By Catawba Athletics / catawbaathletics.com
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. —- Catawba sophomore running back Lee Bracey Jr. ran for 194 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, helping to lead the Catawba College football team to a 31-23 win at Elizabeth City State on Saturday afternoon. It is the third-straight win to open the season for the Catawba Indians and the first win under head coach Tyler Haines.
TEAM STATS
– Catawba earned 17 first downs to ECSU’s 14
– The Catawba Indians out-gained the Vikings on the ground 193-180
– Catawba threw for 203 yards, while limiting Elizabeth City to just 81 yards through the air
– Catawba gained 396 yards of total offense to ECSU’s 261
– The Catawba Indians held the Vikings to 1-of-11 on third down and 0-for-2 on fourth down
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
– Bracey rushed for a career-high 194 yards and a touchdown, nearly quadrupling his previous career-high
– Preston Brown completed 15 of 29 passes for 203 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in his Catawba debut
– Jordan Mitchell caught two passes for 105 yards and a TD, while Bo Pryor hauled in four passes for 50 yards and a score
– Kobe Christian also found the end zone with a three-yard grab
– Deno Wardlow tied a program record with three interceptions
– Jaylen Hinton led the team with with seven tackles, while Jakarri Martin II, Christian Bennett and Te’Veon Glover each recorded six tackles
– Bryson Sims nailed a 45-yard field goal and made all four extra points
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER
– Catawba stalled on its opening possession, but Wardlow intercepted the Vikings on the first play from scrimmage to give the Catawba Indians the ball right back
– The teams traded punts until ECSU’s Chase Williams hit Ian Edwards for a 43-yard touchdown to give the Vikings the early lead
– Brown found Mitchell for a 33-yard gain on the ensuing drive, but the Vikings recorded a sack fumble to halt Catawba’s drive
SECOND QUARTER
– Wardlow picked off Williams for the second time on the first play of the second quarter
– Brown converted a 4th and 1 at the ECSU 41 to extend the ensuing drive
– Brown found Pryor for a 28-yard score for the first Catawba touchdown of the season
– ECSU recorded a 40-yard run to help drive them down the field and answer right back with a touchdown of their own to take a 14-7 lead
– Catawba fired right back, scoring on the first play of scrimmage, as Brown hit Mitchell for a 72-yard touchdown
– The Vikings were intercepted yet again, this time by Dorrien Bagley
– Catawba cashed in for six on their third straight drive, as Bracey plunged in for a 1-yard score, as Catawba took its first lead into the halftime locker room
THIRD QUARTER
– Catawba drove the ball into their opponent’s half of the field on their opening possession of the half, but settled for a 45-yard Sims field goal to take a 10-point lead
– After forcing a punt, the Catawba Indians capped off a 13-play drive with a three-yard touchdown completion from Brown to Christian to take a commanding 31-14 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the quarter
FOURTH QUARTER
– The Vikings connected on a 44-yard field goal to end Catawba’s run of 24 unanswered points
– Elizabeth City State gained possession on a muffed punt to set up shop in the Catawba red zone
– Darian King scored from 20 yards out, but the two-point conversion failed as ECSU cut the deficit to 31-23 with under four minutes to go
– Bracey fumbled on the first play of the ensuing drive, but Wardlow got the ball right back on the next play with his third interception of the day
– ECSU got the ball back on their own 32-yard line with 2:20 to go, but John-Robert Boyd came up with a sack on fourth down to seal the Catawba win
HEAR FROM COACH HAINES
“I am proud of our staff, our players and our program for the first win of the season. There are a lot of things that we need to clean up in order to be successful in the future, so I look forward to a huge week of improvement going into our home opener next Saturday! Bleed Blue and Win For Catawba!”
GAME NOTES
– Catawba’s third-straight win in the season opener
– First win of the Tyler Haines era
– Haines’ first win as a head coach since October 31, 2019 at Urbana
– Catawba moves to 3-0 all-time versus the Vikings
– First 100-yard rushing game for Bracey; first 100-yard receiving game for Mitchell
– Wardlow is first player with three interceptions in a game since Mark McDaniel had three at Limestone in 2015
– Haines is fifth Catawba head coach in a row to win in his debut
UP NEXT
– Catawba opens its 2023 home slate with a matchup against crosstown rival Livingstone next Saturday
– Community Day game kicks off from Shuford Stadium at 6 p.m.
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