PEMBROKE – Visiting Carson-Newman racked up nearly 500 yards of total offense, including 438 on the ground, and used a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull away for good on the way to a 34-13 victory over the Braves on Saturday at Grace P. Johnson Stadium.
 
The setback marred Senior Day for the Braves (2-7) who will close out their 2018 campaign next Saturday at Catawba (3-7). The triumph snapped a two-game skid for the Eagles (7-4) who will await Sunday's NCAA Division II Playoffs selection show on Sunday to see if they get an at-large selection out of Super Region 2.
 

THE BASICS

SCORE: Carson-Newman 34, UNC Pembroke 13 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 2-7; Carson-Newman 7-4 LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Grace P. Johnson Stadium)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Carson-Newman ran for 63 yards on a 12-play, 73-yard scoring drive and took a 7-0 lead on Antonio Wimbush's 14-yard scamper up the far sideline. CNU 7, UNCP 0   A 59-yard pass from Josh Jones to Shammond Hicks proved to be a key play on the ensuing drive, and Quadrin Williams punched it in from three yards out midway through the first period to knot the score back up. UNCP 7, CNU 7

2ND QUARTER

The Carson-Newman defense forced a fumble deep in their own territory, and then went up for good on the next play when Demitri Saulsberry cut through the UNCP defense and raced 75 yards up the far sideline. CNU 14, UNCP 7   The Braves stopped Carson-Newman on a key 4th-down situation, and used the momentum to tack up another score. Josh Jones and Quadrin Williams did most of the work on a 13-play, 69-yard scoring drive that was capped on Alex Alvarado's 25-yard field goal. CNU 14, UNCP 10

3RD QUARTER

The Eagles got good field position and used it to their advantage, using a 25-yard run by Tyson Herron on 2nd down to eventually set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Sherron Jackson. Caden Patterson would push the extra-point attempt wide left. CNU 20, UNCP 10

4TH QUARTER

Carson-Newman used a 28-yard pass on the first play to set the tone for its final offensive points of the day, and Marcus Williams capped the 8-play, 72-yard scoring drive with a 28-yard touchdown run up the middle. CNU 27, UNCP 13   Mario Mezier picked off Josh Jones on a 4th Down conversion attempt by the Black & Gold and used a wall of blockers to cap the scoring on the day with a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown. CNU 34, UNCP 13

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Josh Jones threw for 120 yards on 11-of-32 passing, while also turning in a season-best 34 rushing yards (six carries). + Quadrin Williams ran for 47 yards on a career-best 18 carries. He scored UNCP's only touchdown on the way with a 3-yard run in the first quarter. + Domenique Davis and Octavis McLaurin both logged a game-best nine tackles, which were also career-bests for both players. McLaurin logged a game-best five solo stops. + Isaac Parks averaged 42.7 yards on six punts against the Eagles, including a pair of 50+-yard boots. He pinned the Eagles inside the 20-yard line on a 30-yard punt late in the second quarter.

NOTABLES

+ The Braves fell to 2-3 at Grace P. Johnson Stadium this season, and are now 3-6 in Pembroke over the last two seasons. + Mars Hill has now captured both meetings in the series with the Braves, including last season's 56-44 shootout in Mars Hill. + The Braves have averaged 341 offensive yards per game over the last five games. Saturday's offensive output matched its second-highest total of the season. The Black & Gold turned in a season-best 386 offensive yards in the loss at Central State.

UP NEXT

UNCP will close the lid on their 2018 season on November 17 when it treks to Salisbury for a makeup contest against Catawba (3-7) at Shuford Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. The contest, which was originally scheduled for September, was initially canceled by both schools due to the effects of Hurricane Florence.

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