LIVINGSTON, Ala. – Jack McDaniels passed for 268 yards, connecting 32 times on 43 attempts, but No. 23 West Alabama lost to No. 4 West Florida, 47-7 on Saturday. This game marks the first time that the Tiger football team has lost three consecutive games at home since 2007.
McDaniels found Darius Nalls nine times for 68 yards. Demetrius Battle led the UWA ground attack with nine carries for 38 yards.
The D-Block struggled with the Argos aerial assault, allowing 403 yards, but held West Florida to 159 on the ground. Terrance Carter led the effort with eight tackles and one tackle assist. He was also responsible for the Tiger lone touchdown, returning a fumble for 71 yards.
UWA falls to 7-3 on the season and 4-3 in conference play, while the Argos improve to 8-1 and 5-1 in the GSC.
West Alabama took the opening kickoff and made a pair of first downs before handing over the ball to West Florida with a punt.
The Argos opened their first drive with a 34-yard run by Shomari Mason to the Tigers 49-yard line. After several incomplete passes, quarterback Austin Reed finally connected with Ka'Ron Ashley for 30 yards and the game's first touchdown. On the point after, Vincent McIntosh's kick was blocked by Charvez Embry and returned by Shamar Lewis to hold the Argos to a score of 6-0 with 10:55 left in the first.
The Argos had several big-yardage plays on West Florida's next possession, including a 54-yard pass from Austin Reed to Rodney Coates. The Tiger D-Block held firm, cutting West Florida's trip to the endzone short. The Argos settled for a 26-yard field goal to improve to 9-0 with 3:47 remaining in the first quarter.
The Tigers split time in the first and second quarter to open the period with a 13-yard pass from McDaniels to Bayley Blanchard. The West Florida defense forced UWA to go on a fourth and one. The pass from McDaniels to Owen Harper was complete, but no yards were gained on the play.
Taking over on downs at its 45, West Florida put together a five-play, 55-yard drive, capped by a 16-yard passing touchdown from Reed to David Durden. McIntosh added the PAT, and UWF led 16-0 with 9:58 left in the half.
On the next campaign, the Tigers drove in the West Florida territory, collecting yards in the air, with McDaniels finding Martin for 20 yards and Bass for 14 yards in the first two plays. After making it to the Argos 35-yard line, West Alabama could not advance further and punted on a fourth and five.
West Florida started yet another scoring drive on its three-yard line and covered the 97 yards in six plays to score again. A pass from Reed to Ashley for six yards punctuated the effort for the touchdown. PAT was good, and UWF led the Tigers 23-0 with under five minutes remaining in the half.
The Tigers did not keep possession long, falling foul for 15 yards and picking up only six yards in the air. West Florida took over on its 42-yard line and took just three plays to score again. With just 1:49 left in the half, the Argos held a 30-0 advantage.
In the third quarter, the Argos added a field goal and a touchdown with the point after to extend their lead to 40-0.
A bright spot in the period for West Alabama came in an interception by SchDarren Archie. Archie picked off a Reed pass on a first and 10 and added two yards for the Tigers.
The drive after the interception resulted in a punt, and UWF took over at its 36 with 13:22 left in the game. It was not a good campaign for the Argos. It ended with a Reed fumble and recovery by UWA defensive end Terrance Carter, who returned the ball 71 yards for a Tiger touchdown. Gabriel Dunkle added the point after to cut West Florida's lead to 40-7 with 2:56 left to play.
Before the close of the competition, the Argos added one more touchdown to their final score. After returning possession to the Tigers on a punt, Anthony Bell intercepted a pass from McDaniels and returned it for 90 yards for a final score of 47-7.
The Tigers will play in their final game of the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 13, when they host Mississippi College. West Alabama will also recognize its seniors during pregame. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. inside Tiger Stadium.
