UNC Pembroke unleashed one last offensive onslaught to close the regular season, beating Concord 63-7 in Saturday’s Mountain East Conference finale.
The Braves rolled up 619 total yards and won in a blowout for the fourth game in a row. Following a similar script as last season, UNCP (6-5, 6-3 MEC) finished as one of the hottest teams in the Old North State, outscoring its final four foes 262-61.
UNCP Duo Collect Conference Honors
Colin Johnson earned conference offensive player of the week recognition with his 23-of-35 passing performance for 451 yards. He threw five touchdown passes against a porous Concord defense, did not give up an interception and was sacked just once.
Que Kennedy caught a 71-yard TD pass to start the scoring in the first quarter. Josiah Hayes led the receiving corps with eight catches for 120 yards and a touchdown. Jaquan Albright (4 catches, 96 yards, 1 TD), Jayden Smith (3 catches, 46 yards, 1 TD) and Josh Jenkins (3 catches, 31 yards, 1 TD) also found the end zone courtesy of a Johnson aerial.
Sincere Baines added to UNC Pembroke, multi-pronged attack with 112 rushing yards and a pair of 2-yard touchdown runs.
The Braves dominated on both sides of the ball, holding Concord to 79 yards on the ground and 224 total yards. UNCP defenders earned 14 tackles-for-loss and sacked Concord’s trio of quarterbacks eight times.
Malik McKinzie joined Johnson on the MEC honors list, collecting Defensive Player of the Week. McKinzie made seven solo tackles, including five stops behind the line of scrimmage for 21 yards in losses. He had three sacks. McKinzie is only the second player in the state this season to record five TFLs in a single game.
Braves Finish Tied For Third In MEC
UNC Pembroke finished with a winning season after starting 0-4. The Braves faced a grueling early schedule that included a 17-12 loss to Wingate (9-1) and a 58-36 defeat on the road to eventual MEC champion Charleston (11-0). Both foes ended up as No. 2 seeds in the D2 playoff brackets.
UNCP’s other losses came to Fayetteville State (35-31), Glenville State (14-0) and Fairmont State (37-28). Glenville State and Fairmont State both compiled 7-4 overall records. Glenville was 7-2 in the conference, while Fairmont shared UNC Pembroke’s 6-3 league mark.
The rest of the schedule featured one narrow victory over Wheeling (35-32) and then romps against West Liberty, West Virginia State, West Virginia Wesleyan, Frostburg State and Concord. The Braves put up 79 points on West Virginia Wesleyan and 67 against West Liberty.
Thirteen UNC Pembroke Players Collect All-Conference Recognition
The Mountain East Conference released its all-conference team Tuesday. UNC Pembroke had 13 total sections, the most in program history. Five players made the first team. Three more earned second-team status.
This was UNCP’s final year in the Mountain East. The program will move into the newly revived Conference Carolinas in 2025.
UNC Pembroke’s all-conference list:
Colin Johnson (1st Team): The redshirt senior threw for 2,991 yards and 36 touchdowns, adding 230 rushing yards and two scores in 11 games.
Jo Hayes (1st Team): The graduate student broke the school record with 17 receiving touchdowns and recorded over 1,000 receiving yards, becoming just the second in program history to achieve this milestone.
Chris Russell (1st Team): A key offensive lineman, he helped the Braves average 43.45 points and 467.5 yards per game, earning his second straight first-team honor.
Jamae Blank (1st Team): The defensive standout posted 53 tackles (39 solo), six sacks, two interceptions, and six pass breakups in his second consecutive all-conference season.
Evan VanMeter (1st Team): Leading the team with 44 solo tackles, VanMeter tallied 62 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and two forced fumbles.
Sincere Baines (2nd Team): The sophomore rushed for 714 yards and eight touchdowns while contributing 210 receiving yards and a score over 11 games.
Jacob Perry (2nd Team): A critical part of the offensive line, Perry helped the Braves score 68 touchdowns and average 7.2 yards per play, earning his third all-conference nod.
Marquis Raspberry (2nd Team): The redshirt junior registered 41 tackles (33 solo), two interceptions, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and 4.5 sacks.
Jayden Smith (Honorable Mention): Smith caught 22 passes for 289 yards, averaging 13.14 yards per catch with six touchdowns in 11 games.
Hunter Turner (Honorable Mention): Turner anchored an offense that racked up 5,142 yards and 68 touchdowns, earning his first all-conference recognition.
Jaiden Nesbit (Honorable Mention): The redshirt freshman recorded 58 tackles (40 solo), an interception, and two pass breakups while finishing second on the team in total tackles.
Carlo Thompson (Honorable Mention): Thompson posted 48 tackles, three pass breakups, one interception, and two forced turnovers while recovering a fumble.
Seth Bowen (Honorable Mention): The redshirt sophomore punted 29 times for 1,242 yards, averaging 42.82 yards per punt with five punts over 50 yards and seven inside the 20.
