WASHINGTON, D.C. – So much for those slow starts … and those second half doldrums as Bethune-Cookman opened Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play with a 37-29 victory over Howard Saturday at Greene Stadium.

Akevious Williams rushed for 101 yards and a career-high three touchdowns as the Wildcats (3-1 overall, 1-0 MEAC) won their league opener for the first time since 2015 and snapped a two-game losing streak to the Bison (1-4,1-1).

After three games without an offensive score in the first quarter, BCU scored on its first two offensive possessions, both culminating with Williams touchdown runs en route to leads of 14-0 and 24-7.

Howard closed to 24-21 on Quinton Williams' 12-yard run with 12:39 remaining, but the Wildcats answered with a nine-play, 72-yard drive that gave BCU a 31-21 lead with 11:51 remaining.

"We wanted to start out fast, but then we sputtered," said BCU Head Coach Terry Sims, who won his 30^th game overall and his first against Howard. "In the first quarter, we settled down and ran our offense…we weren't doing anything different. We weren't pressing or trying to win the game on one play.

"In the third quarter, guys were doing their own thing and got comfortable with the lead," Sims added. "We thought we could take our foot off the gas and gave up too many yards and let Howard back in the game."

Trevor Merritt's interception gave BCU the ball back, and the Wildcats matriculated it on a seven-play between the tackles march that produced an eight-yard Que-Shaun Byrd touchdown with 5:28 to play for a 37-21 advantage.

"We got back into form," Sims said about the 13-0 run. "We trusted the plays that were called and ran the offense."

The Bison closed to one possession on Damion Gillespie's 20-yarder from Williams with 3:26 left, but Jamauri Laguerre recovered the onside kick, and a 32-yard Williams to Jimmie Robinson completion on third down helped BCU run out the clock.

Isaac Washington scored BCU's other touchdown on a two-yard second quarter run set up by Robinson's 92-yard kickoff return after Howard's first touchdown.

Williams, who posted his second career 100-yard rushing game, also completed 16 out of 23 passes for 199 yards, including a 44-yarder to Marcus Riley on BCU's first play from scrimmage.

Robinson finished with four catches for 55 yards and 147 yards on three kickoff returns.  Byrd rushed eight times for 43 yards and caught one pass for 40, while Taron Mallard had four catches for 37 yards.

"Akevious managed the game well," Sims said. "Byrd is back in game shape and Jimmie's going to have a big day every day."

BCU's defense, which also had a fourth down stop in the third quarter that helped preserve the lead, forced five sacks.

The Wildcats host Morgan State next Saturday at Daytona Stadium at 4 p.m.