UWF football wins national championship with historic offensive explosion

Eric J. Wallace | Pensacola News Journal

An offensive explosion for the ages and a dramatic final defensive stand have brought an NCAA football national championship to Pensacola.

The University of West Florida held off Minnesota State 48-40 on Saturday afternoon in McKinney, Texas, obliterating the NCAA Division II championship game record book in a historic title-winning performance.

For the fourth consecutive week, UWF defeated a previously unbeaten foe, this time avenging a 2017 loss in the NCAA Division II National Championship Game.

It’s a moment only made sweeter by 2017’s heartbreaking end.

“(2017) left a bitter taste in our mouth,” UWF wide receiver Quentin Randolph said. “…You can Google UWF-Texas A&M-Commerce and there are bad photos on there of us losing. Now when you Google ‘UWF national championship,’ you’re gonna like what you saw.”

UWF quarterback Austin Reed shattered the NCAA Division II national championship-game passing record in less than two quarters, blitzing the Mavericks for 523 passing yards and six touchdowns, both D2 championship game records.

Navarre’s Quentin Randolph was rampant, breaking the school’s single-game receiving record in the first half and finishing with 254 receiving yards and three touchdowns overall.

“We just had to keep throwing it, they couldn’t stop it,” Reed said after the game. “Our guys kept making big plays out there and we were doing what we needed to do to keep moving.”

In the first half alone, Reed threw for 399 passing yards and five touchdowns, finding Randolph for 241 receiving yards and three scores in that span.

Late in the second quarter, UWF stuffed Minnesota State on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

The Argos proceeded to march 99 yards in 38 seconds, capping the drive with a 48-yard bomb to a streaking Randolph to build a 38-21 halftime lead.

UWF’s first punt came from its one-yard line on their opening drive of the second half, but the Mavericks muffed the kick.

It set up Reed’s sixth touchdown – a D2 championship game record – of the afternoon as the redshirt freshman found Tate Lehtio in the end zone. It was Lehtio’s 12th reception of the game, another D2 championship game record.

Trailing by 16 points in the fourth quarter, Minnesota State mounted a late comeback attempt, pulling within a possession with fewer than five minutes remaining.

UWF, which rushed for just 38 yards, couldn’t quite run out the game’s final minutes, giving the ball back to MSU with just over two minutes remaining and 80 yards to a game-tying score.

The Mavericks moved down the field and entered the red zone before UWF made its final stand, batting the ball from All-American Shane Zylstra on fourth down to seal the championship.

UWF is now a stunning 9-1 all-time in playoff games since the program’s first season in 2016. The Argos are the first Division 2 program to win four road playoff games en route to a national championship.

“We felt in 2017 that it was an extremely special run and as unique as there was out there,” Shinnick said. “We were just kind of experiencing it while it was happening.

“This one, we had a little more purpose, drive and knew what we wanted to accomplish. And we knew how to. The experience of 2017 allowed us to be in this place now.”

Eric J. Wallace can be reached at ejwallace@pnj.com or 850-525-5087.

UWF’s record-breaking day

Championship Game

Passing yards – Austin Reed, 523

Passing touchdowns – Austin Reed, 6

Receptions – Tate Lehtio, 13

Single-game school records

Passing yards – Austin Reed, 523

Passing touchdowns – Austin Reed, 6

Receiving yards – Quentin Randolph, 254

Receiving touchdowns – Quentin Randolph, 3 (ties record)