Carrollton, GA - The first clash between ranked opponents on RA-Lin Field at University Stadium was everything it was billed to be, but at the end of the day, the UWG defense and junior quarterback Dallas Dickey rose to the occasion, powering the 24th-ranked Wolves to a 26-17 victory over the 22nd-ranked West Alabama Tigers Saturday afternoon.

The Wolves defense, largely untested through the first four games of the year, was eager to prove itself in the first Gulf South Conference battle of the year, facing off against a team that has been at the top of the conference in offense for the last three years. The Tigers are also the two-time defending conference champions, led by reigning GSC Offensive Player of the Year, quarterback Kyle Caldwell.

"This is a tremendous victory for this program, this university and this community," said head coach Will Hall. "I couldn't be prouder of my team, because that was the defending conference champion staring at them today, and they never wavered."

The Tigers came into the game leading the GSC in yards per play with 7.3, and the UWG defense led in yards per play given up at 3.6 per play. By the end of the day, the UWG defense had proven that the dominance it had shown through the first four games was no fluke, as the Wolves allowed just 260 total yards for the Tigers and only 10 points, as the final UWA touchdown came off a batted pass that was caught in the endzone for a touchdown. In total, the Tigers averaged 3.8 yards per play, compared with 6.1 per play for the Wolves.

Dickey was equally brilliant, turning one of his best days as a quarterback at West Georgia. He carried the ball 22 times for 135 yards on the day with a touchdown and also was 10-for-12 for 86 yards and two touchdowns. The Wolves controlled the game with Dickey's overall play, punting just once on the day while the Tigers had to punt the ball five times.

The two teams looked very even early in the game, with a slight edge going to West Alabama, as the Wolves were barely able to touch the ball in the first quarter. After UWA return man Daryl Collins tried unsuccessfully to outrun thhe UWG kick coverage on the first kickoff of the game, the Tigers found themselves with their backs to the wall on their own four yardline.

West Alabama then engineered an 18-play, 96-yard drive that was extended inside the redzone on a UWG penalty, but Jabari Baker plunged in from two yards out for the first score of the game, finishing off a drive that took up the first 8:47 of the game. On the ensuing kickoff, the Wolves fumbled a pooch kick and West Alabama recovered, taking over at the Wolves' 39 yard line.

Three plays later, the UWG defense forced the first punt of the game, as Dickey and the offense finally had an opportunity to see the field with 4:30 left in the opening quarter. Starting at his own 11, Dickey engineered his own long drive, finishing a 13-play, 89-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown pass to Alex Macaulay, tying the game at 7-7.

The Tigers responded in kind, taking another long march, this time a 75-yard drive, but this time, the Wolves stopped the drive short, as UWA had the ball 1st-and-goal at the Wolves' 4. But Tyrell Adams and the rest of the defense stood tall on three straight plays, forcing a field goal to make the score 10-7.

On the ensuing kickoff, Denarius Appling put the Wolves in great position with a 56-yard return, then Dickey went to work quickly as the Wolves went 41 yards in three plays, finishing off the scoring drive with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Lucas, providing a lead change that would hold up for the remainder of the game.

The score remained the same until the opening drive of the second half, when the Wolves marched 62 yards on 14 plays, finishing off with a 33-yard Hunter Heck field goal. The extra point was no good on the second touchdown for the Wolves, making the score 16-10. Dickey ran the ball eight times on the drive for 35 yards, setting up what would come in the next possession.

After the UWG defense sacked Caldwell on third down and forced a punt, Dickey put the Wolves in a commanding lead with three straight positive plays. He ran for four yards on first down, then completed a five-yard pass to Macaulay on second down. On 3rd-and-1, Dickey broke free for the longest run for the Wolves of the 2014 season and of his career, a 62-yard romp, scoring and giving West Georgia a 23-10 advantage.

The West Georgia defense allowed very little from then on, as the Tigers had but 65 yards in their final four drives of the game. The only scoring of the second half for West Alabama came with just over seven minutes left in the game as a punt backed the Wolves inside their own five, and a batted pass landed in the arms of UWA defender Ashton Derico in the endzone, making the score 23-17.

But the Wolves responded with another scoring drive, this time finishing off with a 38-yard field goal from Hunter Heck to put the Wolves up by two scores and essentially seal the victory with four minutes left. The Tigers would not have another positive play in the game and Carlos Hutton put the finishing touches on the win with an interception with just over two minutes left in the game.

West Georgia rushed for more than 200 yards for the fifth straight time this season, hitting for 241 yards on 42 carries in the game. Dickey had his fourth career 100-yard performance and had 22 of the Wolves' 42 carries. Brandon Lucas added four carries for 57 yards and had two receptions for 25 yards and a score. Macaulay led West Georgia with five receptions for 30 yards and a touchdown.

Tyrell Adams and Laronji Vason led the UWG defense with nine tackles each on the day, with Vason picking up eight solo stops. The Wolves had four sacks on the day, including one each by Dalvon Stuckey, Darrius Caldwell and Nathan Teter, while Alex Armah and Carlos Hutton teamed up for the fourth. West Georgia also had seven tackles for a loss, with Caldwell leading the way with two.

West Georgia moves to 5-0 on the season and 1-0 in GSC action with the victory for the first time since the 2000 season when UWG was 10-0 before a pair of losses to end the year. West Alabama falls to 3-2 with the loss and 0-1 in conference play. The Wolves will head south next week, taking on the Valdosta State Blazers in a crucial GSC matchup.