PEMBROKE, North Carolina – Rontonio Stanley ran for 131 yards and three touchdowns, including a 45-yard scoring scamper late in the fourth quarter that iced the game, to key the UNC Pembroke football team to a 29-17 victory over 17th-ranked and previously unbeaten Tuskegee on Saturday afternoon at Grace P. Johnson Stadium.
The triumph kept UNCP (4-1) unbeaten in three home games this season and gave the Braves a 2-0 mark against nationally-ranked opponents this season. It was the first loss of the season for the Golden Tigers (4-1) who rode into Pembroke aiming to put a damper on Homecoming for the Black & Gold.
It was the third career multi-score game for Stanley (15 carries) who notched his first three touchdowns of the season in the performance, as well as his first touchdowns since his freshman campaign in 2013. Patrick O'Brien threw for 230 yards and a first quarter touchdown on 22-of-32 passing with no interceptions. John Rich finished the game with 48 receiving yards on five catches for the Braves as well.
Senior Mike Keck registered three sacks for the second time this season and moved past former teammate Mat Turner (2010-13) atop UNCP's single season sacks list with his seventh, eighth and ninth quarterback drops of the campaign. Freshman Jonas Johnson registered a team-best nine solo tackles, while Tirek Holloway added a career-best seven stops (3 solo). Mike Lawrence snagged an interception for the hosts as well.
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The Black & Gold put up the first points of the game on O'Brien's 27-yard touchdown strike to JoJo Spann, and then went up by two scores early in the second quarter when Matt Davis capped a 6-play, 17-yard drive with a 30-yard field goal that put UNCP up 10-0. A fumble by UNCP deep in its own territory two drives later would allow the visitors to get to within three points, 10-7, when Kenno Loyal galloped in from nine yards out, but Lawrence's big interception minutes later would put the Braves into position to add a little momentum heading into the break.
O'Brien would answer the call and engineered a 4-play, 56-yard scoring drive that was capped on a 38-yard touchdown run by Stanley that gave UNCP a 16-7 advantage heading into the locker rooms.
The Golden Tigers cut UNCP's lead to a single score on Kemuel Lawrence's 25-yard field goal midway through the third quarter, and then used a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive that bridged the third and fourth quarters to take their first lead of the game. Kevin Lacey's 1-yard scoring plunge would give Tuskegee a 17-16 edge with 5:29 left to play.
The Braves would take the lead for good on the ensuing possession, however, when Stanley danced in from one yard out to culminate an 8-play, 54-yard scoring drive. Johnson stuffed Lacey inches from the first down line on a key 4th-and-5 play on the following drive, and Stanley scurried in from 45 yards out on the ensuing play to provide the final.
UNCP will take a well-earned week off next weekend before making the long trip to Florence, Ala., on October 17 to lock horns with eighth-ranked North Alabama (4-0) at historic Braly Stadium. The Lions were a 34-12 winner at 9th-ranked Valdosta State on Saturday.
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