WINGATE – Wingate used a no-huddle offense to keep a staunch UNCP defense off balance for much of the contest and got a momentum-changing 58-yard touchdown run by Nelson Woods late in the fourth quarter to upend the No. 14 Braves, 28-23, on Saturday afternoon at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field.

Cory Smith threw for 227 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 25-of-32 passing with an interception to lead the UNCP (2-1) offense which registered just 143 rushing yards – its lowest ground output since tallying 119 in a 21-7 win over North Greenville on Nov. 8, 2008. Keith Gore rushed for a career-best 99 yards on 15 carries, while Travis Daniels and Rashon Kennedy were held to 31 and 26 yards on the ground, respectively. Senior Josh Throckmorton hauled in five catches for 39 yards and two touchdowns as well.

Woods became Wingate's (2-1) all-time leading rusher with his scoring jaunt in the fourth quarter and finished the contest with 129 rushing yards and a pair of scores on 21 carries. Quarterback Cody Haffly shook off a pair of costly interceptions to throw for 215 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 25-of-37 passing. Woods became just the second individual (Carson-Newman's Buck Wakefield in 2009) to rush for more than 100 yards against the UNCP defense since the 2008 campaign.

Linebacker Adam Deese registered a team-best 12 tackles (five solo) for the visiting Braves who, despite not tallying a sack in a game for the first time this season, still managed to rack up seven tackles for loss. Quentin Pate and A.C. Boykin each recorded an interception for the Black and Gold as well. Greg Harmon turned in a game-best 13 tackles (two solo) for the Bulldogs, with Justin Squirewell registering 11 stops (five solo).

UNCP looked to have all the answers to the Wingate passing attack in the early going as Pate picked off Haffly's second passing attempt of the day and returned it to the Bulldogs' 46-yard line to give the Braves excellent field position. The visitors would run almost at will on the ensuing possession, driving 40 yards in 10 plays before Kennedy punched it in from one yard out for the early lead.

The Bulldogs would answer on the following possession, however, utilizing a short kickoff by Taylor Baskett to set themselves up for a 9-play, 54-yard drive that was capped by a 1-yard plunge by Woods. Wingate would push the advantage out to 14-6 midway through the second quarter when it drove 92 yards in 13 plays and culminated a huge scoring possession on Haffly's 10-yard strike to Chris Bowden in the end zone. A 29-yard field goal by Baskett minutes later would cut the deficit  back to 14-9 heading into the intermission.

Smith was intercepted for the first time in 111 consecutive pass attempts on UNCP's opening possession of the third quarter and Wingate needed just less than four minutes to convert the turnover into points as Haffly capped off a 10-play, 62-yard drive with his second touchdown pass of the game, this time a 12-yarder to Perry Floyd. UNCP would whittle away at its deficit on the ensuing drive, however, when a 51-yard run by Gore would set up Smith's strike to Throckmorton with 6:13 left on the third quarter clock.

UNCP drove into Wingate territory on its next three possessions, but none were bigger than the latter when the Braves got inside the hosts' 35-yard line. Facing a 3rd-and-short situation, however, the Bulldogs forced a huge fumble by Daniels and turned the turnover into points three plays later on Woods' long scoring run. The Braves would not go away without a fight, however, as Smith proved his worth on the ensuing possession by completing 9-of-10 pass attempts for 73 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown pass to Throckmorton, that pulled the visitors to within 28-23.

Rather than opting for the onside kick a short time later, UNCP made the decision to let its defense decide the outcome by kicking it deep. Woods would fight for a short three yards on the opening possession of the next drive, before Haffly iced the game on a 9-yard run moments later that gave the Bulldogs a big first down.

UNCP will be back in action again on Saturday when the Braves return home to battle nemesis Carson-Newman (2-1) in a Parents Weekend contest at Grace P. Johnson Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. The Eagles were a 37-7 winner at home over Concordia (Ala.) on Thursday evening.

Tickets are still available for the contest and can be obtained by calling (910) 775-4241.