PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke football team racked up nearly 400 yards of offense, including 275 through the air, but visiting Mars Hill limited the Braves to just three yards of offense in the third quarter on the way to a 34-21 victory over the Braves on Saturday afternoon at Grace P. Johnson Stadium.
 
The setback marked the second-straight loss for the Braves (2-6) who fell to 2-3 in Pembroke this season as well. The triumph snapped a two-game skid for the Lions (3-6) who have now won both matchups in the series with the Black & Gold.
 

THE BASICS

SCORE: Mars Hill 34, UNC Pembroke 21 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 2-6; Mars Hill 3-6 LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Grace P. Johnson Stadium)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

A 58-yard run by McKinley Nelson on UNCP's second play from scrimmage set up his team with a 1st-and-Goal from the 1-yard line, but the Braves were forced to settle for a 17-yard field goal from Alex Alvarado. UNCP 3, MHU 0   Austin Brown completed all four of his pass attempts on a 6-play, 72-yard scoring drive, including a 41-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Ferguson. MHU 7, UNCP 3   The Lions forced a 3-and-out by UNCP on the ensuing possession, but Dawson Williams blocked the punt attempt and Cameron Wrice fell on the loose ball in the end zone. MHU 14, UNCP 3

2ND QUARTER

The Braves bridged the first and second quarters with an 8-play, 42-yard scoring drive that was capped by a 31-yard field goal by Alex Alvarado. MHU 14, UNCP 6   An interception by Shawn Everett in the end zone set up a 5-play, 80-yard drive. Josh Jones capped the drive with a 79-yard scoring strike to Shammond Hicks, and then hit a diving Aaron Whjtaker in the end zone for the 2-point conversion. UNCP 14, MHU 14   Mars Hill kept a 7-play, 75-yard touchdown drive alive with a costly roughing the passer penalty by the Braves, and capped the drive with a nifty catch by Javon Harbison in the back of the end zone. MHU 21, UNCP 14

3RD QUARTER

The Lions capped a 7-play, 75-yard scoring drive on Austin Brown's 9-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Ferguson, but a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was key on the missed point-after attempt. MHU 27, UNCP 14

4TH QUARTER

The Black & Gold cut into its deficit midway through the final period when Josh Jones engineered a 10-play, 91-yard touchdown drive that was culminated by a 53-yard catch-and-juke by Quadrin Williams. MHU 27, UNCP 21   The Lions consumed more than five minutes off of the fourth quarter clock and drove 69 yards on 10 plays before Austin Brown's quarterback sneak gave the visitors an insurance score. MHU 34, UNCP 21

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Freshman Josh Jones threw for a season-high 259 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-37 passing with one interception. His day included scoring passes of 79 and 53 yards. + Redshirt freshman Tyshawn Carter caught a season-best six passes for 47 yards. He also lost three yards on a rushing attempt. + Sophomore Shammond Hicks caught three balls for 93 yards, including a 79-yard touchdown catch. He now has eight catches for 205 yards over the last two games. + Freshman McKinley Nelson tallied 199 all-purpose yards including a season-best 84 rushing yards on 15 carries. He also returned four kickoffs for 115 yards (28.8 yards/return). + Junior Shawn Everett registered his seventh career interception in the second quarter. He is now tied for third on the program's all-time list with former UNCP standout Quentin Pate (2010-13). + The Braves gained just three yards on five drives (16 plays) in the third quarter. Three of those five drives went for two yards or less. + UNCP was just 3-for-15 on 3rd Down conversions on the day, and did not get a first down on their only 4th Down conversion attempt.

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 wrap up the home portion of its 2018 schedule next Saturday when they suit up to host a Senior Day matchup with Carson-Newman (6-4) at Grace P. Johnson Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be preceded by an on-field ceremony to honor its senior class.

STAY CONNECTED

Follow UNCP Football on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" UNCP Football on Facebook.

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.