Sunday, November 17, 2013

No. 10 UNCP Thrashes Virginia-Lynchburg In Regular Season Finale

PEMBROKE, North Carolina  –  Luke Charles threw for a school record 433 yards and six touchdowns on 30-of-39 passing to help lead the 10th-ranked UNC Pembroke football team to the program's 50th victory with a 63-0 whooping of Virginia-Lynchburg on Saturday at Grace P. Johnson Stadium.

UNCP (9-1) matched a school record win total for the second time since 2007 after scoring touchdowns on nine of its 13 drives on the day, including a 35-point, 353-yard effort in the opening half. Virginia-Lynchburg (2-9) was held to just 83 offensive yards on 54 plays, including a paltry 26 yards in the second half alone.

Charles broke the program's record for passing yards for the fourth time this season, while also shattering a 5-year-old record for touchdown passes that he had already tied earlier this season. The performance also gave him the honor of being the first quarterback in program history to throw for more than 3,000 yards in a single season (3,361).

Fellow senior Te'vell Williams hauled in four catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns to break his own school record (10) for touchdown receptions in a season, while 10 other players recorded at least one reception as well. Running back Rontonio Stanley accounted for 115 all-purpose yards (44 rushing 71 receiving) and one rushing touchdown for the Braves as well.



Sophomore Connor Haskins broke a pair of records on the day by converting on all nine point-after attempts, while also shattering the single season record for PATs (41).

Code Black limited the Dragons to just 11 yards in the first and fourth quarters, while also keying the dominance by not allowing the visitors to convert a third down on 14 attempts. Brandon Fulton recorded a team-best five tackles, while also registering an interception. Senior Ray Baker totaled four solo tackles, including two stops for loss, and returned an interception 13 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

The shutout was the first for a UNCP defense since a 24-0 home win over Fairmont State on Oct. 16, 2010.

"I am very proud of what this group has been able to accomplish this season," said UNCP head coach Pete Shinnick. "It's a great day for the program because we get to focus on a playoff game now."

Charles hit four different receivers with touchdown strikes in the first two quarters, and Stanley dove in from one yard out 83 seconds before the intermission to help the Braves lug a 35-0 advantage into the break. The Black & Gold had pushed its advantage out to 42-0 just less than five minutes into the third quarter, and led 56-0 after Demetrius Fairley's 18-yard scoring jaunt at the 12:33 mark in the final period.

Baker's 13-yard pick 6 on the ensuing possession helped UNCP break the program's scoring record for the second time in three weeks.

UNCP's players and coaching staff will gather inside the University Center Annex on Sunday afternoon to watch the NCAA Division II Football Playoff selection show which is set to broadcast at 5 p.m. on NCAA.com. The event is open to UNCP students, faculty and staff, as well as the general public.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PEMBROKE ATHLETICS

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