Week five of college football across North Carolina featured a bevy of big scoring plays — and players recording more than one explosive touchdown. Here’s a recap of our Best In State longest scoring plays:
Winston-Salem State’s JahTwan Stafford had the longest touchdown of the weekend, returning a punt 95 yards against Lincoln (Pa.). The play gave the Rams a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter.
Trey Dixon put his name in the UNC Pembroke record books with 242 receiving yards and four touchdown catches in the Braves’ 40-21 triumph over Wheeling. Dixon had lengthy touchdown receptions from quarterback Colin Johnson covering 75 and 73 yards, as well as TD catches of 32 and 18 on his way to being named the Mountain East Offensive Player of the Week. Johnson had six touchdown passes on the day, by the way, the best among North Carolina quarterbacks.
Campbell’s Jalen Kelsey caught TD throws from Hajj-Malik Williams of 70 and 65 yards, respectively.
Davidson ran all over San Diego (400-plus yards rushing), getting long-distance TDs on the ground from Mason Sheron (78 yards) and Mari Adams (66, 38).
The longest defensive touchdown of week five came from St. Augustine’s Booker Peake, who carted a Virginia Union fumble 76 yards to the end zone. Ja’qun Wilkins returned a blocked punt 69 yards for a Johnson C. Smith touchdown in its 21-20 triumph at Elizabeth City State.
Michael Hughes of Appalachian State booted the longest field goal of the weekend, covering 54 yards at Louisiana-Monroe. That boot happened to be on the last play, giving the Mountaineers a 41-40 win. Read more about Hughes’ big kick HERE.
Here are all the longest scoring plays of the week, in spreadsheet table form:
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| LONGEST SCORING PLAYS | DIVISION | PLAY DESCRIPTION | OPPONENT |
| JahTwan Stafford (Winston-Salem State) | D2 | 95-yard punt return | Lincoln (Pa.) |
| Mason Sheron (Davidson) | FCS | 78-yard rush | San Diego |
| Booker Peake (St. Augustine’s) | D2 | 76-yard fumble recovery | Virginia Union |
| Trey Dixon (UNC Pembroke) | D2 | 75-yard pass from Colin Johnson | Wheeling |
| Tyree Holloway (Chowan) | D2 | 75-yard pass from Rashad McKee | Valdosta State |
| Trey Dixon (UNC Pembroke) | D2 | 73-yard pass from Colin Johnson | Wheeling |
| Jalen Kelsey (Campbell) | FCS | 70-yard pass from Hajj-Malik Williams | NC Central |
| Ja’qun Wilkins (Johnson C. Smith) | D2 | 69-yard blocked field goal return | Elizabeth City State |
| Zackary Orr (Brevard) | D3 | 67-yard pass from Ethan Beamish | Greensboro |
| Mari Adams (Davidson) | FCS | 66-yard rush | San Diego |
| Jalen Kelsey (Campbell) | FCS | 65-yard pass from Hajj-Malik Williams | NC Central |
| Kevin White (NC A&T) | FCS | 65-yard rush | Norfolk State |
| Deven Franklin (Chowan) | D2 | 61-yard pass from Rashad McKee | Valdosta State |
| Dominique Marshall (Lenoir-Rhyne) | D2 | 56-yard pass from Jalen Ferguson | UVA Wise |
| Jordan Terrell (Barton) | D2 | 53-yard rush | Tusculum |
| Christian Horn (Appalachian State) | FBS | 52-yard pass from Joey Aguilar | UL Monroe |
| Dwayne McGee (Lenoir-Rhyne) | D2 | 52-yard rush | UVA Wise |
| Zackary Orr (Brevard) | D3 | 49-yard pass from Ethan Beamish | Greensboro |
| Dwayne McGee (Lenoir-Rhyne) | D2 | 44-yard rush | UVA Wise |
| Tremel Jones (Wingate) | D2 | 42-yard pass from Brooks Bentley | Erskine |
| Caden Davis (Fayetteville State) | D2 | 40-yard rush | Bluefield State |
| Juwan Lyons (St. Andrews) | NAIA | 40-yard pass from Darius Holly | Bluefield (Va.) |
| Kevin White (NC A&T) | FCS | 40-yard rush | Norfolk State |
| Mari Adams (Davidson) | FCS | 38-yard rush | San Diego |
| Brandon Basnight (St. Andrews) | NAIA | 37-yard rush | Bluefield (Va.) |
| Donoven Davenport (Elizabeth City State) | D2 | 37-yard rush | Johnson C. Smith |
| Malcolm Wilson (Catawba) | D2 | 36-yard rush | Emory & Henry |
| Dylan Morris (Fayetteville State) | D2 | 35-yard interception return | Bluefield State |
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| GAME WINNING FG | DIVISION | YARDS | OPPONENT | SITUATION |
| Michael Hughes (Appalachian State) | FBS | 54 | UL Monroe | As time expired | W, 41-40 |
| Bear Huggins (Barton) | D2 | 30 | Tusculum | With :05 to go | W, 17-14 |
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| LONGEST FIELD GOALS | DIVISION | YARDS | OPPONENT |
| Michael Hughes (Appalachian State) | FBS | 54 | UL Monroe |
| Jason Zapata (Livingstone) | D2 | 47 | Bowie State |
| Bryson Simms (Catawba) | D2 | 44 | Emory & Henry |
| Bryson Simms (Catawba) | D2 | 40 | Emory & Henry |
| Caleb Bonesteel (Wingate) | D2 | 40 | Erskine |
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More Best In State football content
- Top returning QBs to watch in North Carolina this season
Twelve signal callers who could put up big numbers across all four NCAA divisions in 2024 - NFL Draft: Duke, NC State, UNC players picked early
Duke linemen, UNC quarterback, NC State linebacker get selected in rounds 1-3 - UFL rosters will feature plenty of North Carolina football talent
New spring pro league, a merger of the USFL and XFL, will kick off this weekend - Louisburg College puts 36 on academic honors list
Hurricanes enjoyed success on the field and in the classroom - Statewide Stats: Four rushers eclipsed 1,000 yards in 2023
All-American Jordan Terrell from Barton led the way with 1,732 over 11 games
