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     CARROLLTON, Ga. --- Anybody who knows Gwaine Mathews knows that the UAM head football coach is a believer in the value of a well-conditioned team. Last week’s game at West Alabama made him an even stronger believer.

   “I’ve told the guys all along that if we can keep the game close into the fourth quarter, we’re going to win the game,” Mathews said. “If we could avoid making mistakes and keep it close going into the last quarter, our conditioning would put us over the top.”

   In fact, that’s exactly what happened last Saturday at West Alabama as the Weevils rallied from a 10-7 deficit at the beginning of the fourth quarter to take away a 21-17 win at Tiger Stadium.

    “When I got here, I didn’t figure it would be four weeks into the season before I got my first win,” Mathews said. “But, I think it might be for the best. We’ve learned some things and made some adjustments, and it paid off for us.”

    Mathews and the Weevils cannot afford to savor their victory too much as they have a very tough opponent lying in wait this Saturday night in the West Georgia Braves.

   The Braves (2-2, 2-0 GSC) started their season on a bad note with a 48-13 loss to Presbyterian College, which had even the most staunch Brave fans questioning the team, but UWG silenced the doubters with a solid performance in a 14-10 loss to No. 6 Carson-Newman.

   Since then, the Braves have gone 2-0 in their first two Gulf South Conference games, topping Harding (who knocked off  No. 1 Valdosta State this last weekend) 23-21, and then knocking off Ouachita Baptist in Arkadelphia 34-23.

   The Braves and the Weevils have the two worst scoring offenses in the GSC as West Georgia averages 20.0 points per game, and the Weevils boosted their season average to 8.8 points per game after Saturday’s win.

  West Georgia has survived behind a tough defense which allows an average of 26.5 points per game on 304.0 yards per game.

   The Weevil offense seemed rejuvenated Saturday as Matt Fryfogle rushed for 163 yards and one touchdown and Anthony Rodriguez threw for two touchdowns.

   “[Rodriguez] is the kind of kid that just grows on you,” Mathews said. “He works his tail off, and he gets better every time he goes out there. With Fryfogle, it isn’t pretty, but it gets the job done. He isn’t fast but he’ll rack up the yards.”

    Offensively, the Braves are in the middle of the pack in the Gulf South Conference, averaging 388.8 yards per game with a run-based attack. The West Georgia rushing attack ranks second in the GSC with 201.8 yards per game behind only Southern Arkansas who use their triple option almost exclusively to rack up 253.2 yards per game.

   “This could be a very quick game,” Mathews said. “They like to run the ball, and we like to run the ball.”

   The Weevils will need improvement from their defensive unit in stopping the run if they are to win Saturday; UAM’s rush defense is the worst in the Gulf South Conference, allowing an average of 272.8 yards per game.

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