WISE, Va. – Georgetown (Ky.) College marched down the field with ease in the final minutes, poised to produce a game-tying touchdown drive.
University of Virginia’s College at Wise sophomore safety Marcus Bratton had other plans. So, he stepped up and produced the game-clinching play.
“We had to do it,” Bratton said. “Something had to happen. I saw the opportunity and I just took it.”
Bratton picked off a pass from Georgetown quarterback Mike Lewis deep in UVa.-Wise territory with 37 seconds left to clinch the Highland Cavaliers’ 28-21 Mid-South Conference victory on Saturday afternoon.
It was a quality win for UVa.-Wise (3-3), which knocked off the NAIA’s 21st-ranked team and kept its slim playoff hopes alive. A large homecoming crowd also added to the excitement at Carl Smith Stadium.
“We just wanted to come out and play our A-Game and see what happened,” said UVa.-Wise quarterback Brad Robbins. “We just competed all day and it worked out good for us.”
UVa.-Wise built a 14-0 halftime lead and extended the advantage to 28-7 with 12:56 left in the fourth quarter when Robbins connected with Matt Barbour on a 47-yard touchdown pass. However, Georgetown (3-2) posted two quick scores to cut UVa.-Wise’s lead to a single touchdown.
But Bratton snuffed out the comeback attempt, putting the finishing touches on the best game of his collegiate career. The 6-foot, 190-pound Roanoke native finished with two interceptions and also made eight tackles, six of the solo variety.
“He’s got the ability, it’s just maturing and becoming the player that he can become,” said UVa.Wise coach Bruce Wasem. “He’s shown signs already this year. As the season’s progressed, I can see him being more mature and doing things the way I like them to be done … The neat thing is, it’s not been guys that were penciled in at the beginning of the year. They are making contributions and it makes a huge difference.”
Aside from the fourth-quarter scores, the UVa.-Wise defense was solid. Matt Gular (15 tackles) and John Mathis (10 tackles) played well, while Dennis Bennett and Luke Spurlock also picked off passes.
The defensive display was impressive considering Wise allowed 60 points last Saturday to Lambuth (Tenn.) University.
“We were down on ourselves,” Bratton said. “But this game was homecoming, so we had to prove ourselves to the whole crowd.”
It was UVa.-Wise’s third straight win over Georgetown and the last three contests between the rivals have been decided by seven points or less. The Tigers finished with 463 yards of total offense on Saturday compared to 335 for Wise.
“This is definitely our biggest rivalry, I think,” UVa.-Wise senior wide receiver Brad Ricker said. “This my last year and I’m going to miss it.”
Robbins finished with 265 passing yards and threw TDs to Barbour, Ricker and Jason Lovett. Lovett finished with seven catches for 140 yards, while Barbour surpassed the 3,000-yard receiving mark for his career.
Yet, it was the defense and Bratton that took center stage on Saturday.
“They didn’t quit believing,” Wasem said. “They kept playing. They kept saying we’re going to get it done.”
thayes@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2570
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