The 2023 Weevil football season came to an end on Saturday in Magnolia at the annual Battle of the Timberlands against the Southern Arkansas University Muleriders with a 60-17 loss to fall to 2-9 on the season, losing their final nine contests of the season.
SAU would win the coin toss and would defer to the second half giving UAM the opening possession.
After forcing the Weevils to punt on the opening drive, SAU would get the first touchdown of the contest to take a 7-0 lead after the extra point.
It would be the only points of the first quarter.
UAM’s final drive of the first quarter would extend into the second quarter and would end on with a field goal by Zachary Grisotti to cut the SAU lead to 7-3.
SAU would get the next two touchdowns of the contest.
The first would come on their next possession 65-yard drive to extend the lead to 14-3 followed by a fumble recovery and a 31-yard return for the defensive touchdown.
Theron Bellard would block the extra point to make the SAU lead 20-3.
UAM would cut the lead to 20-10 after a 64-yard touchdown pass from Caden Middleton to Jovonnie Gibson.
Zachary Grisotti added the extra point.
SAU would close the half scoring 10 points to take a 30-10 lead at the half.
After extending the lead to 39-10, UAM would get their second touchdown of the contest after Austin Wadsworth connected with Gibson for Gibson’s second touchdown of the day, this time for a 14 yard catch.
Grisotti added the extra point to cut the lead to 39-17.
SAU would score once more in the third quarter to take a 45-17 lead into the fourth quarter.
SAU would go on to score two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to set up the 60-17, 43 point margin of victory, breaking the 1978 record for the largest margin of victory of 38 points, 51-13.
The win also extends the SAU win streak to three consecutive games.
With the loss the Weevils end the season with 2-9 record and a nine game losing streak, one game worse than 2022’s 3-8 record.
