CARROLLTON, Ga. – It was a big night for West Alabama football Saturday inside of University Stadium. With the 38-20 victory over the No. 9 ranked West Georgia, UWA claimed its first 5-0 start to a season since 1972, and head coach Brett Gilliland recorded his 50th career win.
Jack McDaniels completed 25 passes on 34 attempts for 323 yards and two touchdowns against the Wolves. His favorite target of the night was Tyriq Martin, who had 10 catches for 166 yards and one touchdown. He also connected with Bayley Blanchard six times for 87 yards and one touchdown.
On the ground, James Smith, III led the effort with 10 yards for 64 yards and one touchdown, and Demetrius Battle tallied 19 carries for 56 yards and two touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, defensive end Chris Terrell had six solo tackles and one assist, including two tackles for a loss. The Pensacola, Fla. native also added a sack to the effort.
West Georgia took the ball first and marched it down the field. The Wolves used 11 plays to cover 80 yards in 4:28 minutes. The progress down the field mainly consisted of passes from UWG quarterback Harrison Frost. The drive ended on a 10-yard pass from Frost to wide receiver Phil Patterson for the game's first touchdown. The PAT by Omar Cervantes was good, and West Georgia grabbed an early 7-0 lead with 10:32 left in the first period.
West Alabama answered with a long, sustained drive of its own. UWA ran 11 plays for 78 yards in 4:35. Jack McDaniels kept the ball mostly in the air during the campaign. The Tigers scored their first touchdown when McDaniels connected with Tyriq Martin in the end zone for 25 yards. Gabriel Dunkle kicked the PAT to tie the game at 7-7 with 5:51 left in the first quarter.
On the next possession, the scoring continued for the Wolves. UWG took the ensuing kickoff and went 82 yards in 11 plays, getting into the end zone on a one-yard run by Jace Jordan. Cervantes added the point after, and it was 14-7 with just under two minutes left in the first.
West Alabama took possession of the ball on its own 48-yard line after a 62-yard kickoff and a 30-yard return by Greg McConico, Jr. A personal foul by West Georgia added 15 yards to the run. On the first play from the scrimmage, McDaniels completed a 14-yard pass to Darius Nalls. Two plays later, he connected with Bayley Blanchard for 24 yards and found Martin again for 12 yards. The first quarter ended in the middle of the drive, and the Tigers started the second quarter just two yards shy of the end zone.
Demetrius Battle covered the yardage for a Tiger touchdown. Dunkle added the point after, and UWA tied the game at 14 with 14:57 left before the close of the half.
The two defensive units began to settle into their roles in the second quarter. The touchdown-for-touchdown streak ended the period.
UWG field goal kicker took the field for the first time in the competition on the next possession. The Tiger D-Block stalled West Georgia's efforts to make a return to the endzone. Cervantes attempted a 50-yard field goal for the Wolves, but it was wide and to the left to end the drive.
West Alabama suffered a similar fate on the next drive, but the Tigers ended up on top. After marching down the field, Dunkle ended the campaign with a 41-yard field goal to give UWA a 17-14 advantage with 9:23 left in the half.
The following two possessions ended in punts before West Georgia put together a good drive with 6:28 left in the second. After the Wolves marched down to the UWA 39-yard line, a series of incomplete passes forced UWG to settle on a field goal. Cervantes made his second field goal attempt on the night. This time, he stuck the 45-yarder to tie the game at 17 with under three minutes before halftime.
In the Tigers last campaign of the half, on a third and three, McDaniels found Martin for 43 yards to put UWA on the West Georgia 5-yard line. Running back James Smith, III carried the ball the rest of the way on the next play, and Dunkle grabbed the PAT. UWA regained the lead at 24-17 to close the half.
The second half opened with two possessions that ended in punts. A West Georgia punt ended in a Tiger miscue and a penalty on the third drive, returning the possession to the Wolves. West Georgia capitalized on the mistake and converted the campaign into a 21-yard field goal, cutting the UWA lead to 24-20.
The Tigers made up for the error on the next drive, covering 80 yards in 7 plays. In just 2:27, McDaniels completed several passes to put West Alabama in scoring position. The campaign ended when he connected with Bayley Blanchard for a 24-yard touchdown. Dunkle's point after was good to extend the West Alabama lead to 31-20 with 6:26 left in the third quarter.
West Georgia's next possession resulted in a punt. UWA's offense took over at the Wolves 42-yard line. The Tigers kept the ball on the ground with several runs by Demetrius Battle. Battle scored his second touchdown of the game on a three-yard carry with the point after. UWA moved to 38-20 over West Georgia with just 1:26 left in the third period.
In the remaining minute in the quarter, the Wolves rushed to score. A couple of incomplete passes and penalties forced West Georgia into a third and 15. With just seconds left, Tiger defensive end Christopher Terrell sacked the Frost for a two-yard loss. UWG ended the drive with a punt to start the fourth quarter.
West Alabama's first drive of the quarter ended with a punt, and UWG took over at their own 16-yard line. The Wolves marched into Tiger territory, but on a third and 10, linebacker Trevon Stanford recorded his first interception of the year to reclaim possession for UWA with 10:28 left to play.
The defense held of scoring for the rest of the game for a final score of 38-20.
To stay connected with the UWA football team, follow @UWA_football on Instagram and Twitter. General athletic news, along with game recaps and box scores, can be found at uwaathletics.com. Additional updates and information are available @UWAAthletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
