DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Senior Day saw the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats snap their eight-game losing streak with a resounding 35-31 Southwestern Athletic Conference victory before 3,673 at Daytona Stadium Saturday afternoon.
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LaDerrien Wilson 3-yard run with 12:27 remaining and two fourth-quarter defensive stops helped the Wildcats (1-8 overall, 1-5 conference) overcome an 476-335 Alcorn State (5-4,4-2) total yard advantage.
B-CU trailed 17-7 at halftime and was down 24-14 and 31-21 before rallying. Alcorn State ran 77 offensive plays to B-CU's 55.
Shannon Patrick threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns while engineering the comeback.
He hit
Dylaan Lee for an 81-yard strike to start the second half as Bethune-Cookman closed to 17-14. After an Alcorn State touchdown, Que'Shaun Byrd returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards to bring the Wildcats back to within 24-21.
B-CU answered another Braves score when
Kemari Averett caught a 33-yarder from Patrick with 1:46 remaining in the third quarter for his second touchdown.
Averett finished with 92 yards and also scored the first Wildcat touchdown, a 31-yarder from
Devin Black in the first quarter after the Wildcats recovered a fumble Braves punt.
Aaron Thompson, who helped the Wildcats seal the game with 18 yards on the final drive, led the Wildcat rushers with 36 yards on seven carries. Wilson's five-yard run on third down in the game's final minute allowed B-CU to run out the clock.
Untareo Johnson had 15 tackles while
Caleb Sutherland added 10, including a key-fourth quarter sack, to pace the defense.
Omari Hill-Robinson also had a fourth-quarter interception
Stadford Anderson rushed for 115 yards and three touchdowns for Alcorn State.
HEAD COACH TERRY SIMS
"A great team victory. We had contributions from all three phases of the game. We had guys showing up and doing their jobs and what do they're coached to do."
"It was our most complete game of the season."
"Shannon got out there and started seeing things we had been working on in practice. He had a feel for what was going on."
KEMARI AVERETT
"The win feels great. Monday was the best day of practice we had all year and I knew it would carry over to today."
"Shannon played with great confidence."
NEXT UP: Bethune-Cookman travels to Grambling State next Saturday.