Braves win nailbiter at Wheeling, host WVSU Thursday

Oct. 11—PEMBROKE — As The University of North Carolina at Pembroke football team returns home for a Thursday-night contest, they do so off consecutive one-point wins in a pair of low-scoring games.

The Braves will put that winning streak to the test when West Virginia State visits for a 6 p.m. kickoff.

UNCP won 17-16 Saturday at Wheeling, withstanding a missed field-goal attempt in the final minute and a Hail Mary pass attempt in the final seconds to emerge victorious.

"I think the great thing is, we're learning how to win, we're learning how to handle success," UNCP coach Shane Richardson said. "We're on a two-game win streak. The biggest thing that came out of this last weekend was being able to go into someone else's territory and win on the road for the first time this year — a big deal for us. I think that's the part that I think our guys can really build off from."

UNCP (3-3, 3-2 Mountain East Conference) trailed 13-0 early in the second quarter in Saturday's game, then clawed its way back. After an Alex Alvarado field goal put the Braves on the board, Josh Jones scored on a 4-yard run to pull to a 13-10 deficit before Wheeling's Matt Greenwood added a field goal as the half expired for a 16-10 lead. Faheem Diaab caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Jones to give the Braves a 17-16 lead with 9:08 remaining.

"We had to climb our way back into it, and there was not a sense of panic at all; there was just a lot of good energy on the sideline and I think our guys responded really well, and our guys are learning that it's a four-quarter game," Richardson said. "You've got to play the whole thing all the way through. You're never out of the fight, you can't ever give up or give in and you've just got to keep fighting until the end of the game."

The Braves held Wheeling (4-2, 3-2 MEC) to 246 yards of total offense, and have held their opponents to 25 total points in the last two games.

"They've stepped up and really embraced their roles; they're really playing together and operating with a high level of pride amongst the group and the unit and I don't think they want to let anybody down," Richardson said. "They've been able to attack the offenses we've gone against and respond well. We've done a good job with it."

Braves defensive end Tyreke King had 11 tackles and five sacks to lead the Braves defense and earned MEC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Moving forward, the Braves will look for improvement from an offense which has scored 27 total points in the last two games. UNCP rushed for 60 yards Saturday, with Jones completing 23 of 36 passes for 194 yards.

"We've got to be able to run the ball consistently, and I feel like we have not been able to establish the consistency of dominating the run game like we need to," Richardson said. "We've shown that at times; we've got to be able to do it on a more consistent basis, week in and week out. ... We've got to come ready to play right from the get go, as soon as we get off on the first series, and we've got to learn how to sustain that momentum and continue it all the way through the game."

West Virginia State (4-2, 3-2 MEC) also has a two-game winning streak after defeating West Virginia Wesleyan 46-21 on Saturday and Alderson Broaddus 30-3 on Oct. 1.

"I think they're super scrappy, they're an aggressive group that plays with a lot of energy," Richardson said. "I think the team that plays with great energy and a lot of enthusiasm and has an aggressive, scrappy style to them, that's a very dangerous team, and I think that's part of the reason why they win games."

Yellow Jackets senior quarterback Donovan Riddick has completed 61% of his passes for 952 yards with nine touchdowns and just one interception this season.

"He's not only accurate, I think he also has the ability to extend plays and make things happen with his legs," Richardson said. "He's very mobile, and he presents a challenge for us. He's a very solid player that makes the offense go. When it breaks down, he's able to get them out of some tough situations."

UNCP is 4-0 all-time against West Virginia State, with wins in the last two seasons, both at WVSU, including last fall's 14-13 victory.

As the Braves are now past the halfway mark of their schedule, and begin the second half of conference play, they are one of eight teams within one game of the conference lead, shared by Concord and Notre Dame (Ohio) at 4-1.

"For as tough of a beginning as it's been for us, we're starting to climb back in this thing," Richardson said. "We're still in a great position to really do some damage here, and when you're in conference play every game matters and you've got to take it one game at a time. With five games left, I think our guys are excited to play these last five and we've given ourselves an opportunity to do something down the stretch here."