FLOWOOD — There have been plenty of people who have looked at University Christian’s Michael Brinson and wondered why, at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, he’s playing fullback instead of on the offensive line.

Friday night against Porters Chapel, he showed why.

Brinson ran for 176 yards and three touchdowns on only 10 carries, leading University Christian to a 37-19 win that boosted its playoff hopes and dealt PCA a staggering blow. With only three teams in District 5-A, PCA must now beat Russell Christian on Oct. 1 and Newton County Academy in the season finale on Oct. 29 to reach the postseason for the seventh consecutive season.

“It’s very frustrating,” PCA coach John Weaver said. “We had a good gameplan. I thought we had a really good shot at this one. I thought we could take one from them and it backfired.”