DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Two fourth-quarter leads over the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's first place team faded as Bethune-Cookman dropped a 52-35 decision to No. 15/16 North Carolina A&T before 3,715 at Municipal Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
 
Lamar Raynard threw for 277 yards and three touchdowns, and Tarik Cohen rushed for 220 yards and three scores, as North Carolina A&T (5-1 overall, 3-0 MEAC) scored the game's final three touchdowns to clinch the win in a spirited contest.
 
Erasing a 24-14 deficit, Bethune-Cookman (0-5, 0-3 MEAC) took a 28-24 lead on a 67-yard Larry Brihm, Jr. to Frank Brown strike on the opening play of the fourth quarter.
 
The Aggies answered a minute later with an 11-yard Cohen run, but Bethune-Cookman matriculated the ball 59 yards in five plays – with Brihm connecting with tight end Ja-Quan Lumas for 20 yards and Tupac Isme for 26, to set up Isme's 2-yard run for a 35-31 Wildcats lead with 12:11 remaining.
 
Raynard's 37-yarder to Elijah Bell with 9:22 left helped the Aggies regain the lead, then the visitors got a pick-six from Jeremy Taylor and a Cohen 8-yarder to pull away.
 
Brihm finished with a career-high performance of 23 completions on 42 attempts, picking up a career-best 376 yards through the air and another career-best with four touchdowns – three going to Brown, who had five catches for 117 yards. The first went to Lumas on a 16-yarder in the first quarter that was originally ruled incomplete, but later reversed after an official review.
 
Brihm's four touchdowns were the most for a Wildcats quarterback since Quentin Williams registered the same amount against Norfolk State last year in Daytona Beach on a B-CU Homecoming weekend.
 
Jawill Davis led nine Wildcats receivers with nine catches for 143 yards. Travares Copeland posted a career-high four catches for 43 yards.
 
Defensively, Trevor Merritt, Trenton Bridges and Alexander Morales each had nine tackles. DiShawn Ray posted his first sack of the season and DaJuan Jackson had a second quarter interception.
 
Bethune-Cookman travels to Norfolk State for a 2 p.m. contest next Saturday.
 
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