Braves prepare for opener with Davidson
By J. Markus Franklin
Assistant Sports Editor
The Braves finished 4-7 last season, but three of those wins came in front of the home crowd. The Black and Gold locked horns with the Wildcats last season when they began their historic campaign, marking the first time UNCP fielded a football team in 56 years.
The Braves left Davidson with a 31-21 loss, moving the ball through the air but falling late to the Wildcats. The Wildcats were able to preserve their 15- point halftime lead, ending the Black and Gold’s dream of winning their opening game.
Davidson, who is a member of the Pioneer Conference in the Bowl Subdivision Championship Series, finished its season at 6-4 in 2007.
Junior Ryan Alexander led the Wildcats with 2,238 yards passing and 18 touchdowns.
Alexander’s favorite target was Ryan Hubbard, a 6-foot-3 receiver who caught 64 passes for 886 yards and six touchdowns last season. Tailback Justin Williams led the team in total touchdowns with 10. The Davidson defense was stout last season, amassing 22 sacks and forcing opposing quarterbacks into 11 interceptions. UNCP’s front four must put pressure on Alexander if the Black and Gold have a chance of winning Grace P. Johnson Stadium’s first night game.
The defensive line was a strongpoint for the Braves last season. UNCP returns all four starters in the trenches for 2008.
Davidson faces a grueling schedule similar to the Braves as the Wildcats go on the road to face Campbell, Lenoir-Rhyne and Drake in Des Moines, Iowa. Campbell, in its first-year as a football program, plays the Wildcats in Oct. in Buies Creek.
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The print edition of The Pine Needle is published 14 times a year during the fall and spring semesters. Updated: June 18, 2008 © The University of North Carolina at Pembroke |
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