Prime Time at Pembroke? Major roster remake shows promise for Braves

New Colorado coach Deion Sanders dominated the national college football headlines Saturday, proving that a total roster makeover in one off-season could have an immediate impact.

Sanders’ Buffaloes, with 80 new players in tow, beat TCU 45-42 in one of the most exciting — and perhaps one of the most unanticipated — results of the weekend.

While not generating nearly as much attention, new UNC Pembroke coach Mark Hall has orchestrated a similar “Prime Time” like major overhaul within the Braves’ Division II program.

UNC Pembroke brought in 39 transfers and 60 total newcomers in the off-season, according to Chris Stiles, who covers the Braves for The Robesonian. Twenty of those players came to UNC Pembroke from Chowan, the team Hall coached to the CIAA title game a year ago.

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Like Deion, Hall was celebrating a narrow victory after week one of the season. Kicker Ty Woods hit a 24-yard field goal in the final seconds Friday afternoon to lead UNC Pembroke past Fayetteville State 19-17 in the latest version of the Two Rivers Classic.

Fayetteville State had taken a 17-16 lead with a 95-yard kick return for a touchdown by Barry Elliott late in the contest, then forced a Braves punt. But UNCP got the ball back in time to drive into position for Woods’ heroics. (Read The Robesonian’s Game Story HERE)

Ironically, Hall found himself on the losing end of a last-second field goal attempt the last time he faced Fayetteville State. The Broncos booted a game-winner at the buzzer to beat Hall and his Chowan squad in the 2022 CIAA championship. Turn-about certainly felt good.

With the win, we’ll move UNC Pembroke up in our Best In State Division II power rankings. Wingate and Lenoir-Rhyne remain safely at 1-2, but we’ll shift the Braves to the No. 3 slot based on knocking off the previous No. 3 team.

Barton leaps three spots to No. 4 after its impressive 41-0 triumph over Chowan, which is obviously reeling from the loss of its coach and a number of talented players.

If you don’t know the name Jordan Terrell, pay attention. He’s one of the most durable and productive backs in Division II and has been one of the nation’s leading rushers the past few seasons. Terrell broke the 100-yard mark in the first quarter against Chowan and finished with 186 before getting an early night off.

Barton isn’t a one-horse show, though, and should contend to stay in these rankings this season while battling in the competitive Piedmont Division of the South Atlantic Conference.

The lone newcomer to our rankings is Johnson C. Smith. The Golden Bulls had an electric opener, getting four touchdown passes from quarterback Tyrell Jackson en route to a 49-6 triumph over West Virginia Wesleyan.

We feel bad moving Mars Hill down since the Lions haven’t even played yet. But it’s tough not to reward teams who have positive results already in the bank. Fayetteville State moves down for now but has a talented roster that should contend for yet another trip to the CIAA title game.

Two huge games loom in Division II this week. Wingate visits Mars Hill in a pivotal SAC showdown, while Lenoir-Rhyne travels to Fayetteville State in a match-up of SAC vs. CIAA heavyweights. Both games could shake up our power rankings once again.

Barton has an intriguing game at FCS Davidson. The Wildcats struggled to move the ball against VMI but have been averaging 300-plus yards rushing in games the past few seasons. We’ll be interested to see Terrell face that Wildcat defense.

UNC Pembroke plays at West Virginia State on Thursday.

Catawba is knocking on the door of our top seven. The Indians, who also have a new coach in Tyler Haines, beat Elizabeth City State 31-23 on the road Saturday. The Indians will look to go to 2-0 in its home opener against Livingstone on Saturday.

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Last Week’s D2 Power Rankings

1. Wingate
2. Lenoir-Rhyne
3. Fayetteville State
4. Mars Hill
5. UNC Pembroke
6. Shaw
7. Barton

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The Week’s Schedule