Football | April 21, 2018

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Trenton Bridges and Devin James registered a sack while Kennedy Ndukwe collected an interception to help the Gold Team to a 48-42 win over the Maroon Team on Saturday afternoon at Municipal Stadium in the 2018 edition of the Bethune-Cookman Spring Football Game.
 
With the game tied at 42-all, Maroon quarterback Akevious Williams scampered to his right, only to find Devin James and Trenton Bridges waiting for him to register the sack. In the new scoring format, that gave the Gold Team the 43-42 advantage with just 0.1 remaining on the clock.
 
On the final play, Williams let it fly looking for Jordan Rivers, but Kennedy Ndukwe stepped in front of the pass to register the interception and solidify the win and give the Gold Team five additional points.
 
"I saw a lot of good things out there today," said Head Coach Terry Sims, recently completing his third year at the helm in Daytona Beach. "I think both quarterbacks did some really good things for us. Akevious [Williams] may have stepped ahead a little bit, but Jabari [Dunham] looked good for us in what we expect from him as well."
 
The Maroon Team trailed 42-33 with 2:43 remaining in the contest.
 
Quarterback Jabari Dunham engineered a six-play, 57-yard drive that was capped by his 25-yard scoring pass to Jonathan Thomas. Added the extra point from Uriel Hernandez, and the Maroon squad was able to knot the game with the 25-yard play and touchdown plus PAT.
 
Also looking good on the day was running back Isaak Washington as he finished with 97 yards rushing on 11 carries and a touchdown. It was his 47-yard breakaway in the first quarter that put the Maroon Team on the board first, followed by a Hernandez extra point kick.
 
"I think some defensive guys like [Kennedy] Ndukwe and Deonte Mayo played with heart, flew around and provided some energy out there today," expressed Sims. "I thought the energy was good on all sides of the ball. I thought the play was good. And I think it was a really good way to end spring practices. I am excited about what we were able to accomplish this spring."
 
Just before the half, Hernandez added to the Maroon lead courtesy a 41-yard field goal that had plenty of room to spare.
 
Alfred Adams added to the scoring for the Maroon Team in the fourth quarter when he hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Williams.
 
On the day, it was Williams finishing 20-of-38 passing for 206 yards and two scores (one coming in early 7-on-7 action). He also had one interception. For Dunham, he would end the day 15-of-31 passing for 140 yards and a score, adding an interception as well.
 
Washington led the running attack with his 97-yard, one-touchdown performance. Meanwhile, Marquis Adams added 70 yards on five carries.
 
The receiving core was headed up by Steffon Francois with five catches for 81 yards, followed by Jimmy Robinson (four rec., 23 yds) and Washington (4 rec., 22 yds).
 
The defense of the Gold Team was led by Deonte Mayo with eight tackles, including three tackles for loss and a quarterback sack. Ndukwe chipped in with seven tackles, two pass breakups and the game-clinching interception in the end. Roger Huesner added six tackles and a deflection of his own.
 
Bethune-Cookman opens the 2018 season at Tennessee State in the annual John Merritt Classic hosted by the Tigers in Nashville, Tennessee. The game will take place Saturday, Sept. 1, with a kickoff time to be announced closer to the date of the contest.
 
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