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What to watch for as UWF football seeks rebound at SE Missouri State
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- What to watch for as UWF football seeks rebound at SE Missouri State
Though UWF was frustrated coming out of the 38-16 loss to Austin Peay on Sept. 19, head coach Kaleb Nobles did see one thing he thinks will be important the rest of the way.
"I learned that our guys really care," Nobles said. "And they want to make sure they're making it known they're frustrated about how we competed and played the other night. But we didn't stop playing, we didn't stop fighting.
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After going down 21-0, UWF cut the lead to 28-16 on its first drive of the second half, then forced an Austin Peay punt before moving down the field again. Quarterback Ty'Ray Davis was stuffed on fourth-and-1 on the Governors 25 to end that drive and left the game early in the fourth quarter, then Justin Wimpye intercepted Devin Leary and returned it for a touchdown to end the Argos next drive.
For the first time in Division I, the Argos will have a chance to bounce back when they travel to play at Southeast Missouri State on Saturday at 6 p.m. UWF won its first Division I road game on Sept. 5, routing then No. 24 Central Arkansas , 42-14.
The Redhawks (2-2) are coming off a win over that same UCA squad beating the Bears 27-9 on Sept. 19. After entering last week's matchup as one of the top early season storylines in FCS football, the Argos enter this one knowing their potential but also what can happen if they slip up.
"It's something that we've talked about for a while," Nobles said. "When we're at our best, we can compete with anybody in the country. When we're not at our best, we know what can happen."
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How to watch
What:No. 20 UWF at Southeast Missouri State
When:6 p.m. CT
Where:Houck Field, Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Streaming: ESPN+
Three storylines
Player availability on offense
The Argos came out of last Saturday a bit banged up. Davis didn't play the final minutes and running back TJ Lane was limited against the Governors as well.
Nobles said Davis "should be good to go and ready to go for Saturday" at his weekly media availability, and was always expected to play. He's completed 29 of 48 passes for 454 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions and run for 182 yards and three touchdowns in 2026.
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Lane, according to Nobles, is dealing with an injury he already had and is day-to-day. UWF hopes he will be on the field on Saturday. After running for 71 yards and a touchdown in the Argos season-opening win over Southern Illinois on Aug. 27, Lane has run for just 24 yards on nine carries in the two games since.
His injury has allowed others to step up. Redshirt junior Markel Townsend , a Western Carolina transfer, ran for 93 yards on just nine carries in the loss to Austin Peay.
"Really I think the first guy who committed to us once we became Division I in April," Nobles said of Townsend. "Really good player, he's been a great kid, just a competitor that wants to help the team win. It's exciting to see him get some plays and really show what he can do with the ball in his hands."
Can UWF avoid slow start?
Nobles appreciated his team's fight to try to crawl back into the game against Austin Peay, but his team dug that hole themselves.
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The Argos went three and out or committed a turnover on their first four possessions, meanwhile the Governors found the end zone on three of their first five and led 21-0 just eight seconds into the second quarter.
This was a complete 180 in their first two games. They led Southern Illinois 20-7 in the second quarter and UCA 14-0 in the first quarter. Nobles said he's changed some things in practice to try to get back to that.
"Really just motivating the guys," Nobles said. "Making them realize that hey, what you do know is going to show up on Saturday. If you don't practice well, you can't expect to start hot.
SEMo has played similar opponents
Not only have UWF and Southeast Missouri both played Central Arkansas, they've also played Southern Illinois too.
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The Argos beat the Salukis 34-31 on August 20, and the Redhawks lost to SIU 34-20 on Sept. 12. However, SEMo had to deal with SIU preseason All-American quarterback DJ Williams for the entire game, while against UWF he left in the second quarter with an injury.
The Redhawks have a mobile quarterback too in Brayden Ragland (902 yards, 2 TD, 5 INT) and a defense that's recorded an interception in every game. SEMo plays a three-man front, which is different than UWF's seen so far, and have some more size than the Argos up front.
The Argos still want to control the line of scrimmage, but know the game has to come to them rather than forcing things.
"Size wise, we know we gotta account for everybody in the tackle box and make the runs count," Nobles said. "Because you you're not always going to get full, wide open running lanes. Our guys know it'll be a challenge there and we have to continue to run the ball well."
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: What to watch for as UWF football seeks rebound at SE Missouri State
