satterwhite finished 30-for-41 for 292 yards to go along with the four TD passes. Backup Jacob Murphree completed 3-of-4 attempts for 25 yards.

Satterwhite and Qua Boyd also hooked up on a 4-yard scoring pass. Boyd finished with four receptions for 60 yards.

Tiger safety Nicarius Peterson intercepted two passes, giving him three for the season. Terry Samuel led Tiger tacklers with nine stops. Jordan Jones had eight tackles, including a sack and 2.5 for loss.

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Players Mentioned

#9 Barnard McGhee: WR; 5' 8"; Senior

#60 Jared Adair: LS; 6' 2"; Senior

#75 Brandon Anderson: OL; 6' 3"; Junior

#4 Michael Anderson: DB; 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman

#39 Jordan Bennett: K/P; 6' 0"; Senior

#89 Bayley Blanchard: WR; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#18 Qua Boyd: TE; 6' 5"; Senior

#8 Montell Dent: DB; 5' 8"; Senior

#55 Call Dyer: OL; 6' 4"; Junior

#10 Darius Ellis: DE; 5' 10"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#9 Barnard McGhee
: 5' 8"; Senior
: WR

#60 Jared Adair
: 6' 2"; Senior
: LS

#75 Brandon Anderson
: 6' 3"; Junior
: OL

#4 Michael Anderson
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman
: DB

#39 Jordan Bennett
: 6' 0"; Senior
: K/P

#89 Bayley Blanchard
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: WR

#18 Qua Boyd
: 6' 5"; Senior
: TE

#8 Montell Dent
: 5' 8"; Senior
: DB

#55 Call Dyer
: 6' 4"; Junior
: OL

#10 Darius Ellis
: 5' 10"; Senior
: DE