UNC Pembroke football closed the books on its time in the Mountain East Conference on Saturday.
The Braves, who will join the newly revived Conference Carolinas in 2025, went out with a flourish of offensive and defensive fireworks, exploding past Concord College 63-7. The win – the team’s fourth in a row – produced many of our Week 12 Stat Champion performances, on both sides of the ball.
No team in our state scored more points this past weekend than the Braves. Quarterback Colin Johnson led the way in passing yardage and touchdowns. Defensive end Malik McKinzie tied a season’s best for our state in tackles-for-loss.
Here is the complete list of Week 12 Stat Champions, both team and individual award winners:
Team Scoring | Most Points
- 63 – UNC Pembroke 63, Concord 7
- 58 – Western Carolina 58, VMI 28
- 47 – Catawba 47, Tusculum 15
Team Scoring | Fewest Points Allowed
- 3 – North Carolina Central 26, Howard 3
- 7 – UNC Pembroke 63, Concord 7
- 13 – Wingate 28, Carson-Newman 13
Most Passing Yards
- 451 – Colin Johnson (UNC Pembroke): 23-of-35, 5 TDs, 0 INTs, a long pass of 71 yards at Concord
- 321 – Walker Harris (North Carolina Central): 20-of-35, 1 TD, 1 INT, a long pass of 43 yards vs. Howard
- 316 – Maurice Smith (Chowan): 19-of-35, 2 TDs, 1 INT, a long pass of 68 yards at North Greenville
Passing Touchdowns | 4+ TDs
- 5 – Colin Johnson (UNC Pembroke): at Concord
Most Rushing Yards
- 244 – Omarion Hampton (North Carolina): 35 carries, 1 TD, a long rush of 38 yards, 7.0 yards per carry vs. Wake Forest
- 206 – J’Mari Taylor (North Carolina Central): 24 carries, 3 TDs, a long rush of 61 yards, 8.6 yards per carry vs. Howard
- 156 – Rushawn Baker (Elon): 27 carries, 3 TDs, a long rush of 54 yards, 5.8 yards per carry vs. Maine
Most Receiving Yards
- 172 – VJ Wilkins (Campbell): 5 catches, 2 TDs, a long reception of 75 yards, 34.4 yards per catch at Delaware
- 140 – Juwan Lyons (St. Andrews): 14 catches, 1 TD, a long reception of 30 yards, 10.0 yards per catch at Pikeville (KY)
- 138 – Chandler Brayboy (Elon): 3 catches, 1 TD, a long reception of 70 yards, 46.0 yards per catch vs. Maine
Most Total Tackles
- 16 – Raquon Hartley (Gardner-Webb): 10 solo tackles, 6 assists, 2.0 TFLs/6 yards vs. Tennessee State
- 16 – Kade Moledor (North Carolina A&T): 5 solo tackles, 11 assists, 0.5 TFL/1 yard at Towson
- 14 – Branson Combs (Wake Forest): 11 solo tackles, 3 assists at North Carolina
- 14 – Steven Reid (Mars Hill): 6 solo tackles, 8 assists, 1 TFL/2, 1 forced fumble at Limestone
Most Tackles-For-Loss | 3+
- 5.0 – Malik McKinzie (UNC Pembroke): 21 negative yards at Concord
- 3.5 – Jasheen Davis (Wake Forest): 32 negative yards at North Carolina
- 3.5 – Robert Dorsey (Brevard): 20 negative yards at Kentucky Christian
QB Sacks | 3+
- 3.5 – Robert Dorsey (Brevard): 20 negative yards at Kentucky Christian
- 3.0 – Malik McKinzie (UNC Pembroke): 19 negative yards at Concord
- 2.5 – Jasheen Davis (Wake Forest): 15 negative yards at North Carolina
Kicker Points | 10+
- 16 – Caleb Bonesteel (Wingate): 5-of-5 field goals, long FG of 48 yards, 1-of-1 PAT vs. Carson-Newman
- 15 – Christian Lowery (Western Carolina): 3-of-3 field goals, long FG of 45 yards, 6-of-6 PATs vs. VMI
- 11 – Hugo Taylor (Brevard): 2-of-2 field goals, long field goal of 41 yards, 5-of-5 PATs at Kentucky Christian
Punter Yards | 50+ Average
- 50.0 – Juan Velarde (North Carolina Central): 2 punts, a long punt of 50 yards, 1 Inside 20, 2 punts of 50+ vs. Howard
Longest Offensive Scoring Plays | 60+ Yards
- 75 – VJ Wilkins (Campbell): 75-yard TD pass from Mike Chandler II at Delaware
- 71 – Que Kennedy (UNC Pembroke): 71-yard TD pass from Colin Johnson at Concord
- 70 – Chandler Brayboy (Elon): 70-yard TD pass from Matthew Downing vs. Maine
Longest Defensive Touchdowns
- 54 – Rickey Jones (Catawba): 54-yard fumble return for a touchdown vs. Tusculum
- 44 – Denoris Wardlow (Catawba): 44-yard interception return for a touchdown vs. Tusculum
- 42 – Power Echols (North Carolina): 42-yard interception return for a touchdown vs. Wake Forest
Longest Special Teams Scores
- 98 – Miles Richardson (Gardner-Webb): 98-yard 2-point PAT return vs. Tennessee State
Longest Field Goal | 50+ Yards
- 52 – Andrew Conrad (East Carolina): at Tulsa
- 50 – Stephen Rusnak (Charlotte): vs. South Florida
Longest Punt | 60+ Yards
- 68 – Jack Brady (Campbell): at Delaware
- 61 – Samuel Vargas (Brevard): at Kentucky Christian
Team Passing | 300+ Yards
- 452 – UNC Pembroke: 24-of-36, 5 TDs, 0 INTs at Concord
- 321 – North Carolina Central: 20-of-36, 1 TD, 2 INTs vs. Howard
- 318 – Western Carolina: 32-of-44, 2 TDs, 0 INTs vs. VMI
Total Yards | 500+ Yards
- 619 – UNC Pembroke: 167 rushing, 452 passing, 66 plays, 9.4 yards per play at Concord
- 563 – North Carolina Central: 242 rushing, 321 passing, 72 plays, 7.8 yards per play vs. Howard
- 536 – East Carolina: 222 rushing, 314 passing, 79 plays, 6.8 yards per play at Tulsa
Rushing Defense | Fewest Yards Allowed
- 38 – North Carolina Central: 24 carries, 1.6 yards per carry, 0 TDs vs. Howard
- 54 – Wingate: 39 carries, 1.4 yards per carry, 1 TD vs. Carson-Newman
- 59 – Elon: 22 carries, 2.7 yards per carry, 2 TDs vs. Maine
Passing Defense | Less Than 100 Yards Allowed
- 30 – Wingate: 2-of-6, 0 TDs, 2 INTs vs. Carson-Newman
- 83 – North Carolina Central: 11-of-26, 0 TD, 0 INT vs. Howard
Total Defense | Fewest Yards Allowed
- 84 – Wingate: 54 rushing, 30 passing, 45 plays, 1.9 yards per play vs. Carson-Newman
- 121 – North Carolina Central: 38 rushing, 83 passing, 50 plays, 2.4 yards per play vs. Howard
- 224 – UNC Pembroke: 79 rushing, 145 passing, 73 plays, 3.1 yards per play at Concord
Attendance Leaders
- FBS: North Carolina – 48,364
- FCS: Western Carolina – 13,022
- D2: Lenoir-Rhyne – 4,184
- D3: Methodist – 660
Other Notable Players/Teams/Performances
UNC Pembroke’s defense recorded 15 tackles for loss and eight sacks in Saturday’s 63-7 win at Concord. The Braves intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble.
Catawba’s Deno Wardlow recorded five solo tackles, one assist, a 44-yard interception return and four pass breakups in a win over Tusculum.
Pikeville (KY) scored 90 points vs. St. Andrews, with quarterback Lee Kirkland completing 41-of-47 passes for 646 yards and 11 TDs.
South Florida’s offense amassed 425 rushing yards on 48 carries (8.8 yards per carry) in a win at Charlotte. Tulsa’s Joseph Williams caught five passes for 158 yards and three touchdowns in a Thursday night loss to East Carolina.
