SALISBURY – The No. 10 UNC Pembroke football team racked up 17 points and nearly 250 yards of total offense in the second quarter to lug a 17-3 lead into the locker rooms, but had to hold back a valiant second half upset bid by Catawba to escape with a 34-31 victory on Saturday afternoon at Shuford Stadium.

The victory kept the Braves (6-0) perfect on the season, while also giving the road team its first victory in the series as well. It was the 100th career collegiate coaching victory for head coach Pete Shinnick who is now 47-22 (.681) in 6-plus seasons in Pembroke.

Luke Charles threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns on 29-for-43 passing with a pair of interceptions to lead a 421-yard attack for the UNCP offense. John Rich hauled in three catches for a career-best 117 yards, including a key 81-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter, while Ben DeCelle hauled in eight catches for 82 yards.

Kellen Rankin turned in a career- and game-high 11 tackles (four solo) to lead Code Black, who also got 10 tackles (nine solo) from all-American linebacker Fred Williams. The Braves also got sacks from Cadarreus Mason, DeVante Bush and Matt Turner.

UNCP's defense allowed just 59 yards on the ground, but yielded a season-high 321 yards through the air as well. Wisconsin transfer Danny O'Brien threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns on 31-of-41 passing to pace the Indians. Nate Charest had 10 receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown, and Carlos Tarrat caught and threw a touchdown pass for the Indians as well.

"We knew Catawba was going to be good and we knew they were going to throw a lot at us," said UNCP head coach Pete Shinnick. "They came out with some new stuff that we haven't seen. It's a compliment when teams do that because they are looking for a way to beat you. It's never easy to get a victory in somebody's else's stadium, but we were able to do it today.

"I've had a lot of help getting (to career win No. 100). I am very fortunate and very blessed to have coached a lot of great players and to have coached with a lot of great (assistant coaches)."

Catawba scored the game's first points on a 47-yard field goal by Chad Hollandsworth with 10:08 to play in the opening period. The Braves went 3-and-out on each of their first four possessions of the game, but scored points on each of their next four possessions to take a 24-3 advantage with 10 minutes to play in the third period.

Catawba scored two touchdowns in a 55-second span late in the third quarter and pulled to within seven points, 24-17, on Tarrats's 68-yard flea-flicker touchdown pass to Charest five minutes later. The Braves took a 34-31 advantage on a career-long 48-yard field goal by Connor Haskins with 7:59 to play, but O'Brien led the hosts on a 15-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that pulled them within three at the 3:41 mark.

UNCP registered a pair of first downs on the final possession of the game, including Rich's clutch 6-yard catch with just more than two minutes left, to seal the win.

The Braves will close out their three-game road trip on Saturday when they head to central South Carolina to battle 23rd-ranked Newberry (6-1) in a 6 p.m. contest at Setzler Field. The Wolves suffered their first loss of the season – a 35-14 setback at Lenoir-Rhyne – on Saturday.