PEMBROKE – Visiting Wingate racked up 491 yards of offense, including nearly 300 yards through the air, and used a 30-point second half to fuel a 51-7 victory over the UNC Pembroke football team on Saturday evening at Grace P. Johnson Stadium.
 
The setback marked the second-straight loss for the Braves (1-3) who managed just 97 yards of offense in the second half. The triumph snapped a three-game losing streak for the Bulldogs (3-3) who have now captured three-straight games in the series with the Black & Gold.
 

THE BASICS

SCORE: Wingate 51, UNC Pembroke 7 RECORDS: Wingate 3-3; UNC Pembroke 1-3 LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Grace P. Johnson Stadium)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Quarterback Shaw Crocker engineered a 7-play, 54-yard scoring drive that was capped on his 25-yard scoring strike to B.J. Muckelvene in the corner of the end zone. WU 7, UNCP 0 Wingate took possession after blocking a 24-yard field goal attempt by the Braves and keyed a 4-play, 80-yard scoring drive that was fueled by Crocker's 45-yard pass to J.T. Stokes on 2nd-and-4 from the visitor 29-yard line. Crocker's 12-yard touchdown pass to Muckelvene as time expired. WU 14, UNCP 0

2ND QUARTER

Domineke McNeill ran for 35 yards on four carries to fuel a 6-play, 27-yard scoring drive by the Bulldogs late in the period, but it was Nijere Peoples that culminated the drive on a 1-yard scoring plunge. WU 21, UNCP 0

3RD QUARTER

Crocker found Muckelvene on a 39-yard pass on first down from the UNCP 43-yard line, and then hit Muckelvene again - this time on a jump ball in the corner of the end zone. WU 28, UNCP 0 Crocker threw for 87 yards on 5-of-6 passing on a scoring drive midway through the period, including a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Brooks on the sideline. McLean Robertson's point-after attempt sailed wide right, however. WU 34, UNCP 0 The Braves finally scratched the scoreboard late in the period when Josh Jones engineered a 4-play, 89-yard touchdown drive that was capped on Josh Sheridan's 6-yard scoring jaunt off right tackle. Jones found Quay Threatt on a 53-yard out route on second down, and the Braves were aided by two pass interference penalties on the drive as well. WU 34, UNCP 7

4TH QUARTER

Wingate bridged the third and fourth quarters with a 10-play, 57-yard scoring drive. Nijere Peoples did a bulk of the work on the ground for the visitors, but Shaw Crocker capped the drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to J.T. Stokes. WU 41, UNCP 7 Wingate set itself up at the UNCP 34-yard line after sacking Josh Jones on fourth down and mustered just 15 yards before settling for McLean Robertson's 36-yard field goal. WU 44, UNCP 7 Noah Arnett carried the ball seven times for 39 yards, including a 2-yards scoring plunge with just more than a minute left to cap the scoring on the night. WU 51, UNCP 7

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Junior Josh Sheridan combined to register 94 yards of total offense and a touchdown, including 63 rushing yards (10 carries). He also logged 31 receiving yards on a pair of catches. + Freshman Josh Jones threw for 172 yards on 17-of-29 passing. He was also sacked twice for a loss of 10 yards. + Junior Quay Threatt hauled in three catches for a team-best 63 yards. Eleven different players registered at least one catch in the contest for the hosts. + Josh Manns matched a game-high with seven tackles, including five solo stops and a tackle for loss. Domenique Davis logged seven tackles for Code Black as well, including a sack. + Sophomore Isaac Parks was the bright spot for the Braves again on special teams, tallying a 42.8 average on six kicks, including a pair that pinned the visitors inside their own 20-yard line. + UNCP was just 6-of-15 on 3rd Down conversions against Wingate. That included a 1-for-5 success rate on 3rd-and-long (9+ yards) situations. + Six of UNCP's 12 possessions on the night spanned five plays or less, including a trio of 3-and-outs.

NOTABLES

+ The Braves have now dropped three-straight games to Wingate dating back to the 2014 season. UNCP's last victory over the Bulldogs was a 38-10 triumph at Grace P. Johnson Stadium during the 2013 campaign. + Saturday's loss was the most lopsided result in the 10-game-old series between the Braves and Wingate. The Bulldogs posted a 43-point win (57-14) in Pembroke on Sept. 15, 2007, while the Black & Gold tallied a 38-10 win in Pembroke on Sept. 28, 2013.

UP NEXT

The Braves will make the 534-mile trip to Wilberforce, Ohio next weekend to take on Central State (2-4) at McPherson Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.

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JOIN THE BRAVES CLUB

Fans can help support the UNC Pembroke Football program by joining the Braves Club. To find out more information about the Braves Club, visit UNCPBraves.com/BravesClub or email braves.club@uncp.edu.