PEMBROKE – UNCP recorded seven sacks and held visiting Fayetteville State to just 81 yards of total offense to key a 39-0 rout of the visiting Broncos in the second annual Two Rivers Classic in front of a record 6,429 fans Saturday evening at Grace P. Johnson Stadium.

The Braves (1-0) amassed 450 yards of total offense, including 283 in the second half to key the victory. Rashon Kennedy turned in the eighth 100-yard rushing game of his career with 115 yards and a pair of scores on 10 carries, with the Braves also getting 55 yards (13 carries) from Keith Gore, 48 yards (five carries) and a touchdown from freshman Elliott Powell and 47 yards (eight carries) from Travis Daniels.

Quarterback Cory Smith improved to 20-4 as a starter under center for the Braves with 191 yards and a touchdown on 17-of-26 passing with no interceptions. The numbers included completions to seven different receivers, including tight end Cody Harrington who hauled in three catches for 40 yards and a touchdown. Smith has now thrown at least one touchdown pass in 21-straight games in which he has participated.

UNCP's defense fell one sack shy of matching a school record set against Concord during its inaugural season in 2007. All told, the Braves registered 11 tackles for loss (-63 yards), while also forcing one turnover and breaking up six passes. Redshirt freshman DeVante Bush tallied a trio of sacks, while Fred Williams, Owen Thomas and Morris McLaughlin each registered one. Thomas's drop behind the line resulted in a fourth quarter safety.

The Broncos finished the contest with 22 rushing attempts for -22 yards.

"I am very excited for our guys because they have worked very hard," said UNCP head coach Pete Shinnick. "We've really pushed them to be in this position and we prided ourselves all of fall camp of being in great shape. We went through a lot of heat and we had a lot of injuries in camp, so I am very excited to see our guys play at the level that they did.

"We (rotate) about 19 guys on defense and they know they are going to be fresh and they know they can go hard and go fast. I felt like, offensively, we were missing by just a hair early on and all of that took care of itself in the second half. I think it came down our guys' conditioning and our guys' commitment to come into this game focused and ready to play at a high level."

With yards at a premium in the first half, UNCP provided the only score in the first quarter, capping off a 10-play, 64-yard drive with a 13-yard strike from Smith to Harrington. The Braves mustered just 167 yards of offense in the opening stanza, but held the Broncos to three first downs and 70 total yards.

UNCP marched 82 yards in seven plays on its opening possession of the third quarter and padded its advantage out to 14-0 on Gore's five-yard plunge, and then pushed the lead out to 17-0 on Taylor Baskett's 32-yard field goal seven minutes later. Fayetteville State coughed up the ball deep in its own territory on the ensuing possession and the Braves turned the miscue into points on a five-yard push up the middle by Kennedy.

Thomas added a pair of points by sacking FSU quarterback Andreas Hudson with 10:34 left in the game and, after the free kick by the Broncos moments later, Kennedy broke free on a 50-yard scoring jaunt to put the nail in the coffin. Powell would cap the score on a 14-yard run down the near sideline with just less than five minutes left to play.

The Braves will be back in action again on September 11 when the squad hits the road for the first time to battle St. Paul's (0-1). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Parkview High School in Sterling, Va.