RELATED LINKS: UWA Postgame Press Conference

LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The University of West Alabama football team pulled off an upset in Gulf South Conference play, defeating the No. 6/7 University of West Florida Argonauts by a 10-6 score on Homecoming from Terry Bunn Field at Tiger Stadium.

With the victory, West Alabama ended its two-game losing streak and improved to 3-4 on the season and 2-3 in GSC play.

The Argos, who hold one of the best league records since 2019 (22-4), saw their nine-game winning streak in league play end on Saturday night in Livingston. UWF falls to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play.

West Florida was also ranked in both Division II national polls, sixth in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) rankings and seventh in D2football.com's publication.

"This was a huge win anytime you get to get a win over a top-10 win at your place, especially for Homecoming. The credit goes to our guys to find a way to get the lead early in the game and refuse to let it go," said head coach Brett Gilliland.

"We were seeing some growth over the past several weeks, but it was not showing up on the scoreboard. That's a heck of a team that we just played tonight. I'm so proud of how our guys came together and refuse to lose."

The first quarter saw punts on both sides early, as neither team could string together a drive long enough to collect points.

UWF's top passing game came together in the middle part of the opening stanza, as Peewee Jarrett had a 21-yard reception to John Jiles to get the Argos in the red zone for the first time for either side.

After a one-yard run and an incomplete pass, UWF was staring at a third down and needing nine yards for a touchdown. Trevon Lambert found Jarrett for a 10-yard sack and forced the Argos to a 36-yard field goal by Griffin Cerra.

On West Alabama's next possession, the home team put together an eight-play, 81-yard drive that started with back-to-back completions to the tight end Cole McDowell, gaining 10 and 19 yards on back-to-back plays.

Later, after a personal foul penalty by UWF, Bry Webb posted a 22-yard rush to get the Tigers into the red zone and take the lead, 7-3. 

After a holding penalty pushed UWA to the 22-yard-line, a pass interference call gave UWA the automatic first down and the ball at the seven-yard line. On the next play from scrimmage, Webb found a path straight to the endzone for the touchdown.

"When they blitz on the field, we're going after him. I give credit to our offensive line; I'm nothing without them, "said Webb.

The punts mounted up on both sides from there all the way into the final whistle of the second quarter. UWA headed into the locker room with the 7-3 advantage.

After West Alabama received the second half kickoff, the Tigers saw some daylight as Tyler Walker caught Tucker Melton's 16-yard pass to get the ball to the 44-yard line. Later, his 36-yard reception put the Tigers in great field position. Getting the ball down to the UWF 13, Elijah Guyton drilled a 30-yard field goal to make it a seven-point affair, 10-3.

Later in the third, the Tigers defense sent the Argos on a three-and-out after a 12-yard sack by Artavious Washington.

As the contest shifted to the fourth quarter, the visitors made it known that they were a top-10 team. With nine minutes remaining in regulation, the Argos picked off the quarterback thanks to Elijah Williams. On the next play, Jarrett connected with Jiles for his longest pass of the day, a 57-yard strike that flipped the field from the UWF 40 to the UWA 3.

Once again, the UWA defense answered the bell. After a completion that saw no gain thanks to Davonchae Bryant and Trevon Stanford, the next play from scrimmage saw a pass go completely wrong for the Argos. A C.J. Wilson catch, and the presence of Cody Sigler, was the result of an eight-yard loss.

With just over six minutes remaining, UWF decided to take the points on a 31-yard field goal by Cerra.

The defense stood tall for the Argos on the next drive, as they forced the Tigers to a three-and-out. The "Anything you can do; I can do better" mentality arrived for the UWA defense on the next possession. With four minutes to go, after a loss of four yards on a tackle for loss by Michael McGregor, Jarrett recorded back-to-back incomplete passes to turn the ball over on downs with 2:47 left at the UWF 29.

UWA did have an attempt to make it a seven-point game again, but a 42-yard field goal went wide left with 1:49 remaining, giving the Argos life. However, they were out of timeouts.

Following an incomplete pass to the UWA bench, Jarrett's final attempt found the hands of Kel Williams, who sealed the upset with a 35-yard return.

"We were going over the scouting of him throughout the week. Late in the game, they were going deep. I played on top and the inside and made the play," added Williams.

Over the last two weeks, Gilliland and the staff have seen good progress at practice, and on a Saturday night in October, the program kept pounding the rock, and it finally cracked.

"The last two weeks, we have practiced well, and that was what was so frustrating last week. It showed up in areas, but it did not show up with the team as a whole. We found the positives this week, and I think our guys took it to heart," added Gilliland.

Coming into play this week, West Florida was 28th in scoring offense, averaging 36.5 points. Saturday in Livingston, the Argos did not find the endzone and were held to six points, marking the first time the Argos were held to single digits on offense since the Tigers' 45-7 victory in Livingston in 2018. 

Additionally, the Argos were having fits with the Tigers' defense, as they could not find the endzone. This marked the first time since their inaugural season in 2016 since that happened. UWF went back-to-back games at the end of its first season of football with three points at North Alabama and zero versus West Georgia.

West Florida totaled 214 yards of total offense, 158 through the air and 56 on the ground. All three strongly under their season averages that are one of the best in Division II. The program's 268.8 yards per game through the air was 10th-best in the nation, and their 464.5 yards of total offense was 14th. 

"We're buying in to what we're known for. D.T.P.: Discipline, Toughness and Patience. We go out there and play on the field with those three things, you'll never go wrong," added Williams.  

Tucker Melton threw for 109 yards on 8-of-21 passing, with Tyler Walker catching 52 of those yards. Bry Webb added 79 yards on the ground and a score.  

The Tigers recorded 12 tackles for a loss on the night, led by Davonta Jackson's four and a sack. Artavious Washington and Trevon Lambert each recorded a sack.

Peewee Jarrett, who came into the night 10th in Division II in passing yards, averaging 278 per game, and seventh in passing touchdowns, threw for 158 on 13-of-32.  

John McMullen had 2.5 tackles for a loss and half a sack.  

The Tigers will enjoy a bye week next and prepare for Chowan University on the road. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET / noon CT from Murfreesboro, North Carolina on Oct. 28.