UWF football upsets No. 16 Southern Illinois in first Division I game

Luka logs his second 50-point game this season

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UWF football upsets No. 16 Southern Illinois in first Division I game

Justin Fitzgerald, Pensacola News Journal · Pensacola News Journal

Fri, Aug 28, 2026 ·

3 min read

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UWF football made history in more ways than one Thursday night.

In their first game at the NCAA Division I FCS level, the Argos upset No. 16 Southern Illinois 34-31 in front of a PenAir Field record crowd of 6,124 .

UWF (1-0 overall) was balanced on offense and forced four turnovers on defense.

Redshirt sophomore Ty'jay Davis completed seven of 17 passes for 109 yards, two touchdowns, and ran for 88 yards in first collegiate start. The Argos ran for 226 yards, getting 71 yards from TJ Lane and 33 yards and a touchdown on five carries from Markel Townsend.

Argos Blake Boda (4) takes it to the house for a touchdown and a 19-6 lead over the Salukis during the Southern Illinois vs West Florida opening D1 football game at the University of West Florida in Pensacola on Aug. 27, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)

The Argos celebrate taking a 19-6 lead over the Salukis during the Southern Illinois vs West Florida opening D1 football game at the University of West Florida in Pensacola on Aug. 27, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)

Argos TJ Lane (8) carries the ball for a big pick up against the Salukis during the Southern Illinois vs West Florida opening D1 football game at the University of West Florida in Pensacola on Aug. 27, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)

Argos Markel Townsend (0) rushes for a touchdown and a 26-9 lead over the Salukis during the Southern Illinois vs West Florida opening D1 football game at the University of West Florida in Pensacola on Aug. 27, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)

The Argos celebrate taking a 26-9 lead over the Salukis during the Southern Illinois vs West Florida opening D1 football game at the University of West Florida in Pensacola on Aug. 27, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)

Argos Tyshon Mansell (5) celebrates with fans after their 34-31 victory over the Salukis during the Southern Illinois vs West Florida opening D1 football game at the University of West Florida in Pensacola on Aug. 27, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)

Argos Carson Ratliff (5) gets a hug from head coach Kaleb Nobles after their 34-31 victory over the Salukis during the Southern Illinois vs West Florida opening D1 football game at the University of West Florida in Pensacola on Aug. 27, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)

Argos Markel Townsend (0) celebrates with fans after their 34-31 victory over the Salukis during the Southern Illinois vs West Florida opening D1 football game at the University of West Florida in Pensacola on Aug. 27, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)

Argos Oliver Van Dyke (15) celebrates after their 34-31 victory over the Salukis during the Southern Illinois vs West Florida opening D1 football game at the University of West Florida in Pensacola on Aug. 27, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)

Argos Ty Conze (7) celebrates with fans after their 34-31 victory over the Salukis during the Southern Illinois vs West Florida opening D1 football game at the University of West Florida in Pensacola on Aug. 27, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)

Argos quarterback Ty'ray Davis (1) celebrates with fans after their 34-31 victory over the Salukis during the Southern Illinois vs West Florida opening D1 football game at the University of West Florida in Pensacola on Aug. 27, 2026.
(Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)

More photos are coming soon.
(©Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal)

SIU (0-1) preseason All-American quarterback DJ Williams left the game with an injury in the second quarter and didn't return. He completed three of eight passes for 19 yards and ran eight times for 46 yards.

Jake Curry replaced Williams, completing 14 of 30 passes for 168 yards, two touchdown and three interceptions while running for 31 yards and a touchdown.

A game of firsts for UWF Argos

The Argos first Division I possession ended with a Lane fumble, but like it did all night, the defense stiffened up and held SIU to a 31-yard field goal from Seth Adams .

On the Argos next possession, Davis took a designed run down the right side and all the way to the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown. Brogan Woeber nailed the extra point to give UWF a 7-3 lead with 1:13 left in the first quarter, the Argos first in Division I.

UWF's A'khoury Lyde (4) finishes off a 45-yard pick-six in the first half of the Argos 34-31 win over No. 16 Southern Illinois on Aug. 27, 2026 at PenAir Field

Adams drilled a 50-yard field goal to end the next possession, only for the Argos to find the end zone again. Facing a fourth-and-4 from the Salukis 19. Davis found Jakari Mozelle for a first down, then the senior receiver broke his tackle on his way to a touchdown and a 13-6 lead with 9:48 left in the second quarter.

Williams left on the next drive due to an injury, which ended when Noah Gibson picked off Curry. The Argos were forced to punt, but A'khoury Lyde picked off Curry on the next series and returned it for a 44-yard touchdown with 4:40 left in the second quarter. Adams hit his third field goal of the half to cut UWF's lead to 20-9 with eight seconds remaining before halftime.

UWF football rolled in first half of first D-I game

Markel Townsend ran for a 9-yard touchdown on UWF's second drive of the second half, giving the Argos a 27-9 lead with 7:40 left in the third quarter.

On the brink of running away with game, UWF let SIU back in. The Salukis Sam Farmer recovered a Cannon Brite fumble with 5:34 left in the third, then Curry found Allen Middleton for an 18-yard touchdown and Lem Wash for the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 27-17 with 2:25 left in the frame.

UWF's Avery Giddens (18) lifts up A'khoury Lyde (4) after Lyde's first half pick-six in the Argos 34-31 win over No. 16 Southern Illinois on Aug. 27, 2026.

Then Keishawn Smith coughed up the ball and Ben Fiegel recovered his second fumble of the night with 12:04 left in the fourth quarter. SIU went 63 yards in nine plays, with Curry running for a 19-yard touchdown to cut the Argos lead to 27-24 with 7:34 left.

UWF forced a critical turnover of its own with 6:19 to go when Eli Webb recovered a fumble. The Argos thought they put the game away after that, with Davis finding Luc Carroll for a 22-yard catch and run touchdown with 2:37 remaining.

But SIU didn't go down easy with Curry, finding Chandler Chapman for an eight-yard touchdown with 1:10 left. The Salukis forced a three and out and had one last chance, but David Law-Mortimer intercepted Curry's pass and ran out the clock to seal a historic win for the Argos.

UWF hits the road next week when it plays at Central Arkansas on Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. in its United Athletic Conference opener.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: UWF football upsets No. 16 Southern Illinois in first Division I game

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Luka logs his second 50-point game this season

UWF football upsets No. 16 Southern Illinois in first Division I game

Check out Argos thrilling win in first D1 football game at UWF

Check out Argos thrilling win in first D1 football game at UWF

Check out Argos thrilling win in first D1 football game at UWF

Check out Argos thrilling win in first D1 football game at UWF

Check out Argos thrilling win in first D1 football game at UWF

Check out Argos thrilling win in first D1 football game at UWF

Check out Argos thrilling win in first D1 football game at UWF

Check out Argos thrilling win in first D1 football game at UWF

Check out Argos thrilling win in first D1 football game at UWF

Check out Argos thrilling win in first D1 football game at UWF

Check out Argos thrilling win in first D1 football game at UWF

Check out Argos thrilling win in first D1 football game at UWF

Check out Argos thrilling win in first D1 football game at UWF

Check out Argos thrilling win in first D1 football game at UWF

Check out Argos thrilling win in first D1 football game at UWF

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