Area college football: Bethune-Cookman pounded by Memphis; Stetson beats St. Thomas in OT
The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats hung with Memphis for the first quarter Saturday, but the Tigers sprinted away with a 56-14 victory.
Memphis recorded 551 yards of offense and held the Wildcats to only 91. Both of Bethune-Cookman’s scores in the 56-14 road loss — Raymond Woodie Jr.’s debut as head coach — came on defense.
Junior defensive lineman Amarie Jones picked off a pass and rumbled 69 yards to make it 10-7 in the first quarter. After the Tigers tacked on 18 points in the second, 21 in the third and seven in the fourth, freshman defensive lineman Ejike Brown provided Bethune-Cookman’s final points of the night. He scooped up a fumble and took it 19 yards to the house with 1:25 left.
MEMPHIS ROLLS: How Memphis football dominated Bethune-Cookman to open 2023 season
NASCAR PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS: Look for a long drought to end or a longshot to win
Redshirt sophomore Walter Simmons III earned the start at QB for the Wildcats. He completed 10 of 18 passes but for only 18 yards. Redshirt junior Luke Sprague, a transfer from Nassau Community College, entered in the fourth quarter and went 3-of-6 for 21 yards. Sophomore Jaiden Bivens had a team-high 24 yards on the ground.
The Wildcats welcome Savannah State to town for their home opener next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Daytona Stadium.
Stetson 34, St. Thomas 33
A high snap on a St. Thomas extra point put Stetson in position Saturday night. Then, the Hatters’ offense simply had to do its job.
Stetson went to overtime with the Bobcats in the season opener and pulled out a 34-33 victory at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium. It was outgained 582-374 but never trailed in its third consecutive Week 1 win. It just needed to go to overtime to clinch it.
The Hatters held a 27-20 lead late in the fourth quarter before St. Thomas tied it at 27 with 1:54 remaining.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Matanzas snatches late win at Tocoi with 3 takeaways
The Bobcats got the ball first in the extra period and found the end zone in four plays. But a bad snap ruined the point-after try and left them with only six points.
Needing a touchdown, Stetson took over and ran the ball four straight times to score. Junior Kaderris Roberts capped the possession with a 5-yard touchdown. That brought freshman kicker Daniel Holbrook, who made two field goals earlier, in for the extra point, and he drilled it, walking it off for the Hatters.
Roberts led the way with 124 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Stetson used two quarterbacks, junior Brady Meitz and graduate student Matt O'Connor. Neither threw for more than 123 yards or tossed a touchdown, but both scrambled for scores.
On defense, graduate student Nicholas Lerew made 16 tackles and senior Jaylon Johnson grabbed an interception.
Stetson stays home for a matchup with Webber International at 7 p.m. next Saturday.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: College football: Bethune-Cookman crushed by Memphis; Stetson survives
