WISE, Va. – The University of Virginia’s College at Wise put together 522 yards of offense here Saturday and defeated Chowan College 54-20.

The Braves gave up an early touchdown, but rallied to take the lead 7-6. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Highland Cavaliers scored 36 unanswered to secure the win in their home opener.

Wise opened the scoring when they took advantage of Chowan fumble, Godfrey Pastana went four yards to paydirt with 11:33 in the first quarter. The kick failed, leaving the Highland Cavaliers up 6-0.

The Braves answered immediately, going 45 yards on just five plays.

Senior quarterback Taylor Furlough capped the drive with a six-yard touchdown run. Nick Alejandro added the extra point to give Chowan the lead 7-6 with 9:32 to play in the quarter.

Wise then grabbed the lead for keeps when Randy Hippeard hit Hakeem Abdul-Saboor on a 26-yard pass play for a score. The touchdown came after Hippeard connected with Ra’Shad Morgan on a 41-yard screen pass. Hippeard found Daniel Adams on the two-point conversion to lead 14-7.

From there, the Highland Cavaliers scored four more times before the Braves found the endzone.

Morgan (two) and Abdul-Saboor each had scoring runs for Wise while Hippeard connected with Jack Haddix on a 69-yard scoring strike.

The Braves finally scored again in the third quarter when Jack Ross capped a 17-yard, four-play drive with a one-yard scoring run. Alejandro added the conversion to trim Chowan’s deficit to 42-14.

Wise answered in the third quarter with a 17-yard pass from Hippeard to Haddix. The kick failed to leave the Highland Cavaliers with a 48-14 advantage.

Chowan found the endzone again early in the fourth quarter when backup quarterback Kevin Helmlinger completed a 55-yard scoring pass to Floyd. The two-point conversion failed leaving the Braves behind 48-20.

Wise scored 13 seconds later when Mo Haskins returned the Braves onsides kick to the 37-yardline. Abdur-Saboor scored on a 37-yard run on the next play. The conversion pass failed leaving Wise with the 54-20 win.

Sophomore Jake Thorne led the Braves on the ground, picking up 48 yards on six carries. Furlough was second with 39 yards on seven carries.

Helmlinger led the passing game with 132 yards while going 7-for-10 with a touchdown. Furlough was 6-for-15 with an interception.

Floyd was again the major factor for the Braves, picking up 161 yards on seven receptions. He also had four kickoff returns for 136 yards.

The Braves will get their first taste of home Saturday when they host Ferrum College at James G. Garrison Stadium. Game time for the event is 1 p.m.