ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — N.C. Wesleyan College scored the go-ahead touchdown with 15 seconds to play to stun Averett University 34-30 in USA South Conference football action on Saturday afternoon.

Averett (1-4, 0-3 USA South) never trailed until N.C. Wesleyan (3-2, 2-1 USA South) took the lead in the final seconds. The Bishops, who rallied from a 17-point deficit in the second half, tied the game at 27-27 with 3:46 to play. Averett, however, answered with junior Hobie Proctor's 29-yard field goal with 45 seconds remaining to give the Cougars a 30-27 advantage and put the Bishops' backs against the wall.

A short kickoff, a big return and a 15-yard penalty on Averett at the end of the play gave N.C. Wesleyan the ball on the Cougars' 45-yard line with 38 seconds left. The Bishops took advantage, quickly moving deep into Averett territory. Facing a fourth-and-1 from the Averett 22, N.C. Wesleyan backup quarterback Dustin Midgett found Dwayne Bishop for a 22-yard touchdown pass across the middle with 15 seconds to play.

It was the second consecutive week in which the Cougars never trailed in a game for the first 58-plus minutes before an opponent rallied for a go-ahead score late and give Averett a heartbreaking road loss.

Averett opened the game on a strong note. On the first play of its second possession, junior running back Ray Brown broke through for a 65-yard touchdown run to put the Cougars in front 7-0 with 10:56 left in the first quarter. Averett's defense halted N.C. Wesleyan's ensuing drive with a big fourth down stop near midfield. Three plays later, junior quarterback Drew Evans found junior wide receiver Terrance Owens II for a 41-yard pass down the left sideline to the Bishops' 5-yard line. Two plays later, Brown ran in his second touchdown of the day, cutting around the left side and into the end zone to help give Averett a 14-0 lead with 7:26 left in the first quarter.

Averett's defense again came up big on N.C. Wesleyan's next few possessions. Junior linebacker Kenny Fleming recovered a fumble on an errant pitch, but the Cougars drive ended with a missed field goal off the upright. Junior cornerback Dontae Gilbert gave the Cougars another opportunity with an interception two drives later, but that, too, ended without any points as Averett fumbled the ball away on the first play of the second quarter.

N.C. Wesleyan took advantage, driving the field for a 32-yard yard rushing touchdown to close the gap to 14-7 with 12:42 left in the first half. Averett's next drive ended in a punt, but the Cougars got some more help from their defense. On the Bishops' first play, senior safety Brian Fuquay picked off a deep pass at midfield. Averett took advantage, tacking on a 32-yard field goal by Proctor with 6:15 left in the half.

The Battling Bishops drove down deep into Averett territory on its next drive, by junior safety Michael Reives picked off N.C. Wesleyan quarterback Robbie Lanier to halt the scoring threat and allow the Cougars to take a 17-7 lead into halftime.

Averett increased its lead in the third quarter. The Cougars took their first possession of the second half 77 yards, culminating the drive with an outstanding touchdown catch by freshman wide receiver Alan Smith from Evans. Smith, who was blanketed by a defender in the back corner of the end zone, managed to catch Evans' pass after the defender tipped it for his first collegiate touchdown with 9:42 left in the third quarter.

N.C. Wesleyan's comeback picked up momentum when Midgett found receiver Malik Adams for a 45-yard touchdown pass to trim the Averett lead to 24-14 with 11:20 left in the fourth quarter. After the Cougars' next drive ended in a punt, the Bishops again found the end zone in less than a two-minute span. Jacques Alston, N.C. Wesleyan's career rushing leader, broke free for a 71-yard touchdown run, but the Bishops missed the extra point to keep the score at 24-20 in favor of Averett with 9:36 to play.

The Cougars answered, however, driving down into the N.C. Wesleyan red zone while taking off time on the clock. Averett was forced to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Proctor, which proved to be crucial as N.C. Wesleyan countered with a game-tying touchdown drive with 3:46 to play. The Bishops found Alston for a 34-yard touchdown pass to knot the score at 27-27 and keep N.C. Wesleyan's hopes alive.

The tough loss overshadowed what was a career game for Brown, who ran for two touchdowns and a career-high 195 rushing yards, the fifth-highest single-game rushing total in program history. Junior Xavier Morgan finished with 78 yards on the ground as the Cougars played without its leading rusher, freshman Travis Jones.  Junior quarterback Drew Evans, making his second career start, completed 32 of 46 passes for 292 yards and one touchdown. Owens II led the receivers with seven catches for 90 yards.

Averett's defense was led by senior linebacker Kendall Green's 10 tackles. Gilbert added six tackles and a pass breakup in addition to his interception.

The Cougars enter the bye week before hosting Christopher Newport University on Oct. 18 for homecoming and the first night home game in program history.