PEMBROKE - Visiting Newberry held the UNC Pembroke football team to just 213 yards of total offense and broke open an otherwise close game with 10 points in the third quarter to key a 20-0 victory over the Braves on Saturday evening at Grace P. Johnson Stadium in Pembroke.
 

THE BASICS

SCORE: Newberry 20, UNC Pembroke 0 RECORDS: Newberry 3-2; UNC Pembroke 1-2 LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Grace P. Johnson Stadium)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

The teams combined for just 88 offensive yards in the opening period, including 47 by the Braves.

2ND QUARTER

The Wolves scored the only points of the first half late in the period, driving 38 yards on seven plays before settling for a 40-yard field goal from Shea Rodgers

3RD QUARTER

Set up by a 47-yard punt return by Bobby Irby, Newberry capped a 5-play, 25-yard scoring drive on Dre Harris's 11-yard touchdown pass to Markell Castle that gave the Wolves a 10-0 advantage. Following a missed field goal (32 yards) by the Braves on the previous possession, the Wolves drove all the way down to the UNCP 6-yard line before, again, settling for a field goal from Rodgers that gave the visitors a 13-0 lead.

4TH QUARTER

An errant punt attempt by the Black & Gold on the previous possession set the Wolves up at the UNCP 27-yard line. Harris would hit Castle for a touchdown again, this time a 27-yard strike on third down, to cap the scoring on the night

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Junior Josh Sheridan combined to register 75 yards of total offense, including 42 receiving yards (4 receptions). He also logged 33 rushing yards (8 carries). Corey West also turned in a game-high four catches (26 yards) as well. + Freshman Josh Jones threw for 147 yards on 18-of-31 passing with an interception. + Junior Isaac Parks had a career night on special teams, logging a 46.9 yard average on seven punts. Two of his punts went for 50 yards or better, while four resulted in Newberry pinned inside its own 20-yard line. Two of Parks's punts were downed at the 1-yard line. + Josh Manns matched a game-high with eight tackles, including five solo stops. Tajai Liles recorded a pair of tackles for loss (-2 yards), while Taye Vereen recorded UNCP's only sack of the game. + UNCP was 3-of-13 on 3rd down conversions against the Wolves, and did not convert either of two 4th down conversion attempts.The Braves converted just one third down (6 attempts) in the second half. + Seven of UNCP's 10 possessions on the night spanned five plays or less, including a trio of 3-and-outs. + Time of possession was fairly split on the night. Newberry possessed the ball for 31-1/2 minutes compared to 28-1/2 for the Black & Gold.

NOTABLES

+ Saturday evening's contest against the Wolves marked the first competition for UNCP since a September 8 home win over Elizabeth City State. Hurricane Florence forced the Braves to leave campus on September 11 and ensuing road games with Catawba and Tusculum were both canceled. The Black & Gold returned to campus on Sunday for their first practice since evacuating campus. + Saturday's result marked just the second shutout in program history for the Braves, and the first since a 10-0 loss at Concord on Nov. 3, 2007. UNCP also established a school record for sacks (10) in that contest. + Newberry has now captured four-straight games in the series with the Braves. The last UNCP victory in the series was on Oct. 27, 2012 (31-24) in Pembroke. + Isaac Parks's 46.9 yard punting average was the sixth-best single game performance by a punter in program history. It is the best performance by a UNCP punter since Matt Davis averaged 47.4 yards on five kicks at West Virginia State during the 2016 campaign.

UP NEXT

The Braves will return home again next weekend (October 9) when they host Wingate (2-3) on Robeson County Schools Night at Grace P. Johnson Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 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.