LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama Football team is set to travel to Murfreesboro, North Carolina on Saturday for a 12:00 p.m. non-conference matchup against the Chowan Hawks.
West Alabama (1-0) enters Saturday's matchup after defeating Fort Valley State, 27-17, in their season opener. Chowan (1-0) comes in after defeating Elizabeth City State, 28-14, this past Saturday.
"Going from Week One to Week Two, the importance of getting better is our standard," said head coach Scott Cochran. "We learned a lot about ourselves this past weekend, but it's time to go to work and execute at the highest level."
UWA's rushing attack was key in their win over the Wildcats this past Saturday, and the running back room consisting of Brayden Jenkins, Tyler Smith, and Contravious Blanks will lead the Tigers again this weekend. Jenkins is the lead back for West Alabama and enters this weekend's contest against Chowan, after accumulating 91 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Blanks followed suit with 41 yards, while Smith scored the first touchdown of the season for UWA.
With a host of new Wide Receivers playing meaningful snaps for the first time, the Tigers' passing game struggled in their Week Zero contest as Quarterback Spencer Arceneaux continues to gain chemistry with a fresh receiving corp.
Defensively, UWA played physical and fast against Fort Valley State. Linebackers, Travon Nunn, Michael McGregor, JT Hooten, and Devin Arrington were flying around the field all game long. Nunn registered a team-high seven tackles while McGregor followed suit with four. Up front, Anthony Oatis, Jalin Herbert, and Marquis Robinson all put together solid outings, creating a tough front seven for West Alabama. UWA's secondary is a strong unit and will look to build on a spectacular performance against Fort Valley State where they held the Wildcats to 77 passing yards.
The Tigers' secondary will face a stiffer test this weekend with Chowan and their star Quarterback, Maurice Smith.
In the Hawks' season opener, Smith threw for 287 yards and a touchdown, completing 22 of his 33 passes. On the ground, he rushed for another 29 yards on 10 attempts, leading to a Conference Carolinas Player of the Week selection. Smith's size fits the mold of a high level dual threat QB as he stands at 6'3", 220 pounds. The graduate student didn't play against the Tigers last year in UWA's 38-0 shutout win, creating a bit of intrigue for this weekend's contest.
Alongside Smith, Chowan rushed for 136 yards as a team, with Jalen Razor and Jamison Davis leading the way with 90 combined yards and two rushing touchdowns. Out Wide, Rodney Green and Dominic Haney both eclipsed 50 yards. Green leads Chowan with 84 receiving yards while Haney recorded a game-high six catches along with 58 yards.
Defensively, Defensive Back Isaiah Fulton is one of the Hawks' top players on that side of the ball. Last week, Fulton caught his first interception of the season while also registering four tackles and a pass breakup. Saftey, Justin Taylor comes into Saturday's game after accumulating a team-high six tackles while Darryl Harris recorded five tackles.
While Chowan's secondary played well last week, Arceneaux and the Tigers won't be timid and will look to get their passing game going on Saturday.
Kickoff for Saturday's game is set for 12:00 p.m. CST from Garrison Stadium.
