For just the second time in program history, the University of West Florida found itself in a double-overtime game.
And, also for the second time, the Argos dropped a heartbreaker to a Gulf South Conference opponent in that scenario. UWF fell to West Alabama, 35-33, on Saturday at Pen Air Field.
The Argos couldn’t find the late equalizer on a two-point conversion after Marcus Stokes had just thrown a 12-yard pass to Da’Mani Brown to get within reach. A swatted down pass from Stokes on the conversion attempt sealed the game for the Tigers, who are 4-0 for the first time since 2015.
“I thought our guys played well for four quarters plus the two overtime periods. We just came up one play short. That’s the game of football. That’s part of life. These guys are resilient,” UWF head coach Kaleb Nobles said. “They will learn. I promise you, we will be better because of this game.”
UWF (1-1), which took a bye during the second week of the season, has a tough task ahead in Week 4. The Argos travel to Grand Valley State University, a team that Nobles called “historically” good, in Michigan on Saturday. It’s UWF’s first away game of the 2024 season.
Here are three takeaways from UWF’s loss to West Alabama on Saturday.
Second-half surge
UWF, bluntly, looked down and out entering halftime, trailing 7-3, and only posting 50 yards of offense through two quarters. Marcus Stokes had completed just two passes – only one of them for positive yards – and the one decent drive the Argos did have, flamed out and ended in a field goal for Cade Lombardo.
West Alabama essentially had its way with the UWF offense for the first 30 minutes of game time.
Things were eerily looking like the 2023 matchup between the Tigers and the Argos, when West Alabama won 10-6 in Livingston.
But there was a drastic change entering the third quarter – albeit, after Stokes threw an interception that resulted in a touchdown for West Alabama on the ensuing drive – thanks to Stokes’ 70-yard passing touchdown to Ja’Corey Scott.
“I thought we woke up in the second half and played very well, and took what they gave us. I love this team. I can’t say that enough,” Nobles said. “There’s a lot of things we have to fix, but there are a lot of good things we can carry out of this game.”
Suddenly, the offense had life, trying to work through the West Alabama defense. It took until the beginning of the fourth quarter, but Stokes found Jackson Blalock to make it a one-possession game again. Then the golden boot of Lombardo tied it with 1:00 left in regulation.
“I am proud that Cade Lombardo nailed the field goal and gave us a chance to go to overtime. I’m proud of the way he played,” Nobles said.
UWF scored twice in overtime, kicking an extra point the first time around, but the offense still had major improvement in the second half, putting up 269 yards of total offense – a stark change from halftime.
“We’re going to fight. I love my teammates to death. I’ll fight with them any day. … All four quarters, we’re going to fight,” said Jamontez Woods, who scored the touchdown in the first overtime period. “Offensively, we wanted to go out there and dominate.”
Stokes continues to grow
Nobles made sure to emphasize that Stokes is a 19-year-old redshirt freshman, who just started his second collegiate football game after being behind both Michael Rich Jr. and Peewee Jarrett last season.
There were a couple times where Stokes threw a ball right into the hands of the West Alabama defense, and others where he couldn’t escape the pressure as the pocket collapsed and was sacked for bigger losses.
But when he needed to, Stokes showed up – and showed out – to give UWF a chance. He wound up finishing the night with 197 yards passing and three touchdowns.
“(West Alabama) played some different stuff than we thought they were doing to (on defense). They changed it up. … They’re going to try to do things to mess with him,” Nobles said. “There are some learning curves and things we’ll grow with as a staff with a redshirt freshman quarterback. He’s a great player and a great kid.”
Stokes was visibly deflated after the final play of the game when his pass was swatted down, which could have sent the game to a third overtime had he connected with a receiver.
“In the big picture, we took a chance on Marcus Stokes. We didn’t have to take him. We didn’t have to recruit him. I love the kid. I love him as a person. He’s grown up as a man so much that people don’t even see. … I love how he played, because he did not quit at all,” Nobles said. “You can tell he’s growing up and learning. He’s not perfect. He makes mistakes sometimes like every other human. He did a great job of growing up. That’s a tough environment, down by 10 points in the fourth quarter. … I learned some things, but also confirmed some things I knew about Marcus.”
This defense will win ball games
UWF’s defense is a strong one, there’s no doubt about it. Even though the Argos gave up 30-plus points for the first time this season – against a West Alabama offense that’s been unbeatable this season – the way the UWF defense kept the Argos’ offense in the game was what stood out to Nobles.
The Tigers never took pure control of the game, even if they led 7-3 at halftime with plenty of momentum. West Alabama was forced to punt eight times during the game, with a handful of drives resulting in three-and-outs (or an additional play or two with a penalty here and there).
On a night where the Argos’ offense is able to work down the field, the defense should help win plenty of games this season – as evident in Week 1 against McKendree.
“As the head coach, I know that’s what our defense is. We know there is a lot of talent on that side. … They’re going to keep us in a game a lot of times,” Nobles said. “As an offense, we can’t rely on that.”
UWF recorded two sacks, one from Ralph Ortiz and another from Kenneth Martin, with a couple more quarterback hurries from Justice Williams and Collin Shaw. And it’s not on the stat sheet, but Spencer Arceneaux was forced out of the pocket to run around several times.
But there were a few times that Arceneaux was just out of reach, and was able to extend a play or a drive with a late pass or a good scramble up the field.
“Their quarterback is a really good player. He’s grown up a lot in the last year since we played them. He’s a good player. They’ve got a lot of really good weapons around him,” Nobles said of Arceneaux. “As a former quarterback, if I know that I’m going to get hit every play, that’s on my mind. That’s why we want our defense to be aggressive in the right way. … Make sure you affect the game up front.”
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: UWF football loses to West Alabama in double overtime; three takeaways
