By Dan Ryan
B-CUAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. - After trailing 21-0 in the second quarter, Bethune-Cookman tested the [Brodrick] Waters and the result was a 38-28 victory over Alabama State, Sunday in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney, before a Florida Citrus Bowl crowd of 17,410 and an ESPN national audience.
The senior transfer threw two touchdowns and ran for another as the Wildcats matched two of the greatest comebacks in program history to win their third season-opener under Head Coach Brian Jenkins.
The last time Bethune-Cookman erased a 21-point deficit was in the 2004 Florida Classic when the Wildcats won in overtime, 58-52, after being down 52-31 in the third quarter. The 1982 team was down 21-0 to Delaware State in the first quarter and rallied for a 27-24 victory.
"Our guys would just not be denied," said Coach Jenkins, who claimed his second MEAC/SWAC Challenge victory. "We kept the faith. This tells you what type of character this team has."
"We were unsettled at first and Alabama State came out strong," Jenkins added. "Once we settled down, we were able to catch fire."
Waters came off the bench to help Bethune-Cookman score 38 unanswered points. He completed six-of-nine passes for 110 yards and rushed for 100 more.
"I really felt comfortable in the pocket," said Waters, who transferred in from Louisiana Tech. "I was having problems with that in spring practice. I know I can play the position."
As Waters got the Wildcats offense into a rhythm, the running game helped B-CU establish control and wear down the Hornets in the second half.
Along with Waters' 100 yards, Isidore Jackson gained 123 and Rodney Scott 100 to give B-CU three 100-yard rushers in the same game for the first time in program history.
B-CU took a 24-21 lead on Waters' 6-yard run with 4:28 remaining in the third quarter after instant replay overturned a call on a fumbled kickoff return, giving the Wildcats the ball on the Alabama State 25.
Waters' 47-yard strike to Eddie Poole and a Scott 38-yarder pushed B-CU's lead to 38-21 with 6:59 remaining
The Hornets scored on three of their first four possessions to take a 21-0 second quarter lead. ASU quarterback Greg Jenkins scored two touchdowns to cap off drives of 75 and 72 yards, while Isaiah Crowell's 2-yard run was set up by a Bethune-Cookman fumbled punt on its own 20.
Andronicus Lovette put Bethune-Cookman on the board initially, with a two-yard run with 9:18 remaining in the half, cutting the deficit to 21-7. The Wildcats drove to the Alabama State one-yard line late in the half, but had to settle for a 20-yard Sven Hurd field goal.
KJ Stroud caught four passes for 39 yards while Poole finished with three catches for 102 yards.
On defense, Dawud Lane registered an interception and Harold Love III a fumble recovery. Jarkevis Fields led B-CU with 10 tackles (two for loss), a sack and a pass break-up.
The Wildcats return to action on Saturday, facing South Carolina State on a short week, with a 6 p.m. kickoff in Orangeburg, S.C. on Sept. 8. Next week's contest will be televised on ESPNU in tape delay, giving B-CU their 11th televised game of the Jenkins era.
NOTES: Poole extended his pass-catching streak to 24 games and posted his second 100-yard game at B-CU with both of the 100-yarders coming in the Florida Citrus Bowl...This was the first time a Jenkins team has trailed in a season opener... Jackson now has five 100-yard games and Scott two ... Fields reached double-digit tackles for the fourth time in his career ... B-CU limited ASU's Isaiah Crowell, who played at Georgia last year to 19 yards; he gained more than that in nine of the 12 games he played for the Bulldogs in 2011 ... The MEAC now leads the SWAC 6-2 in the Challenge series...With Interim President Dr. Edison O. Jackson on the sidelines, B-CU won the first game for a new University President for the third straight time, dating back to 1976.
