Carrollton, GA - West Georgia got back on the winning track this past week on Homecoming in Carrollton, as the Wolves vaulted out to a 24-7 lead against the Mississippi College Choctaws, then held off a furious late rally to move to 5-3 on the year and 2-3 in Gulf South Conference play.
This week's opponent is the Shorter Hawks, a squad that has struggled through the year, but will be looking to put it all together to try and get their first win of the year on Saturday in front of a Homecoming crowd at Barron Stadium in Rome, Ga. at 1:30 p.m.
BACKFIELD SHIFT PAYS OFF
The embattled West Georgia offense received a shot in the arm this past week against Mississippi College, as redshirt freshman
Willie Candler moved into the starter's role at quarterback. The Atlanta area native was 14-for-23 for 181 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, earning Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Week honors.
FULWOOD NAMED DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior safety
Jeff Fulwood had a triumphant return to the lineup last week after spending the last three weeks watching from the sideline. The senior had nine tackles on the day, Including eight solo stops and he also had an interception that helped salt the game away. For his performance, Fulwood was named Gulf South Conference Defensive Player of the Week.
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the fourth meeting between the two schools that are separated by a mere 50 miles. The Wolves and Shorter never met prior to 2012 due to the fact that Shorter was an NAIA school. The Hawks moved to the GSC and West Georgia now holds a 3-1 advantage in the series.
* The fifth win of the season for West Georgia football came in a nerve-racking way for UWG fans, as the Wolves built a 24-7 lead, then held off a hard-charging Mississippi College squad for a 31-23 victory. The Wolves were led by a pair of running backs, a freshman quarterback and a senior defensive end on a mission in the contest. But the biggest stat of the day was that the Wolves had four offensive touchdowns on the day and only one turnover in snapping a three-game losing streak.
* Senior defensive end
Dylan Donahue is now within a half sack of tying the single season sack record. The record of 13 was set two years ago by Darrius Caldwell, and after 1.5 sacks against MC, Donahue now has 12.5 this season. He is putting distance between himself and the future at UWG, as he now has 24.5 career sacks, 1.5 more than the previous record.
* West Georgia's coach is Will Hall, who is in his third season at the helm of the UWG program. The Wolves are 29-8 under Hall, including 5-3 in the postseason. In his sixth year as a head coach, Hall is 54-18. In his first season at Shorter, Aaron Kelton is 0-8 through the first eight games of the 2016 campaign, and it is his first year as a head coach
* Hall and his staff went into the Mississippi College game with a major emphasis on avoiding turnovers. Through seven games, West Georgia had 16 offensive touchdowns and 17 turnovers on the year. The Wolves did a 180-degree turn against the Choctaws, throwing for three touchdowns and running for another while turning the ball over just once on the day. West Georgia now has 25 total touchdowns through the season, including 20 offensive scores with just 17 turnovers.
* Shorter has allowed opponents to score 44 touchdowns this season, with 41 of those coming from the offensive side of the ball. The Hawks have given up two interceptions for a touchdown and one punt return for a touchdown. West Georgia has three defensive touchdowns and two special teams scores this year.
* Valdosta State, West Florida and West Georgia each have two players among that top-10 in interceptions. The Argos, in their first season of full competition, have three players with three interceptions on the year. West Georgia is fourth in the GSC in interceptions this season with 11 and the Wolves lead the league in interceptions for a touchdown with three.
* There is a history of two-way players in college football, but that has been much more rare in recent years.
Alex Armah has stepped into that role this season, starting at both defensive end and tight end in his senior campaign. He has 19 tackles on the year, including 4.5 for a loss and also has five receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown.
* Qa Walker leads the Wolves in receiving this season with 35 receptions for 500 yards and three touchdowns. Walker is a deep threat and moved into 11th place in the all-time record book for receiving yards this past weekend. He needs 15 yards to move into the top-10 among all-time receivers at UWG, with 1,310 yards thus far.
