Bethune-Cookman turned a 17-point halftime deficit into a one-possession game, but the Wildcats could not complete the comeback against South Carolina State on September 26.
The Bulldogs won 31–21 at Daytona Stadium, improving to 5–0 while BCU fell to 2–2. A late South Carolina State touchdown ended the Wildcats’ best opportunity to steal the game.
BCU’s most productive stretch came in the third quarter. Rashon Brown scored on a 45-yard run to reduce South Carolina State’s 24–7 lead to 10 points. The defense then created another opening when Sadonnie Gay forced a fumble on a sack and Timothy Gulley recovered.
The Wildcats used that possession to reach deeper into the playbook. Isaiah Daniel received a backward pass from Tyler Jefferson and threw a 35-yard touchdown to Josh Evans, cutting the deficit to 24–21.
Despite that swing, BCU could not find the next score. South Carolina State’s defense forced punts during the fourth quarter, keeping the Bulldogs ahead until their offense produced a closing drive. Josh Shaw’s short touchdown run with 1:50 remaining stretched the lead back to 10.
Jefferson had supplied BCU’s first score with a 63-yard touchdown run and finished as the Wildcats’ leading rusher with 93 yards. Brown added 68 yards on 11 attempts, and Josh Evans caught four passes for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Joseph Evans led the Wildcats defensively with 10 tackles, including three for loss. South Carolina State nevertheless finished with a 430–238 edge in total offense.
The comeback demonstrated BCU’s ability to create quick scoring swings. The missed opportunity came afterward, when the Wildcats needed one more sustained possession to turn the rally into a lead.
Source: Bethune-Cookman Athletics.
