TUSKEGEE, Ala. – Matt Davis kicked a 35-yard field goal with 1:15 left in the third quarter helped the 21st-ranked UNC Pembroke football team stake claim to a 16-0 lead, but 11th-ranked Tuskegee scored 21 points in the game's final 8-1/2 minutes to shock the Braves, 21-16, on Saturday afternoon at Abbott Memorial Stadium.

The setback marked the first loss of the season for the Braves (4-1) who fell to 4-6 all-time against nationally-ranked opponents. The Golden Tigers (5-0), who already have a win over NCAA Division I foe Florida A&M this season, improved to 2-0 at home with the triumph.

Miles Grant ran for 83 yards on 11 carries to pace the UNCP offense, while Terron Huffman caught four passes for 48 yards and a second quarter touchdown in the effort as well. Matt Davis kicked field goals of 52 and 27 yards to provide the game's only other points for the Braves. Davis also finished the day with seven punts for 305 yards (43.6 yards/punt), including three that went for 50 or more yards.

UNCP, which rolled into the weekend averaging 436 yards of offense per game, managed just 234 yards on the day against a stingy Tuskegee defense. The Golden Tigers finished their day with 350 yards of total offense, including a 6-catch, 146-yard day by Desmond Reece who scored on receptions of 18 and 65 yards in the final period.

With Code Black doing their part on the defensive side of the ball, UNCP took the game's first lead on a 52-yard boot by Davis just less than four minutes into the opening quarter, and then doubled that lead on a 27-yard field goal just more than six minutes later. O'Brien's 22-yard scoring strike to Huffman with just 41 seconds gone in the second quarter would give the Braves a 13-0 edge heading into the break.

Davis's 35-yard field goal with 1:16 left in the third quarter capped a 13-play, 47-yard drive by the Black & Gold and gave it a 16-0 advantage, but that would signal the end of UNCP's scoring on the day. 

Jayjerien Craig put the lid on a 12-play, 84-yard scoring drive on an 8-yard rushing touchdown with 8:32 left to play, and then added a 2-point conversion on a run to the left side the cut TU's deficit in half. The Golden Tigers forced a fumble on next play from scrimmage, and turned the turnover into points a short time later thanks to Reece's 18-yard scoring reception.

The Braves drove all the way down to the Tuskegee 45-yard line on their ensuing possession, but the Tigers forced a punt to set up the stunner. The Golden Tigers tacked up a first down on an 11-yard pass on their first play from scrimmage on the ensuing drive, before Kevin Lacey found a streaking Reece down the middle for the go-ahead score.

UNCP will close out a short two-game road trip on October 8 when it makes the short trip to Hickory to battle in-state rival Lenoir-Rhyne (2-3) on Homecoming. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. The Bears were a 20-17 winner at Carson-Newman on Saturday.