ORANGEBURG, S.C. - Austin Smith fought through a pair of tackles and rumbled 49 yards for the game-winning touchdown, helping South Carolina State upend No. 13 Bethune-Cookman, 20-14, on Saturday afternoon inside Oliver C. Dawson Bulldog Stadium.
In one of the craziest final minutes in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football history, visiting Bethune-Cookman erased a seven-point deficit, and later fell by six as the two teams traded a pair of scores over the course of the final 50 seconds.
| GAME LINKS |
| Game Stats |
Pregame Notes |
| Postgame Notes |
Press Conference |
| Season Stats |
Photo Gallery |
| |
| SCORING SUMMARY |
| 1st Quarter |
 |
TD |
Jhomo Gordon 42 yd pass from Quentin Williams (Noboa kick) |
| 2nd Quarter |
 |
TD |
Justin Hughes 44 yd interception return (Scandrett kick) |
| 3rd Quarter |
|
TD |
Antonio Hamilton 91 yd punt return (Scandrett kick) |
| 4th Quarter |
|
TD |
Donald Smith 3 yd fumble recovery (Noboa kick) |
|
TD |
Austin Smith 49 yd pass from Adrian Kollock (Scandrett kick blocked) |
|
| |
| TEAM STATS |
|
|
|
| 15 |
1st Downs |
9 |
| 175 |
Total Yards |
129 |
| 122 |
Passing |
80 |
| 53 |
Rushing |
49 |
| 7-81 |
Penalties |
7-75 |
| 4 |
Turnovers |
3 |
| 36:49 |
Possession |
23:11 |
|
| |
| INDIVIDUAL STATS |
| Passing |
| |
PLAYER |
C/ATT |
YDS |
TD |
INT |
|
Q. Williams |
15/23 |
122 |
1 |
3 |
|
Giles-McClary |
4/16 |
31 |
0 |
1 |
| Rushing |
| |
PLAYER |
CAR |
YDS |
AVG |
TD |
|
M. D. Jones |
22 |
60 |
2.7 |
0 |
|
Simmons |
15 |
58 |
3.9 |
0 |
| Receiving |
| |
PLAYER |
REC |
YDS |
AVG |
TD |
|
Gordon |
5 |
77 |
15.4 |
1 |
|
A. Smith |
2 |
56 |
28.0 |
1 |
|
| |
|
With South Carolina State (5-3, 3-1 MEAC) leading 14-7 with just over 40 seconds remaining, quarterback Calvin Giles-McClary stumbled on the snap from center, allowing Bethune-Cookman (6-2, 3-1 MEAC) linebacker Donald Smith to pick up the ball and scamper three yards into the end zone. Adding the extra point from Ben Noboa, and the game was tied at 14-all.
On the ensuing kickoff, Ben Noboa hit the S.C. State up man, and the Bulldogs clambered to recover the ball just ahead of the B-CU kick team.
It would take just a single play and eight seconds for S.C. State to position themselves back in the MEAC title race, as Austin Smith took the Kollock pass and made his way to the end zone for the 20-14 final score, as the extra point was blocked.
Bethune-Cookman wasted little time getting on the board early-on as quarterback Quentin Williams connected with senior receiver Jhomo Gordon on a 42-yard scoring strike on the second play of the game from scrimmage. That allowed B-CU a 7-0 lead less than 40 seconds into the contest.
The Bulldogs got on the board courtesy the defense, as Justin Hughes collected a Quentin Williams pass via interception, returning it 44 yards for the tying score midway through the second quarter.
The special teams for the Bulldogs came into play in the third quarter. Return man Antonio Hamilton scooped up aJonathan Cagle punt at the SCSU nine yard line, returning it 91 yards for the touchdown. That allowed SCSU a 14-7 advantage.
The B-CU defense limited the SCSU offense to just 126 yards of total offense, including just 46 yards rushing. That is now four consecutive opponents the Wildcats have held under 100 yards rushing.
Michael D. Jones led the Cats with 60 yards rushing, while Quentin Williams finished the day with 122 yards passing and one touchdown, connecting on 15-of-25 attempts. Gordon led all receivers with 77 yards on five receptions.
The Wildcats defense was paced by Ralph Williams, Jr. with a game-high 13 tackles, including a career-best 11 solo tackles.
Bethune-Cookman hosts North Carolina Central for “Senior Appreciation Day” next weekend at Municipal Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.
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