UNC Pembroke football put up another round of video game numbers Saturday afternoon, amassing nearly 600 yards of offense and blitzing West Virginia Wesleyan 79-20 in Mountain East Conference action.
The Braves broke school records for most points in a game and most points in a single half (56) on American Indian Heritage Day.
Coach Mark Hall’s team also set the new “high score” for a North Carolina college football team this season. Davidson had held the previous best of 70 points, recorded against Stetson in week eight. UNC Pembroke has scored 67 and 62 in other victories this fall.
Ten things to know about the Braves’ huge victory:
* The Braves won for the second week in a row and the fourth time in five tries, improving to 4-5 overall, 4-3 in league play. UNCP has averaged 59 points per game the past four games.
* Sincere Baines (166 rushing yards) and JaQuan Kelly (116) punished the West Virginia Wesleyan defense. Kelly scored touchdowns on runs of 23 and 18 yards. Baines, who averaged 11.1 yards per carry, added a 52-yard dash that made the score 63-7 in the third quarter.
* As a team, UNC Pembroke accumulated 377 rushing yards, averaging 8.0 yards per tote. The longest run of the day was Baines’ 52-yarder.
* Colin Johnson and Caleb Locklear tag-teamed the quarterback position for UNCP. Johnson completed 11-of-18 throws for 166 yards and four TDs. Locklear completed all three of his throws for 51 yards and one scoring strike.
* Four different players caught TD passes. Jaquan Albright had a pair of TDs in the first quarter, while Josiah Hayes, Que Kennedy and Josh Jenkins each made one touchdown catch.
* UNCP eclipsed 500 total yards for the fourth time this season. The Braves hit 594 on 68 plays, an average of 8.7 yards per snap.
* UNC Pembroke did not punt. The Braves built a 42-0 lead by midway through the second quarter and held a 56-7 edge at intermission.
* Jaiden Nesbit returned an interception 47 yards, while Marquis Raspberry returned a fumble 38 yards for two more UNCP touchdowns. The Braves defense had three picks on the day and also earned a safety. Jamae Blank and James Johnson had the other interceptions.
* Jackson Hills put a bow on each of UNC Pembroke’s touchdowns, successfully booting all 11 extra points. He had 12 kickoffs for the day, with three touchdowns and a 63.3 yards-per-kick average.
* UNC Pembroke has two more games remaining in the regular season, hosting Frostburg State next weekend and traveling to Concord on Nov. 16.
Frostburg and UNCP both have 4-3 conference marks, tied for fourth in the MEC standings behind Charleston, West Virginia State and Glenville State. Charleston and Glenville State both beat the Braves, but UNCP trounced West Virginia State 62-17 a couple of weeks ago.
