Carrollton, GA - After a forgettable third quarter, UWG head coach Will Hall gave the ball to his senior running back Saturday afternoon in Rome, Ga., as senior Seth Hinsley carried the Wolves to a 31-17 victory over the Shorter Hawks in the 2014 regular season finale.

The win moves the Wolves to 9-2 in the first year under Hall and puts West Georgia in a prime position for a spot in the NCAA playoffs for the first time since the 2000 season. In that year, UWG went 10-1 in the regular season and lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Hinsley had a memorable afternoon that was a bit of a roller coaster ride in his final regular season game in a UWG uniform. He has already become the fifth-best running back in school history and had more than 2,000 yards in his career, but had not produced a signature game. Against Shorter on Saturday, he had a career-high 34 carries for 196 yards and tied a school record with four touchdown carries. He tied Mark Evans and Shane Reinhardt with that number. The 196-yard day was also the 11th-best rushing day in school history.

But despite the career day from Hinsley, this one was a dog fight from the beginning, as Shorter marched down the field on the opening drive of the game, going 64 yards in nine plays, but the UWG defense stiffened at the 24, forcing a 41-yard field goal from Kenny Langford. The kick was good, giving the Hawks a 3-0 advantage early. West Georgia responded in kind, going on a 14-play, 62-yard drive that stalled at the 17. Hunter Heck's 34-yard field goal tied the game at 3-3.

The UWG defense picked up the pace after that, as the Wolves forced three-and-outs on the next two possessions, which were split by just one play, a run where Hinsley fumbled. It was one of three times that the senior put the ball on the ground on the day, but the defense stood tall and as the second quarter began, no damage was done on the scoreboard from the Hawks.

The Wolves then went on a methodical march that finished with a Seth Hinsley touchdown run from the one yard line, giving the Wolves a 10-3 advantage with 8:42 left in the second half.

After three possessions combined between the two teams, the Wolves took over and went on a masterful eight-play, 60-yard drive that took 1:52 off the clock. With 39 seconds left before halftime, Hinsley looked as if he would walk into the endzone, but a Shorter player forced a fumble that went into the end zone and was recovered by the Hawks. That was the final meaningful play of the half, and instead of a 17-3 advantage heading into the locker room, the Wolves were forced to settle for a 10-3 lead.

West Georgia opened the second half with a 13-play drive that took 5:18 off the clock. On the scoring drive, the Wolves converted a pair of big third downs. Inside the 10, the Wolves turned to the offensive line and Hinsley, who pounded the ball in from two yards out to give the Wolves a commanding 17-3 advantage.

Shorter responded with a touchdown drive, scoring on a 28-yard pass from Eric Dodson to Darius Turner to pull within a touchdown at 17-10. Three plays into the next Wolves' drive, with UWG driving, Hinsley was hit in the backfield and Trevaris Horton took the fumble recovery 40 yards to paydirt, tying the game at 17-17 with 2:36 left in the third quarter.

But from then on, the Wolves were in charge, as West Georgia went on a 12-play 76-yard drive that took more than five minutes and finished with Hinsley's third score of the day, a three-yard run. Shorter looked as though they might responded with another score, but junior safety Carlos Hutton forced a fumble that was recovered by Zed Brown at the UWG 10, giving Dickey and the Wolves 90 yards to put the game away.

Hall went to Hinsley five times on the ensuing drive, and the senior came through with 40 yards in those five carries, finishing the drive and the game off with a 19-yard touchdown run, his fourth of the afternoon. On two of the four final plays of the game from Shorter, the Wolves came through with sacks, including on fourth down to close out the victory.

Dickey was 15-of-22 on the afternoon for 206 yards, including five completions to senior Alex Macaulay for 74 yards. Senior Earvin Anumgba also had one of his best single days of his career, hauling in four catches for 69 yards on the day. Hinsley averaged 5.8 yards per carry on the day while tying the school record for single-game touchdowns.

West Georgia, ranked sixth in Super Region 2, will now await the regional committee's decision on the six Super Region 2 participants in the NCAA playoffs, which will be annnounced on Sunday evening at 5 p.m. on NCAA.com. The Wolves won five games in the Gulf South Conference, the most since the 2001 season for a UWG team, strengthening the case for a spot in the playoffs that begin next weekend.