If you are a West Georgia Wolves football fan, it’s been an exciting year. UWG became the newest NCAA D-1 football program back in July. Their first test this season came against the Samford Bulldogs, and West Georgia did not disappoint, in a 38-29 victory in their season opener.
West Georgia’s quarterback, Davin Wydner, was a standout performer, accounting for three touchdowns and throwing for 271 yards. Wydner was also pretty solid with his feet, rushing for 58 yards and a touchdown. The Wolves’ balanced attack included contributions from Rajaez Mosley, who ran for 66 yards, and Karmello English, who led the receiving corps with 108 yards. On the Wolves ground attack, Chase Belcher added a pair of touchdowns. Dylan Gary had a fantastic 44-yard touchdown catch as time expired in the first half.
Despite giving up over 465 total yards of offense, West Georgia made some plays on defense. In the secondary, Jibrahn Claude had a pick and brought it back 30 yards. Mar’Quavious Moss had a couple of pass breakups and six total tackles. He almost got to the quarterback for a sack. DE Solomanie Bambara had a sack, two tackles for a loss, and four total tackles for the game. Malachi Williams forced a Samford fumble, that led to the Wolves extending their lead late in the game. UWG had no issues getting pressure on the Bulldogs by getting seven tackles for a loss as a team.
Samford QB Quincy Crittendon played a pretty solid game. He threw for 302 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Crittendon also used his feet to gain 95 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. Brendan Jenkins led Samford in receiving that including a 68-yard touchdown catch. Turnovers and a lower third-down efficiency were the main causes that held the Bulldogs down.
Defensively, Samford did make some plays in the game. Thomas Neville and Jaden Mosley recorded sacks. Noah Martin led the team with eight tackles. The defense did have six tackles for a loss, but they had trouble getting off the field when they needed to, as they allowed the Wolves to convert on third down over 50% of the time.
This is a big win for the West Georgia Wolves. They beat a Samford team that posted a winning record last season and won the Southern Conference title in 2024. This was no doormat they were playing. The momentum from this victory will be needed this Saturday as the Wolves travel to Abilene Christian, who lost a heartbreaker in overtime against Texas Tech. Samford will travel to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators.