DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Wildcats host former SIAC conference-mate Clark Atlanta in search of their first win of 2024 Saturday, Sept. 21 at 3 p.m. at Daytona Stadium.
Saturday is Family and Friends and Heroes day, with the Wildcats set to honor Daytona Beach first responders throughout the game.
The game will be broadcast live on HBCU Go. Fans can catch the home radio call free on 1380 WELE Daytona Beach or at YouTube.com/CatEyeNetwork. Fans can also catch a brand-new episode of
Hail Wildcats Radio premiering live one hour before kickoff.
Saturday, Sep. 21
Opponent: Clark Atlanta (2-0-1)
Time: 3:00 p.m. EST
Location: Daytona Beach, Fla. | Daytona Statdium
Live Stats: https://bcuathletics.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
Watch: https://hbcugo.tv/
Listen: https://wele1380thecat.com/
Tickets: https://www.ticketmaster.com/bethune-cookman-university-football-tickets/artist/821762
Darnell Deas registered two (2) kickoff return touchdowns Saturday evening as Bethune-Cookman fell to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent Western Michigan, 59-31 in front of a season-opening crowd of 23,476 at Waldo Stadium.
Trailing 28-7 late in the second quarter,
Darnell Deas, a redshirt senior from Pompano Beach, Florida, took back the fifth kickoff return for touchdown of his career, and his first of the 2024 season – this one going 95 yards to cut the Bethune-Cookman deficit at 35-14 heading into the half.
Bethune-Cookman (0-3) received the opening kickoff to begin the third quarter, while the speedy Deas gathered the ball at the two yard line, and raced 98 yards to the end zone for his second kickoff return touchdown of the game. It was his sixth career kickoff return for a touchdown, and his second 98-yard return for score of his career. That brought the Wildcats to within 35-21.
In the process, Deas became the first Wildcat to score multiple kickoff returns for a score in a game since
Jimmy Robinson III versus Howard in the Circle City Classic (Indianapolis, Ind.) back on Sept. 22, 2018.
Western Michigan (1-2) wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, as Broncos signal-caller Hayden Wolff found receiver Anthony Sambucci wide open for a 54-yard score on the first play from scrimmage. The Luka Zurak extra point put the hosts ahead, 7-0 less than 20 seconds into the contest.
For Sambucci, he would end the night with four receptions for 103 yards.
The Broncos found the end zone twice more on either side of the first quarter to make it a 21-0 advantage.
Wolff accounted for his second touchdown strike through the air with a 23-yard connection to Christopher Toudle with 2:52 remaining in the opening stanza. Running back Jaden Nixon added an eight-yard score on the ground less than two minutes into the second quarter.
With B-CU down 28-0, redshirt junior quarterback
Cam'Ron Ransom – going the distance under center in the game for the Wildcats, picked up his first collegiate touchdown as he called his own number for a three-yard rush around the left side for the score.
Cade Hechter's PAT was through to cut the deficit, 28-7.
The score became 35-7 when Wolff's 38-yard connection to Bugs Mortimer propelled him into the end zone with 59 seconds left in the opening half.
The Broncos would add a pair of scores in the third quarter off the end of a Nixon 37-yard run, as well as a one-yard plunge up the middle from Zahir Abdus-Salaam, extending the lead, 49-21.
Hechter, a sophomore kicker from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, connected on his second field goal of the year to chip into the Broncos lead, 49-24 – this time from 41 yards out. On the year, Hechter is now 2-for-2 on field goals from 40 yards or longer.
Ransom would add another score for the Wildcats with his legs at 5:31 remaining in the contest, as he engineered an 11-play drive that spanned 75 yards, culminating with the Lakeland, Florida, native rushing in for a two-yard touchdown.
The final score would be produced with the Broncos' Jamal Hailey dashing 48 yards to the end zone with 2:39 showing on the clock, added the Zurak PAT, to make it 59-31 in the end.
WMU was led on the night by Nixon with 189 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Abdus-Salaam added 104 yards on the ground and two scores of his own. Wolff finished 15 for 19 passing with 305 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Defensively, the Broncos received seven tackles each from Domanick Moon and Rodney McGraw.
As for Bethune-Cookman, the Cats used a 10 for 14 night passing by Ransom, as he accumulated 166 yards through the air. He added 44 yards on the ground and two touchdowns – the first two offensive touchdowns of the year for the Maroon and Gold.
Marcus Velez hauled in four passes for 20 yards.
Courtney Reese had 10 carries for 34 yards as well.
The B-CU defense was headlined by
Shelton Quarles Jr., as he managed a game-high 11 tackles (nine assisted) and a tackle-for-loss.
Jeremy Greaves Jr. recorded a quarterback sack. And it was
Andrew Volmar picking off a Wolff pass in the first half for his first interception of the season.
Clark Atlanta entered the 2024 season after a winless year in 2023. The Panthers have fared better to start 2024 under the leadership of new head coach Teddy Keaton, who joined Clark Atlanta after six years at the helm of Allen University.
Clark Atlanta has opened the 2024 season 2-0-1, including wins over Fort Valley State and Allen. They enter week four after a 28-28 tie at Florida Memorial in the Sunshine Showdown - the game was suspended at the half due to inclement weather.
Through three games, the Panthers lead the SIAC in touchdowns with 13, points with 99 and yards per game with 391.7. Defensively, they sit in the bottom half of the conference allowing 30.7 points per game on 337.7 yards per game.
Clark Atlanta's offense is led by dynamic junior quarterback David Wright III. Through 10 quarters of play, the Tampa product has put up 937 passing yards and 10 touchdowns to only two interceptions. The pocket passer also has one rushing score on the year.
Defensively, the Panthers have four sacks as a team, let by a pair from defensive lineman Jaiden Cleveland. In the secondary, corner Dahlil Wilkins has a pair of picks, tied for the SIAC lead.
SIAC REUNION
Saturday's contest marks a reunion of two former Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) programs. Bethune-Cookman joined the SIAC in 1950, where they remained until joining the MEAC following the 1978-79 season. The Wildcats finished their time in the SIAC with an 166-95-9 record, but only played Clark Atlanta (Clark at that time prior to merger) - once - a 56-26 win in Jacksonville in 1965 in the Gateway Classic.
DEAS IS NUTS
Darnell Deas enjoyed a historic weekend for B-CU last weekend at Western Michigan, returning back-to-back kickoffs for touchdowns heading into and out of the halftime break.
His two returns, a 95 and 98-yard touchdown, each crack the top-10 in program history in kickoff return distance.
With six career kick return touchdowns, Deas is now only one return back of the all-time NCAA Record (Both FBS and FCS). With the pair Saturday, he now takes the all-time B-CU career record, surpassing Wildcat legends like Alvin Wyatt (5), Jimmie Robinson (5), and Corey Council (4).
For his efforts, Deas took home multiple honors, including SWAC Specialist of the Week, Stats Perform HBCU+ FCS Player of the Week, NCAA FCS Player of the Week. He is the first Wildcat to take home national weekly honors since Jimmie Robinson in 2018.
RECEIVERS WANTED
The Wildcats have not thrown a touch down to a wide receiver in five straight games dating back to Nov. 2, 2023, when
Tylik Bethea connected with
Tink Boyd for an eight-yard touchdown pass at home against Mississippi Valley State.
Despite being conference mates for over over 25 years, the Panthers and Wildcats have only met one time previously, a neutral-site contest at the Gateway Classic back on Nov. 6, 1965, a 56-26 B-CU victory in Jacksonville.
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--#HailWildcats—
