Fayetteville, NC -- Fayetteville State fought back from a one-point halftime deficit to take down UNC Pembroke, 15-13, at home on Saturday night in the Luther Nick Jeralds Stadium.

"By halftime, we knew that we were the better-conditioned team and we knew that if we took care of the football out of halftime, made the simple adjustments, and keep the tempo on offense we would be successful," said Head Coach Richard Hayes during the post-game interview.

The triumph improved the Broncos to 1-0 on the season with its first victory over the Braves in program history. UNCP dropped to 0-1 overall.

"It was time for Fayetteville State to be on top in this matchup. We put the hard work in all summer and we knew it was going to be a tough opponent coming in, but like I told the guys at halftime, expect to win the game."

Ellijah Henry rushed for 44 yards to lead FSU's ground attack and added one touchdown in the game. Derrick Alston Jr. also tacked on 36 yards on the ground, picking up 7.2 yards per carry. Barry Elliott reeled in three catches for 67 yards. Cedric Thomas led the Fayetteville State defensive effort, recording one recovered fumble.

The Broncos won the turnover battle in Saturday's game, forcing two turnovers while coughing the ball up once, with Fayetteville State turning those takeaways into six points.

Fayetteville State's defense held up against North Carolina-Pembroke's offense, allowing 260 total yards. The FSU defense disrupted North Carolina-Pembroke's backfield all game, collecting five sacks and 11 total tackles for loss.

How It Happened

Fayetteville State responded to a 6-0 lead from North Carolina-Pembroke with a score to tie it up at 6-6 with 10:05 left in the second quarter. North Carolina-Pembroke then scored to take a 13-6 lead before the FSU put a touchdown on the board to close the gap and make it a 13-12 game.

Fayetteville State followed with a 37-yard field goal at the 3:17 mark in the third quarter and took a 15-13 lead in the process.

"I told Coach Feggins to get us inside the 30 and I had all the confidence in the world in Elton Andrew," said Hayes. Andrew finished the night 0-of-3 in field goals leading up to his final attempt. "Elton is a very mentally tough kicker and I know he'll come back stronger next week."

Both teams played the rest of the game without scoring.

The Broncos shut down three UNCP drives in the fourth quarter and pushed the Braves back 29 yards with two sacks and a false start for a 4th and 29 in their final drive.

Game Notes

» Fayetteville State outgained North Carolina-Pembroke 302-260 in total offense, including a 121-38 advantage on the ground.

» FSU won the turnover battle 2-1 after recovering two fumbles.

» The Broncos tallied 12 points in the second quarter, accounting for 80% of their total score.

» Fayetteville State converted 4 of 14 third downs while UNC Pembroke was successful on 1 of 12.

» Fayetteville State gave up just 3.4 yards per punt return on five attempts.

» FSU totaled 11 tackles for loss and added five sacks.

» Fayetteville State won the time of possession battle 33:21 to 26:39.

» Josh Jones led the Braves passing attack, completing 17 of his 30 attempts for 222 yards.

» Trey Dixon was UNC Pembroke's leading receiver with 81 yards.