Bethune-Cookman is No. 1 with a bullet after defeating Florida International 34-13 Saturday in Miami. The victory for the Wildcats, the top-ranked team in the black college polls, was their first ever against a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent. It was also the first victory for a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team against an FBS foe this season.
“It was a great victory for our program,’’ Wildcats coach Brian Jenkins said, adding that he would enjoy the win for an hour instead the usual 15 minutes he takes to celebrate a victory before he starts preparing for this Saturday’s game at Florida State. “I’m ecstatic and so proud of our guys.’’
The Wildcats (3-0) overpowered FIU with their running game, which produced 311 yards without Isidore Jackson, their leading rusher for the season. Jackson was suspended for the game and didn’t play. Anthony Jordan, Jackson’s replacement, led the Wildcats with 150 yards, and he scored on a 58-yard run.
The Wildcats, No. 22 in the FCS Coaches Poll, built a 14-7 halftime lead and pulled away in the third quarter, scoring touchdowns on their first two possessions of the second half. Quarterback Quentin Williams scored on a 15-yard run with 7:06 left in the period, and Cary White broke a 43-yard touchdown minutes later. White scored also scored earlier in the game on a five-yard run that put the Wildcats ahead 14-7. Jordan scored Bethune-Cookman’s first touchdown on the Wildcats’ first possession.
Tim Burke returned a pass interception 92-yards for a touchdown in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, killing any hope of a comeback for FIU (0-3). The touchdown was the third of the season for the Wildcats’ defense, matching the number of touchdowns that it has allowed. Bethune-Cookman held FIU to just 229 total yards. FIU only had two plays from scrimmage that gained more than 10 yards, a 12-yard run and 48-yard pass completion.
North Carolina A&T 23, Elon 10 – Quarterback Lewis Kindle returned to the lineup Saturday after serving a one-game suspension and led the Aggies to victory in their home opener. Kindle threw for 288 yards and a touchdown while completing 20 of 38 attempts. Desmond Lawrence was Kindle’s favorite target. Lawrence had 10 receptions for 148 yards. The victory was sixth in a row for the Aggies (2-0) dating back to last season, and it gave them two wins in the same season against teams from the Southern for the first time in 20 years. They defeated Appalachian State 24-21 last week. The Aggies got a strong performance from their defensive unit, which has gone 26 quarters without allowing a rushing touchdown and hasn’t allowed an opposing team to game 100 yards on the ground. Elon rushed for 45 yards on 23 carries.
Alabama State 40, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 39 – The Hornets’ high-powered offense keyed a fourth-quarter comeback for a must win on the road in a shootout with the defending SWAC champion Golden Lions. Quarterback Daniel Duhart passed for 200 yards and two touchdowns while completing 19 of 22 throws; and running back Isaiah Crowell ran for 161 yards and two touchdowns, and Malcolm Cyrus, Crowell’s backup, added 82 yards on the ground znd a touchdowns for Alabama State (1-2, 1-1). The Hornets led 21-0 at the end of the first quarter. But the Golden Lions’ offense came alive in the second period and trimmed Alabama State’s lead to 24-13 at the half. They led 39-30 with 9:42 left in the game after quarterback Benjamin Anderson connected with Jeremiah Young on an 18-yard touchdown pass. Anderson finished the game with 291 yards passing and three touchdowns. Fourth-quarter miscues helped to doom the Golden Lions (0-3, 0-1 SWAC). They missed two extra points and a field goal, and they botched a punt snap deep in their territory that put the Hornets in position to score their go-ahead touchdown.
Tuskegee19, Albany State 13 – The visiting Golden Tigers mounted 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive that consumed most of the fourth quarter to beat the Golden Rams in a game that won’t count in the SIAC standings but could be a preview of the conference championship game in November. The Golden Tigers (2-0) are the defending conference champions and the preseason choice to win the West Division crown. Albany State (0-2) is the preseason pick to win the East Division title. Hoderick Lowe scored the winning touchdown n an eight-yard run with 5:31 left in the game. The teams were their own worst enemy at times. The Golden Tigers fumbled the ball four times, losing two, and threw an interception. The Golden Rams only turned the ball over once, but they were guilty of nine penalties, one which cost them a touchdown. They also had a punt blocked, which put the Golden Tigers in position to tie the score at 13-all on quarterback Justin Nared’s one-yard sneak.
Southern 62, Prairie View A&M 59 – Quarterback Dray Joseph led the Jaguars to 29 points in the fourth quarter en route to a double overtime home SWAC victory Joseph passed for 480 yards and six touchdowns, including a 24-yard strike to Lee Doss for the winning points. Quarterback Jerry Lovelocke threw for 353 yards and one touchdown for Prairie View (1-2, 1-1 SWAC). The teams combined to gain 1,397 total yards. Prairie View rushed for 419 yards with running back Courtney Brown gaining 224 and scoring three touchdowns.
Lincoln (Mo.) 47, Grambling State 34 – The G-Men, playing their first game since the mid-week firing of Coach Doug Williams, couldn’t overcome a slow start in their loss at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Lincoln (1-1) went ahead 16-0 in the first period and never trailed. Morris Henderson tormented the G-Men (0-3) with 325 all-purpose yards. Henderson had 114 kickoff yards on two returns and 137 yards on 11 rushing attempts, and he scored two touchdowns, including a 41-yard touchdown run. The loss was the13th in the last 14 games for Grambling.
Other Scores
Alcorn State 35, Miss. Valley State 28
Benedict 30, Virginia State 14
Catawba 42, Livingstone 16
Chowan 60, Alderson Broaddus 39
Concord 36, West Virginia State 3
Incarnate Word 24, Langston 0
Indiana (Pa.) 49, Cheyney 0
Johnson C. Smith 58, Bowie State 41
Kentucky State 38, Central State 17
Lane 31, Morehouse 17
Liberty 38, Morgan State 10
North Carolina Central 40, UNC-Charlotte 13
UNC-Pembroke 38, Fayettevill State 24
Old Dominion 76, Howard 19
Pikeville (Ky.) 47, Edward Waters 41, (OT)
Sacred Heart 45, Lincoln (Pa.) 3
Sam Houston State 55, Texas Southern 17
Samford 27, Florida A&M 20
Savannah State 27, Fort Valley State 20
Shaw 33, Virginia Union 21
Stillman 27, Clark Atlanta 6
South Carolina State 32, Alabama A&M 0
Tennessee State 26, Jackson State 16
Tennessee Tech 30, Hampton 27
Towson 49, Delaware State 7
Tusculum 54, Elizabeth City State 42
Tuskegee 19, Albany State 13
West Georgia 31, Miles 7
Winston-Salem State 62, Virginia-Lynchburg 8
