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Historic Road Rout: No. 25 UWF Dominates No. 24 Central Arkansas, 42-14
September 6, 2026
If the opening act in UWF’s football foray into Division I wasn’t stunning enough, the road-show encore Saturday night became more proof.
In a complete, dominating performance that will assuredly propel UWF into the Top 25 of both Football Championship Series (FCS) national polls, the No. 25 Argos (in one poll) blew out No. 24 Central Arkansas 42-14 on a sweltering night and crowd of 5,138 at Estes Stadium.
After a 538-mile bus trip to Conway, Arkansas, then playing amid on-field temperatures above 110-degrees throughout the first half, the Argos made their first game in the United Athletic Conference look like a day at the beach.
“We’re just excited about our guys and proud of them for how they played and how they prepared,” said UWF coach Kaleb Nobles. “Just coming off a good win at home (in opener). It’s easy to get excited about your first home game, but now you’ve got to find out what you are about… get on a bus for eight hours and come play a really good Central Arkansas team. So, you kinda figure out what your guys are about. And I found out (Saturday). We’re resilient. We played real good, complimentary football, so I am proud of our guys. Just love how we played.”
MORE HISTORY ATTAINED
It was only the second time Central Arkansas, which had cracked into the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 poll, lost its home-opening game in the team’s 21-year history as a Division I member.
For perspective, that’s 11 years longer than UWF has existed as a football program.
The Argos (2-0) will get to savor these back-to-back debut wins over nationally-ranked teams. They don’t play next Saturday – not until Sept. 19 at home vs. Austin Peay – something at this point that UWF might wis- it could do.
After shocking No. 16 Southern Illinois (34-31) — a three-touchdown oddsmaker favorite, in the Argos DI debut game Aug. 27, this feat Saturday as a 7.5-point underdog became eye-opening for how one-sided the game turned before halftime.
It brought more history for UWF.
Researchers on the ESPN-plus broadcast uncovered it was the first time a team moving from Division II has ever started its first Division I season with two wins over ranked opponents.
Central Arkansas was coming off a 36-24, season-opening road win against then-No. 23 ranked Tennessee-Martin. In that win, Bears’ sophomore quarterback Donovyn Omolo, passed for 243 yards and rushed for 118 yards in one of the more spectacular games on college football’s opening week.
Omolo was also making a homecoming, returning back to Conway, Arkansas where he was a star high school player. But UWF’s swarming, blitzing defense, forced Omolo to run from trouble most of the game.
He was sacked three times, intercepted for a touchdown by UWF’s A’khoudry Lyde – his second pick-6 in two games – as the Argos contained him until the game was decided.
Meanwhile UWF quarterback Ty’Ray Davis, making his second start for UWF, completed 14 of 17 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns. The Orlando native rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown.
“He’s a great player, a great kid who is just learning and growing,” Nobles said. “He is learning every single rep he gets. We are really excited about him. He did a lot of really good things with his legs, but he’s also a really good passer. You’ve got to hang on to him in the pocket, or otherwise he’ll make you pay.”
The only struggle Davis had was keeping his helmet attached. He missed four plays in the game after his helmet unfastened from tackles.
That was about the only adversity UWF faced.
VARIETY OF WEAPONS
The Argos (2-0) will get to savor this for a while. They don’t play next Saturday, which at this point, it might be something UWF wishes it could do.
Six different UWF players scored touchdowns. In addition to Davis, who rushed for the first touchdown, running back TJ Lane had a score, along with three receivers – Gage Armbruster, Cannon Brite and Tyler Dostin.
The other score was Lyde’s 37-yard interception return. Six UWF running backs had carries in the game. Ten players caught passes, led by Armbruster with 80 yards on two catches.
“Just a lot of running backs. We have a stable that we like a lot and do a lot of good things,” Nobles said. “And Gage Ambruster showed out making some good plays… he had a hamstring the first week and had to miss, but we knew he was a good player. I love how our guys are playing.”
The Argos wasted no time asserting control. They took a 14-0 first-quarter lead, thanks to outstanding special teams play, then brushed aside Central Arkansas’ lone sequence of emotional edge, which occurred following the Bears 99-yard scoring drive to halve the lead.
UWF’s defense answered back with a pair of bar-jarring hits and fumble recovers, both of which led to Argos touchdowns and 28-7 halftime lead.
The Argos scored just six minutes into the game, then opened the second half with a Lyde’s interception return on the second play of the half.
POWERFUL HALF
The Argos produced 204 yards total offense in the first half, getting a pair of turnovers and shining on special teams play.
They blocked a punt, had a great punt return and Argos punter Michael Shine twice pinned Central Arkansas inside its own 5 with textbook punts.
“I think it starts with Mike Shine and the punt unit.” Nobles said. “Special teams guys did a great job of scheming one up… that’s complimentary football. That’s how you play football at UWF.”
UWF didn’t take long in this game to produce a shock effect.
The Argos went from their own 15 to the Bears’ 36 on the opening possession. Shine, a graduate student from Mobile, had his first contribution with a punt caught at the UCA 3.
It led to points.
After the Argos defense forced a fourth-down punt, UWF linebacker Eli Bertrand blocked the kick and sent the ball spiraling out of bounds at the 7. On the ensuing snap, Davis rolled out the left side and jogged untouched into the end zone for UWF’s first touchdown with 9:09 left in the first quarter.
The next UWF special teams splash play was Brite Cannon’s 42-yard punt return to the Central Arkansas 47.
After a couple pass completions, Lane finished off the five play drive with his 3-yard run.
The Argos defense then made its biggest impact. Kenyan Hunter dislodged the ball with the first of his two forced fumbles. Will Fennema recovered at the UCA 46. On a first-down play from the 35, Davis hit Brite for a wide-open touchdown.
The Argos then made it 28-7 when Jamari Dickens forced a running play fumble on the ensuing possession and Eli Webb recovered at the Bears 35.
Davis compliment the turnover by throwing an 8-yard TD pass to Dostin.
In the second half, after building a 42-7 lead midway through the third quarter, the Argos were able to play backup players on both sides of the ball to further build experience.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Argos will have next weekend off, as one of two bye weeks this season. That will provide extra time to prepare for their second home game on September 19 at 6 p.m. at Pen Air Field against Austin Peay, a team that lost 28-9 Saturday against Vanderbilt, while playing up a level against an SEC opponent.
Austin Peay was ranked No. 14 in the AFCA poll for FCS teams entering the game against Vanderbilt.
by Bill Vilona, UWF correspondent
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