PEMBROKE - The UNC Pembroke football team registered 424 total yards of offensive and limited Fayetteville State to 258 offensive yards to highlight a 31-24 victory for the Braves over the Broncos in the Two Rivers Classic on Saturday evening at Grace P. Johnson Stadium. 
 
The Braves (1-1) improve to 6-0 all-time against FSU when playing in Pembroke. It is just the second time in the last three seasons that the Broncos (0-2) have lost their first two games of the season. 

 

THE BASICS

SCORE: UNC Pembroke 31, Fayetteville State 24 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 1-1; Fayetteville State 0-2 LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Grace P. Johnson Stadium)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Fayetteville State capitalized on a fumble recovery by Marcus Thompson at the UNC Pembroke 17-yard line, setting up a 6-yard scoring drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Caden Davis with 9:52 on the clock. The Braves responded with an offensive drive, highlighted by a 23-yard pass from Tre Robinson to JaQuan Albright, leading to a 4-yard touchdown pass to Que Kennedy at the 6:07 mark to tie the score at 7. Later in the quarter, Tre Robinson connected with Que Kennedy again for a 7-yard touchdown pass with 1:32 remaining in the period, and would hold a 14-7 lead after the opening quarter.

2ND QUARTER

The Broncos opened with a 12-play, 65-yard drive that culminated in a 36-yard field goal by John Hernandez-Vargas at the 10:42 mark as FSU trailed 14-10. However, the Braves quickly responded with an 85-yard drive, highlighted by Tre Robinson's 47-yard touchdown pass to Malik Brown at 4:39 in the quarter, extending their lead to 21–10 after Jake Brown's successful PAT.  3RD QUARTER UNC Pembroke initiated the scoring with a 25-yard field goal by Taylor Harris with 12:31 on the clock, extending the lead to 24-10. The Broncos responded strongly, with Caden Davis rushing for a 1-yard touchdown at 9:23, closing the gap to 24-17. The Braves countered with Marcus Martin connecting with JaQuan Albright for a 5-yard touchdown pass at the 5:18 mark, giving the Braves a two-score lead at 31-17. Fayetteville State answered once more as Caden Davis rushed for another 1-yard touchdown with 1:35 remaining in the quarter, to cut the FSU deficit back to 31-24 heading into the final period.

4TH QUARTER

Fayetteville State started the quarter with a brief drive that ended with a 31-yard punt after Bryce Council's rush and a short pass completion resulted in minimal yardage. On the ensuing possession, the Braves capitalized on a defensive penalty to move the chains but were stifled by a sack from Isaiah Boyd and a false start, ultimately punting back to the Broncos. Fayetteville State's offense struggled to gain momentum, highlighted by a Demari Daniels pass completion for no gain and consecutive incomplete passes, leading to a turnover on downs. With the ball back, UNC Pembroke's Anthony Greene secured the victory by converting a crucial fourth down with a 2-yard rush as the clock expired.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Tre Robinson completed 13 of his 20 passing attempts for 234 yards and threw for three touchdowns. The sophomore also ran the ball eight times for 20 yards.  + Malik Brown caught three passes for 111 yards and one touchdown, while JaQuan Albright caught seven passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. + Que Kennedy caught a pair of touchdowns for 39 yards.  + Jadin Baptist tallied a team-high 10 tackles and had one tackle for a loss of three yards, while Donovan Woods had six tackles, four of which were solo tackles.

NOTABLES

+ UNC Pembroke has now won its home opener three out of the last four seasons. + The Braves improve to 10-2 all-time against Fayetteville State and improve to 6-0 when playing in Pembroke.  + The Black & Gold have now won two out of the last three Two Rivers Classic matchups.

UP NEXT

The Braves will host Delta State on Saturday for Parents and Families Day. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Grace P. Johnson Stadium. Tickets can be purchased at UNCPBraves.com/Tickets.

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BACK THE BRAVES

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.