PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke football team racked up a season-high 335 yards of total offense, including 96 in the fourth quarter alone, and scored a pair of late touchdowns to secure a 28-14 victory over visiting Catawba on Saturday evening at Grace P. Johnson Stadium.
 
The triumph marked the second-straight home victory for the Braves (2-1) – the first time the Black & Gold has accomplished that task since the 2016 campaign. The result snapped a two-game series win streak for the Indians (1-2) who fell to UNCP for the first time since Oct. 22, 2016.
 

THE BASICS

SCORE: UNC Pembroke 28, Catawba 14 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 2-1; Catawba 1-2 LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Grace P. Johnson Stadium)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

The Braves needed just three plays to march 71 yards on their second possession of the ballgame, and Josh Jones capped the scoring drive with a 20-yard scoring strike to Faheem Diaab. UNCP 7, Catawba 0

2ND QUARTER

Special teams proved key for the Braves late in the second quarter as Devin Jones hauled in a punt from Clayton Crile and raced all the way down to the Indians' 18-yard line. Josh Jones took care of the rest with his own legs, rushing 17 yards on first down and then diving in from the 1-yard line to make it a two-score game. UNCP 14, Catawba 0

3RD QUARTER

Catawba ground down the UNCP defense on its opening possession of the second half. The Indians put together an impressive 17-play, 74-yard touchdown drive that milked more than seven minutes off the clock. Andrew Bynum's 1-yard touchdown run cut the visitors' deficit in half. UNCP 14, Catawba 7

4TH QUARTER

The Braves bridged the third and fourth quarters with a 10-play, 55-yard scoring drive. Josh Sheridan carried the ball five times for 28 yards, and Josh Jones completed 4-of-5 passes for 27 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown pass to Quay Threatt. UNCP 21, Catawba 7 Sean Hill's interception put the Braves in business again just more than a minute later, and Josh Sheridan did most of the damage on the possession, carrying the ball four times for 33 yards, including a 5-yard scoring jaunt that capped the scoring on the night for the hosts. UNCP 28, Catawba 7 Quarterback Kendall Davis was involved on nearly every play for the Indians on the ensuing drive, running twice for eight yards and completing four of eight passes for 44 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown strike to Chylon Thomas. UNCP 28, Catawba 14

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Senior Josh Sheridan crossed the 100-yard rushing plateau for the first time with a good night in the backfield. Sheridan established new career highs for both rushing attempts (20) and yards (154), while also turning in a career-long run (50 yards) in the first quarter. + Sophomore Josh Jones threw for 127 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-24 passing, while also carrying the ball seven times for 17 yards and an additional score. It marked the second time this season (vs. Winston-Salem State) that Jones has tallied both a passing and a rushing touchdown. + Junior David Salser led Code Black with seven tackles (4 solo) on the night. Devin Cowan turned in 2-1/2 tackles for loss, including one sack, and Sean Hill turned in six tackles (5 solo) and grabbed an interception for the second time this season.

NOTABLES

+ Saturday night's victory marked the first time the Braves have tacked up consecutive home wins since the 2016 campaign. + UNCP out-gained Catawba on the night, 335-329, despite running 15 less offensive plays than the Indians. The Braves averaged 5.7 yards per offensive play on Saturday, while Catawba managed just 4.4 yards per play. + The 208 rushing yards marked the most for the Braves since racking up 253 rushing yards at Elizabeth City State during the 2017 season.

UP NEXT

UNCP will close out a short two-game home stand next Saturday when it suits up to host Limestone (0-3) in a 7 p.m. contest at Grace P. Johnson Stadium. The Saints dropped a 38-10 home outing to Tusculum earlier on Saturday.

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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.