ITTA BENA, Miss. – Luke Sprague saw his first action of the season at quarterback Saturday afternoon, entering the game in the second quarter and sparking Bethune-Cookman to a 20-10 comeback win on the road over Mississippi Valley State in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) matchup at Rice-Totten Stadium.
 
Trailing 3-0 after the opening quarter of play, Bethune-Cookman (1-6, 1-2 SWAC) looked towards redshirt senior quarterback Luke Sprague as he entered the game with 5:39 remaining in the first half for his first action of the 2024 campaign. Immediately, he kickstarted a drive that saw five consecutive Dennis Palmer rushing attempts before Sprague – a native of Springfield, Pennsylvania, capped the drive with a one-yard plunge up the middle for the go-ahead score. The extra point from Cade Hechter was good, and B-CU held a 7-3 lead.
 
After a quick three-and-out for Mississippi Valley State (0-7, 0-3 SWAC), the Wildcats struck for their second touchdown in the period when Sprague found Lorenzo Jenkins down the left sideline for 34 yards and the score.
 
B-CU led 14-3 at the half.
 
Once again, Sprague engineered a scoring drive – three consecutive for the Cats, on B-CU's first drive of the second half. He hit Jenkins on a 32-yard pass down to the Delta Devils 14 yard line, setting up a Hechter 26-yard field goal three plays later, putting the Cats up at that point, 17-3.
 
MVSU answered on its ensuing drive as quarterback Ty'Jarian Williams connected on 4-of-6 passing in a drive that spanned 75 yards and took more than seven minutes off the clock. The Delta Devils punched in the score on the ground courtesy a Williams three-yard keeper around the left side to bring the hosts back into it, 17-10.
 
Celebrating homecoming on the day, the second of three consecutive homecoming contests for B-CU on the road and at home, respectively, MVSU was knocking on the door of the Wildcats end zone once again at the start of the fourth quarter.
 
Williams and the Delta Devils had it first and goal at the B-CU two yard line, but the Wildcats defense stymied the drive with three stops inside, before an illegal substitution penalty pushed MVSU back to the six yard line. An incomplete pass forced the turnover and gave B-CU the ball with 12:32 remaining in the game.
 
Sprague and the Wildcats took advantage of the stop with a 16-play, 88-yard drive that ran 8:50 off the clock, as Hechter connected on his second field goal of the day – this time a 22-yard kick that gave the Wildcats a 20-10 lead with 3:42 remaining.
 
Mississippi Valley State was led in rushing by DePhabian Fant with 93 yards on three carries. Williams gained 25 yards and scored a touchdown from his quarterback position. He would finish 15-for-31 passing with an interception, adding 175 yards through the air. Nathan Rembert finished as the top receiver with 111 yards on seven receptions. Defensively, Erek Campbell led all performers with 12 tackles (nine solo), including 2.5 for loss and a forced fumble.
 
Bethune-Cookman leaned on Palmer as he contributed 126 yards on 27 carries, both career marks for the Wildcats running back. Sprague was 3-for-8 passing for 73 yards and a touchdown, taking over for starter Cam'Ron Ransom. Jenkins hauled in two passes for a career-best 66 yards and a score. The defense was highlighted by Kevin Washington Jr. and his career-high 10 tackles (six solo). Malik Stinnett had eight tackles (seven solo) and a fumble recovery.
 
The Wildcats return home next weekend when they host SWAC Eastern Division leader Jackson State for a B-CU Homecoming weekend at Municipal Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 3 p.m.
 
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