Party in Pensacola: The FCS Era for West Florida is Here to Stay

In April the University of West Florida announced a transition into NCAA Division I athletics. The excitement hit a slight lull later in the month when UWF announced it would host a top-20 caliber program in Southern Illinois. However, there was no more lull, and the party was poppin’ on August 27^th when the Salukis came to Pensacola with a No. 16 by their name and Walter Payton candidate, DJ Williams, under center.

The Argonauts were not fazed by Williams or the No. 16 ranking and practically dominated the Salukis en route to a historic program victory – the first of the Division I era for West Florida. Not only did the Argos dominate the field, but they also dominated the tailgate prior to the game.

On a rainy morning in the Florida Panhandle, the sun finally broke through in the early afternoon, about 30 minutes prior to the tailgate party on campus. Each fraternity and sorority had tents out, as well as academic programs and clubs on campus.

Photo Credit: Taylor Blue (FCS Untapped)

About two and a half hours before the game began The Argo Marching Band lined up outside the UWF Fieldhouse for the Argo Walk as players shook hands of fans excited for gametime.

There is a lot of school pride from Argonaut nation. One Pensacola native, Ethan, was excited for the game. We chatted about his fondest memories of UWF football, including the 2019 Division II national title. He along with all the staff at UWF were very hospitable and were great to talk too. Ethan knew the game was going to be tough, but knew his team was ready. And they were.

About an hour before the game, PenAir Field started to fill up as the first 1,000 fans were given White Out t-shirts. The players on the field donning the unique green, were locked in and poised for an upset. They knew what was at stake, but they also might have been playing for something bigger than themselves. The UWF family honored football player, Ben Conken, who passed away after a battle with cancer and long-time donor, Darrell Gooden, with a moment of silence prior to the game.

After the moment of silence, the kick-off meant that the D-I era of Argonaut football was underway and the Argo defense forced a three-and-out. The West Florida offense nearly capitalized on its first drive of the game, but a TJ Lane fumble at the SIU 27-yard line ended the early threat.

History was made late in the first quarter as starting quarterback, Ty’ray Davis, bolstered down the right sideline for the first Argonaut touchdown in the Division I era and gave them a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.

UWF Quarterback Ty'ray Davis | Photo Credit: UWF Football on X

In the early going DJ Williams was efficient throwing the ball, completing three of his first five throws. He was running the ball efficiently and scampered for a 26-yard run when he was tackled awkwardly. He showed no signs of injury but misfired on his next three passes, which resulted in a Saluki field goal. The Saluki fans noticed a shift in momentum when backup quarterback Jake Curry trotted onto the field with 9:48 remaining in the second quarter. He took over for the remainder of the game as Williams was sidelined with his shoulder pads off and ice around his knee.

"We prepared a lot for DJ Williams," UWF head coach Kaleb Nobles said. "I talked more about him than I talked about our kids. He's a great player and I hope he is not hurt too bad. Anytime you get a backup quarterback, you put another good plan together and we knew they would. I'm not sure that guy is as athletic as DJ but he's a good passer, but our guys did what they had to do to hold him back and get the win."

Curry rallied a comeback in the second half but not before throwing two interceptions in the first half – including one that was returned a 44-yard touchdown by A’Khoury Lyde and gave the Argonauts a 20-6 lead late in the second quarter.

The Argonauts hit the Salukis from all sides and scored in a variety of ways, but the Salukis showed why they were a top-20 program cutting the deficit to a field goal with 7:39 left in the game. They forced an Argo punt but immediately turned the ball over on their first play of the ensuing drive. UWF capitalized the short field and Ty’ray Davis threw his second touchdown pass of the game. The 10-point lead was too much to overcome despite a last-ditch effort on the final drive that saw Curry’s third interception as time expired in front of a record crowd of 6,124 fans.

Photo Credit: Taylor Blue (FCS Untapped)

 Davis shined for the Argonauts with 109 passing yards and two touchdowns. He was also the games leading rusher with 88 yards and a score on the ground. Cameron Anderson led the Argonaut defense with 12 tackles, including three for a loss. The key stat to the victory was UWF capitalizing on takeaways. It forced four Saluki turnovers and scored 21 of its 34 points off those turnovers.

“Exciting win,” Nobles opened his postgame press conference. “I think a lot of people outside were counting us out. In our locker room, we don’t think like that. Our job is to come in and play good football and do things right off the field and our guys did that tonight.”

All in all, the moment was never too big for the 21-point underdog. West Florida is Division I ready and showcased that in their 2026 opener. The school pride is apparent, and the students have bought in to the school transitioning to the FCS. Once the $50 million stadium renovations are completed this program will be one of the top programs in the UAC and potentially all the FCS.

"(Thursday) is kind of what UWF football is about," said Nobles, who ushered the arrival of UWF football in 2016 when he was the starting quarterback for the Argos' inaugural season. "We had success on the Division II level. Now you make the jump to Division I. I know a lot of people outside were just wanting us to play our best and have fun… and that's not we're about .. We're here to win. We're here to compete every play. And that's what UWF football has been about for 10 years."

Finally, there must be some credit given to Southern Illinois for agreeing to travel nearly 650 miles to open the Division I era of West Florida football. No losses are good, but when it’s all said and done this might not be a bad loss for the Salukis and their playoff hopes. If DJ Williams had not gotten hurt the game might have gone differently. The Salukis playoff hopes depends on his return.