by Taylor Bryant and Matt Cooke
The University of West Georgia football team made history on Monday, October 26, as the first Division II team at UWG to gain a No. 1 spot in the American Football Coaches Association poll. The team, under the direction of Head Coach Will Hall, remains one of only five undefeated teams in Division II football.
This AFCA ranking comes after the Wolves spent six weeks as the second-ranked team in the country, behind former No. 1 Minnesota State-Mankato. The Wolves earned 25 first-place votes, followed by new No. 2 Northwest Missouri State, who picked up six first-place nods. Ferris State (Michigan), Colorado State-Pueblo, and Ashland round out the top five.
“At UWG, student success is our first priority,” said UWG President Kyle Marrero. “That includes a culture of high performance for student athletes on and off the playing field. We’re elated to be ranked as the number one team in the nation, and my cap goes off to Coach Will Hall and his dedicated coaching staff. Coach Hall’s positive ‘attitude is everything’ mantra challenges our student athletes to be the best and brightest by believing in their abilities and rising to the occasion for each game and for every day. This kind of winning attitude indeed contributes to making UWG the best comprehensive university in America.”
UWG finished a dominant stretch, opening the conference season with four victories of 18 points or more, culminating with a 31-10 victory over then No. 11 North Alabama this past weekend. West Georgia’s aggressive rushing game on Saturday against North Alabama pushed the Wolves to an 8-0 record on the year and a 4-0 record in Gulf South Conference play.
The Wolves were led by redshirt Devontae Jackson, who had 16 carries for 142 yards and two touchdowns against North Alabama. Senior quarterback Dallas Dickey also had 17 carries for 123 yards as the Wolves amassed 383 yards rushing, the fifth-most single-game rushing yards in school history en route to a convincing win in their third-straight matchup against a ranked opponent.
The Wolves will take on Mississippi College at Robinson-Hale Stadium in Clinton, Mississippi on Saturday, October 31 at 4 p.m. (EST).
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