PENSACOLA, FL. – The Chowan University football team dropped a non-conference matchup against #3 University of West Florida on Saturday evening. The Hawks put points on the scoreboard first but the Argonauts quickly responded. With the result, Chowan moves to 2-4 overall, while West Florida remains undefeated at 6-0.

THE BASICS

FINAL | Chowan 10, West Florida 40

RECORDS | Chowan 2-4| West Florida 6-0

LOCATION | Pensacola, Fla. (Pen Air Field)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Chowan opened the scoring after NyJal "Jelly" Johnson rushed 20 yards to the UWF 17-yard line, setting up a 32-yard field goal by Jack Beylo at 10:15 in the first quarter, giving Chowan an early 3-0 lead. The West Florida Argonauts responded on their next possession, scoring a touchdown to take a 3-7 lead. UWF added another touchdown before the end of the first quarter, extending their advantage to 3-14. In the second quarter, both teams exchanged drives, but it was UWF who struck again at 2:59 with a touchdown on their fifth drive, taking a 3-20 lead into halftime.

Chowan began the third quarter on offense, but UWF scored at 11:41, extending their lead to 3-27. The Argonauts added another touchdown following a turnover on downs, pushing the score to 3-33. The Hawks responded later in the third quarter as Johnson connected with Dezmond Randolph for a 17-yard gain, followed by back-to-back rushes from Khamani Barnes totaling 53 yards. Dominic Haney finished the drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown at 6:25, and Beylo's extra point brought the score to 10-33. UWF closed the quarter with another touchdown and PAT, extending their lead to 10-40.

In the fourth quarter, both teams had opportunities but were unable to convert, including a 42-yard connection from Johnson to Randolph on Chowan's opening possession. The game would conclude with a final score of 10-40 in favor of the Argonauts.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

NyJal "Jelly" Johnson completed 8 passes for 114 yards, including a long of 42 yards, and added 43 rushing yards on 8 attempts. Khamani Barnes led the ground game with 74 yards on 15 carries, highlighted by a long run of 49 yards, while Dominic Haney contributed a rushing touchdown. In the passing game, Dezmond Randolph had 2 receptions for 59 yards, and Haney added three catches for 33 yards, giving Chowan several explosive plays both on the ground and through the air.

Defensively, Justin Taylor led the team with six tackles, while Jaden Leonard, Darryl Harris, Samuel Tagg, and ZiQuiris Ramsey each recorded five stops. Harris and Malachi Howell each notched a sack and added 0.5 tackles for loss. Isaiah Fulton contributed five tackles and three pass breakups, and Jamall Browning forced a quarterback hurry, helping disrupt the opposing offense.

On special teams, Laurence Wallace averaged 35.8 yards on 9 punts, while Jack Beylo converted a 32-yard field goal and a PAT, in addition to handling three kickoffs for 155 yards with two touchbacks, averaging 51.7 yards per kick. Nizaya Hall returned a kickoff for 38 yards, including a long of 21 yards, providing strong field position for the Hawks. Shamare Dendy also made a key impact with a blocked kick, rounding out the Hawks strong special teams performance.

UP NEXT

Chowan will travel to Barton College to continue Conference Carolinas play on Saturday, October 18th. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 PM in Wilson, N.C.