Today, our fourth edition of 40 Games That Shaped 40 Years series hits uwgsports.com. This week, we discuss two games from the 1993 season, a year that saw UWG finish with a winning record in the always tough Gulf South Conference for the first time, and two unforgettable games from the 1994 season. 

Previous installments of 40 Games that Shaped 40 Years are linked below.

First Edition: 1981-82

Second Edition: 1983-86

Third Edition: 1988-1992

The games are being released in chronological order, and there will be a fan vote at the conclusion of the series to determine the top-10 games in UWG football history. Enjoy this trip down memory lane with us as we gear up the 40th season of NCAA football at UWG this fall.

Season Tickets are still available for the 2021 season. To purchase tickets, visit the Townsend Center Box Office, or visit their website here.

Fourth Edition: Prelude to DII Prominence

West Georgia vs. Valdosta State: October 16, 1993

West Georgia 23, Valdosta State 16

Fresh off the first victory of the Charlie Fisher era a week earlier, very few folks around the Gulf South Conference gave West Georgia much of a chance against the No. 7 team in the country when the high-powered Blazers rolled into town averaging just under 50 points and nearly 500 yards of offense per game.

The West Georgia defense did its part early in the game to keep VSU and star quarterback Chris Hatcher off the scoreboard, picking off a pair of passes deep in West Georgia territory on interceptions by John Cross and Andre Gilliam. Entering the game, Hatcher had thrown 177 consecutive passes without an interception.

West Georgia led 6-3 at halftime as a Felix Addo touchdown marked the lone score for the host squad.

VSU took its first lead of the game in the third quarter and tacked on a field goal in the opening seconds of the fourth before Addo hit paydirt for the second time in the game to knot things up at 13-all.

After the two teams traded field goals, a special teams miscue by the Blazers resulted in Eric Gaines falling on a fumble following a West Georgia kickoff.

On the very next play from scrimmage, quarterback Chris Teal struck Chad Walker for a 10-yard touchdown pass to give West Georgia a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

Facing a fourth-and-eight from the West Georgia 13-yard line, Hatcher’s pass fell incomplete and West Georgia was able to run out the clock to stun the No. 7 team in the land.

Addo rushed for a game-high 177 yards with two touchdowns on 25 carries en route to All-GSC honors in 1993. He finished the year with 1,118 yards and eight touchdowns on 175 carries.

West Georgia vs. Delta State: November 7, 1993

West Georgia 27, Delta State 7

West Georgia secured its first winning season – as well as highest finish in the standings – in the Gulf South Conference since joining the league behind the 20-point victory over the Statesmen.

Fueled by a school-record 233-yard rushing performance from Felix Addo, West Georgia outscored the Statesmen by an 18-0 count in the second half to pull away for the historic victory.

Clinging to a 9-7 lead at halftime, West Georgia, which punted just one time all game, stretched it to double digits on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Chris Teal to Joaquinn Hunt with 8:50 to play in the third. Teal connected with Antjuane Sims on the two-point pass for the 17-7 advantage.

Early in the fourth quarter, Addo raced down the field 83 yards for a touchdown to stamp the exclamation point on his record-setting day and the victory overall, avenging a 36-35 homecoming setback against DSU a year earlier.

West Georgia finished the ’93 season with a 4-3 mark in the rough-and-tumble GSC.

West Georgia vs. Elon: September 3, 1994

West Georgia 29, Elon 24

Hail Mary!

In a completely chaotic finish, West Georgia captured an unbelievable victory over the Fightin’ Christians on a 69-yard Hail Mary heave from quarterback Mark Eldred to Chad Walker with seven seconds on the clock to cap off an absolute thriller at Grisham Stadium.

Just moments earlier, Elon was running out the clock with a victory seemingly in its grips, but quarterback Maurice Blakeney was stripped of the ball at the West Georgia 10-yard line by defensive tackle Andre Kenneybrew, who recovered the fumble at the 8.

With only 40 seconds left on the clock, Eldred scrambled for 12 yards to move the ball up to the 20. An 11-yard completion moved the chains to the West Georgia 31. Following a pair of incomplete passes, the miracle play came into fruition.

West Georgia failed on the two-point attempt, leaving the window open for the Fightin’ Christians. But on Elon’s last-ditch effort, Blakeney’s pass was batted down by Rick Swales to officially secure the win for West Georgia.

Felix Addo paced the West Georgia ground game with 197 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries, while Eldred came off the bench for his heroics, completing 11-of-20 attempts for 205 yards and two touchdowns, none of which were more memorable than the final one to Walker.

Walker would go on to become West Georgia’s first All-American at the Division II level.

West Georgia at Georgia Southern: September 10, 1994

West Georgia 15, Georgia Southern 14

Playing in the first game under the lights at Paulson Stadium, West Georgia accomplished what very few road teams had done through the years with the upset victory, as the Eagles entered the contest sporting a 68-5 record at the facility.

Georgia Southern also happened to be ranked No. 9 in the country in Division I-AA at the time, but West Georgia proved unfazed by the mystique of facing the four-time national champions.

West Georgia built a 9-7 halftime lead by capitalizing on some Eagle mistakes, scoring on a 21-yard Benji Shelton field goal and a 33-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Jay Cawthon to Chad Walker after starter Mark Eldred was shaken up earlier in the game.

Georgia Southern regained the lead in the third quarter on a two-yard touchdown run, but West Georgia used a one-yard touchdown run by Scott Embry for the one-point edge with 14:57 left in the game.

Following an Eagle turnover, West Georgia marched 65 yards on 16 plays to milk 7:56 off the clock.

The Eagles had one last opportunity and drove all the way to the West Georgia 1-yard line, where linebacker Tim McClain, a future West Georgia Hall of Famer, stripped GSU fullback Roderick Russell with seven seconds remaining to preserve the victory, marking one of its biggest wins at the Division II level for West Georgia football.

Following the ’94 showdown in Statesboro, the two programs did not meet again until the 2007 season.