Braves down Concord 29-7 in road victory

By Latavia Riggins
Asst. Web Editor
Oct. 29, 2009

Photo courtesy of UNCP Sports Information

UNCP running back Travis Daniels carries the ball in the Braves’ road win over Concord. Daniels picked up 95 yards in the win, while fellow running back Rashon Kennedy rushed for over 100 yards.

The UNCP football team ruined Concord University’s homecoming celebration by defeating the Mountain Lions 27-9 at Callahan Stadium on Oct. 24.

The win over Concord brings the No. 15 ranked Braves’ winning streak to four games with an overall record of 7-1 for the season.

Concord now stands at 5-4 for the season.

“Our defense played great today. They shut down an offense that was averaging close to 500 yards and 37 points per game,” said UNCP head coach Pete Shinnick. “Our defensive coaches really put together a great game plan and our guys executed it very well. We had a great week of preparation and they came out and just made it happen. I was really happy for them to see that take place.”

Defensive stops
The Braves collected nearly 400 total offensive yards against Concord, with 264 yards coming in the form of rushing. Junior Rashon Kennedy rushed 19 times for 112 yards. This makes the seventh time the junior has capped 100 yards in his career.

Concord, the nation’s 12th ranked offense, was held to a single touchdown in the third quarter by the visiting Braves.

Braves scores
UNCP began the first quarter slow, allowing Concord to gain a two point lead with more than 13 minutes left of play.

The Braves were able to recover with less than four minutes in the quarter with a touchdown by sophomore Jamal Williams and a successful kick attempt by sophomore Taylor Baskett. Williams collected 31 yards for the day on five catches.

UNCP capped off the scoring for the first half with a one-yard touchdown run by junior Keith Gore and another good kick attempt by Baskett late in the first quarter.

The Braves led going into halftime, 14-2.

In Concord’s opening possession for the second half the team was able to drive 87 yards on seven plays for their final score of the game with more than seven minutes left in the third quarter.

The Mountain Lions brought the score to 14-2 with a seven-yard pass from S Hearons to Rashid Baker and a successful kick by Brandon Strupp. The Black and Gold answered the score with a one-yard rush to the end zone by sophomore Travis Daniels.

The Braves finished the day with a pair of successful field goals in the fourth quarter by Baskett. The sophomore inked a career-best 42-yard kick with less than two minutes in the game.

Freshman Fred Williams headed the defense for the second consecutive game with five solo tackles, eight total. Junior Terrell Partlow inked the team’s only interception for the day to add to his four solo tackles.

UNCP will continue with regular season play on Oct. 31 at Frostburg State.