LIVINGSTON, Ala. — The University of West Alabama Football team defeated the Chowan Hawks, 29-26 on Saturday, improving to 5-1 while the Hawks fell to 2-3.
The game was a tale of two halves, with UWA (5-1) dominating the first half and Chowan (2-3) clawing their way back in the second half.
West Alabama controlled the first quarter with 12:25 of possession, nine first downs and scoring trips on all three red-zone chances while building a 17-6 lead. The offense had 79 rushing yards and 67 passing yards, capped by an 11-play, 65-yard drive ending on
Luther Richesson's 15-yard touchdown pass to
Cam Joseph, while the Hawks' points came on a 29-yard fumble return by Altiziano Edwards. Richesson opened the scoring with his first rushing touchdown of the year. In the quarter,
Elijah Guyton converted on a pair of PATs and 37-yard field goal to break the All-time scoring record at UWA. Guyton now stands alone with 201 career points.
UWA took a 17-6 lead into the second quarter and proceeded to outscore the Hawks 10-0 in the period, getting a 44-yard field goal from
Elijah Guyton and a one-yard touchdown run from
Brayden Jenkins. The Tigers produced 66 passing yards, 47 rushing yards and seven first downs in the quarter, while the Hawks finished with 19 passing yards, 29 rushing yards, three first downs and went 0-for-3 on third down.
Kebian Gilmore's interception at the Hawks' 46 set up a late touchdown drive that was capped by Jenkins one-yard touchdown, leading to West Alabama carrying a 27-6 lead into halftime.
While UWA outscored Chowan, 27-6, in the first half, the Hawks clawed their way back in the game, by outscoring the Tigers, 20-2 in the second half.
Chowan controlled possession in the third quarter, holding the ball for 10:18 while Tyler Adkins went 9-for-10 passing for 122 yards through the air. West Alabama's offense slowed in the second half as they managed two first downs and went 0-for-2 on third down in the third quarter. UWA recorded their 16th takeaway of the year when
Nate Thomason forced a fumble that
Jamil Peterson recovered. West Alabama couldn't turn the turnover into points as the Hawks scored the quarter's only points on Adkins' seven-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Jackson and the PAT to make it 27-13.
The Hawks generated the fourth quarter's offensive production with 10 first downs, 97 passing yards and 31 rushing yards, scoring on two Adkins' touchdown passes while converting all five fourth-down attempts and going 0-for-6 on third down. The Tigers were limited to one first down, five rushing yards and 16 passing yards in the quarter.
During the quarter, Adkins and Tight End, Dezmond Randolph were in sync. The two connected on a multitude of times, including on a 20-yard touchdown to make it a one-score game with 8:14 left. Now only leading 27-20, West Alabama turned the ball over on downs, giving the ball back to the Hawks. Adkins got the Hawks into the Tigers' territory and connected with James Williams for a 16-yard touchdown to make it a 27-26 game with 4:01 left. Chowan lined up to kick the PAT to tie the game until the attempt was blocked by Peterson and returned for two points by
Levi Manson.
Peterson's block and Manson's return virtually won the game for the Tigers as they hung on for a 29-26 win.
Luther Richesson completed 14 of 25 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown and also scored on the ground.
Brayden Jenkins rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries and caught four passes for 28 yards.
Michael Dujon recorded a team and season-high 69 yards on 10 carries. Peterson led West Alabama defensively with eight tackles, recovered a fumble and blocked a kick.
Kebian Gilmore added five tackles and an interception.
After six consecutive weeks of play, UWA will be on their bye week next week and will return to action on October 17 for a matchup against West Florida in Pensacola, Florida.
