NCAA Division II Football Championship Bracket
Related: Special Teams Key As No. 16 Football Powers By Concord
 
INDIANAPOLIS – The 16^th-ranked UNC Pembroke football team is among the field for the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs for the third time in program history, and the pairings have the fifth-seeded Braves headed to 23^rd-ranked and fourth-seeded Valdosta State for Saturday's opening round.
 
The announcement was enjoyed by all of UNCP's football student-athletes, coaches and administrators on Sunday afternoon in the University Center Lounge. The Black & Gold is just the second football program (CSU Pueblo) in NCAA Division II to make three or more appearances in its first 10 years of existence. UNCP also made appearances in the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs in 2009 and 2013.
 
Kickoff time and ticket information for Saturday's first round contest in south central Georgia will be announced on Monday afternoon.
 
Third-ranked North Alabama (8-1) is the top seed in the NCAA Super Region 2 bracket, and will play the winner of Saturday's matchup between the Braves (9-1) and Blazers (8-2) on November 26 in Florence, Ala. Other first round matchups in NCAA Super Region 2 include 19^th-ranked and second-seeded Newberry (10-1) hosting 14^th-ranked and seventh-seeded Tuskegee (8-2), as well as 23^rd-ranked and third seeded Florida Tech (8-2) playing host to sixth-seeded North Greenville (7-4).
 
The Braves are 2-1 this season against the 28-team field, including a 20-17 comeback win over Winston-Salem State in the season opener. The Rams are the No. 7 seed in the NCAA Super Region I bracket. UNCP also shows a 49-35 win over North Greenville at home in late September on their 2016 slate.
 
Valdosta State registered eight wins this season, while also suffering setbacks to both North Alabama (44-19) in week three, as well as Florida Tech (38-20) in week nine. The Blazers feature a two-headed quarterback system that has the Blazers ranked seventh among the NCAA's 160 schools with 320.7 passing yards per game. Sophomore quarterback Adam Robles has thrown for 1,821 yards and 15 touchdowns on 152-of-260 passing this season with just two interceptions. Backup signal caller Roland Rivers has thrown for 1,312 yards and 13 scores on 123-of-218 passing.
 
Defensively, VSU has surrendered 353.4 yards per game (58^th NCAA), but showcase the country's eighth-rated pass efficiency defense and second-ranked third down percentage defense (24.1 percent).

The Braves are 1-1 all-time against Valdosta State, including a 34-29 win over the Blazers on Nov. 7, 2013 in Valdosta. Senior Rontonio Stanley, then a redshirt freshman for the Black & Gold, accounted for 238 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in that outing, including a game-sealing 87-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.