3 takeaways: Big second half fuels Bethune-Cookman's home victory over Savannah State
DAYTONA BEACH — Start the investigation.
Whoever drenched Raymond Woodie Jr. with a bucket of ice water after his first victory as head coach at his alma mater Saturday, he’s looking for him.
“I don’t know if it was a teammate or if it was someone out of the stands,” Woodie said. “I’ve been trying to figure that out. If it was a person on the team, we’ll get extra running in.”
He said that with the same smile he wore when he walked into the postgame interview room.
His Bethune-Cookman Wildcats knocked off Savannah State 31-6 in their home opener at Daytona Stadium.
It moved them to 1-1 this season and 39-8-3 all-time against the Tigers. Bethune-Cookman has defeated Savannah State more than any other opponent in school history.
“It feels good, especially that first win being at home,” Woodie said. “It’s all about the players. These guys, they’ve been working hard. They went through a lot, and I’m just happy for them.”
Bethune-Cookman never trailed. After a 0-0 first quarter, it got on the board first with a rushing touchdown in the second quarter, then gave up a Tigers field goal as the first-half clock expired.
Savannah State (1-1) added three more points on its first possession out of the break before the Wildcats answered three plays from scrimmage later. That started a string of 24 unanswered points.
Here are three takeaways:
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Bethune-Cookman uses multiple QBs again. Did it find its guy?
For the second consecutive week to open the season, redshirt sophomore quarterback Walter Simmons III drew the start for the Wildcats. But for the second straight week, Luke Sprague played.
And played well.
Sprague, a redshirt junior transfer from Nassau Community College, entered in the second quarter and took the rest of the Bethune-Cookman’s offensive snaps. He completed 23 of his 29 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns without turning the ball over or being sacked.
“Coming from a junior college, I’m not used to crowds like this,” Sprague said of the 6,837 fans in attendance. “Feeding off them was awesome. Just getting a lot of energy.”
Woodie pulled Simmons after an interception in the final minute of the first quarter. Simmons finished 2 of 6 for 39 yards through the air.
The QB competition is still ongoing, though, Woodie said.
“Every day you show up, it’s going to be a battle,” he said. “These guys know every day, every play. It’s not just this person is going to play … Competition brings the best out of them.”
Jouvensly Bazil, Dacarri Allen-Johnson score multiple touchdowns
Two players accounted for Bethune-Cookman’s four touchdowns.
On each of his first two carries, graduate student Jouvensly Bazil ran for scores. The Washington State transfer rumbled for a 13-yard touchdown in the second quarter and a 22-yarder in third.
Bazil only rushed six times but picked up a game-best 64 yards. Redshirt sophomore Jimmie Robinson III and redshirt junior Terry Lindsey tied for the team lead with seven carries apiece.
Senior receiver Dacarri Allen-Johnson took over from there, grabbing the last two Wildcat scores. He hauled in touchdown passes of 5 and 12 yards from Sprague.
“Everything that we saw out there was on film, so we knew what play was going to be there, what coverages (Savannah State) was going to be in,” Allen-Johnson said. “It was just about the timing and hitting the routes.”
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B-CU defense bends but doesn’t break
After surrendering 551 yards and 56 points against Memphis last week, the Wildcats assembled a much better performance Saturday.
They allowed 273 yards and six points.
Savannah State marched into Bethune-Cookman territory six times but settled for three field goal attempts — two makes, one miss — two punts and a turnover on downs.
“We bent a little, but we didn’t break,” Woodie said. “Obviously, doing a couple different things scheme-wise. We saw some of the things we did in the first half that we needed to switch up in the second half.”
Sophomore linebacker Dearis Thomas paced the unit with nine tackles and a sack.
The lone turnover Bethune-Cookman forced came on special teams.
Three minutes into the fourth quarter, right after redshirt sophomore kicker Cade Hechter’s second field goal, the Tigers coughed up a fumble at their own 34-yard line. Sophomore Stephen Sparrow jumped on it for the Wildcats. Their offense found the end zone for the final time six plays later.
Next up
The Wildcats have a short turnaround for their next game. They kick off a three-game road trip next Thursday against the Miami Hurricanes. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: College football: Bethune-Cookman beats Savannah State in home opener
