Bethune-Cookman runs rampant with 31 unanswered to beat Alabama A&M; Stetson loses in OT
Bethune-Cookman blitzed Alabama A&M Saturday.
Not only did the Wildcats have three sacks and create four turnovers, they rushed for a season-best 412 yards and sprinted to 31 unanswered points for their second straight victory, 31-14.
All four of their touchdowns came on the ground, and three Wildcats eclipsed 100 yards on Senior Day at Daytona Stadium. Redshirt sophomore Walter Simmons III led the way with a game-high 165.
But despite the gaudy final numbers, Bethune-Cookman (3-7, 2-5 in SWAC) didn’t hold a lead before the fourth quarter. It fell into a 14-0 hole early in the second quarter.
Simmons entered in the first half after an injury to starting quarterback Tylik Bethea and put the Wildcats on the board in the second quarter. His 1-yard touchdown run made it 14-7, which remained the score at halftime.
In the third, Cade Hechter drilled a 27-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 14-10.
On Bethune-Cookman’s first drive of the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs picked off a Simmons pass. The Wildcats’ defense held strong for an Alabama A&M three-and-out punt that pinned them back at their own 1-yard line.
No problem.
Bethune-Cookman drove 99 yards in three and a half minutes to take a 17-14 lead. Freshman Mar'Kai Shaw rattled off the big run, 52 yards for the go-ahead score.
Following another Bulldogs punt, the Wildcats hit on another long scamper, with Simmons waltzing 47 yards to the end zone.
Omari Hill-Robinson intercepted an Alabama A&M toss on the next drive, and Simmons followed that with his third and final touchdown, a 22-yarder with less than 90 seconds left.
Simmons completed only 5 of his 12 passes for 30 yards, but his legs were crucial to the Wildcats’ success. Jimmie Robinson III and Shaw added 137 and 109 rushing yards, respectively.
Dearis Thomas had nine tackles for a defensive unit that didn’t allow a point after the 14:56 mark of the second quarter. Joshua Thornhill contributed eight tackles, a sack and an interception.
Now, Bethune-Cookman will turn its attention to its biggest game of the season against archrival Florida A&M. The annual Florida Classic is slated for 3:30 p.m. Saturday inside Camping World Stadium in Orlando. It will air on ESPN+.
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Valparaiso 23, Stetson 20
For the second time this season, the Stetson Hatters went to overtime.
They forced it Saturday with a 41-yard Brandon Bush field goal with 92 seconds left in regulation. It tied the score 20-20.
But in the extra period, Valparaiso kicked a 34-yard field goal to win the game while Stetson turned the ball over on downs on a failed fourth-and-long attempt.
It continued the Hatters’ losing streak — now at four games (3-7, 1-6 in Pioneer Football League) — but ended their road schedule. Their regular-season finale is a home contest against San Diego next Saturday.
With a 25-yard field goal by Bush and a 4-yard plunge by Devon Brewer, Stetson took a 10-0 lead in the second quarter.
The Beacons got on the board in the final minute of the first half, returning a blocked punt to the end zone. They grabbed their first lead 13-10 in the third quarter on a 1-yard touchdown by Ryan Mann.
Before the end of the third, Brewer put the Hatters up 17-13 with a 1-yard run of his own.
In the fourth, Valparaiso responded again. It jumped ahead 20-17 when Jeffrey Jackson found paydirt from 1 yard out. Bush’s second field goal sent the matchup to OT, and the Beacon’s own field goal secured the final 23-20 result there.
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Stetson also played overtime in its season opener, a 34-33 win over St. Thomas University on Sept. 2.
The Beacons outgained the Hatters 318-263, but Stetson came up with three interceptions. Redshirt senior Rassie Littlejohn tallied one of them — the 17th in his career, which set a new high since the school relaunched its football program in 2013.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: College football: B-CU runs past Alabama A&M, Stetson falls in OT
