DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. –  The homestand continues for Bethune-Cookman with a non-conference showdown on deck against South Carolina State at Daytona Stadium. The game will serve as one final tune up before SWAC play begins next weekend. It is set to kickoff at 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on HBCU Go.



Saturday, September 26
Opponent: South Carolina State (4-0, 0-0 MEAC)
Time: 7 p.m. EST
Location: Daytona Beach, FL | Daytona Municipal Stadium
Watch: https://hbcugo.tv
Listen: https://wele1380thecat.com/ / Youtube.com/CatEyeNetwork / BCUAthletics.com/Radio
Live Stats: https://bcuathletics.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
Tickets: https://ticketmaster.com/bethune-cookman-university-football-vs-south-daytona-beach-florida-09-26-2026/event/2200643BB8484672

The Wildcats scored touchdowns on their final two possessions of the first quarter to take control after Virginia-Lynchburg opened the game with an 18-yard field goal. Rashon Brown capped a nine-play, 67-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run to put B-CU in front, 7-3, before Tyler Jefferson connected with Josh Evans for a 28-yard touchdown less than two minutes later.

Bethune-Cookman continued to pull away in the second quarter. Brown scored his second touchdown of the afternoon on a one-yard run with 12:55 remaining in the half, while Sam McCall added a defensive touchdown when he intercepted Christian Banks and returned it 44 yards for a score. Isaiah Daniel then capped an 11-play, 61-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown run, giving the Wildcats a 35-3 advantage at halftime.

The Wildcats continued their offensive surge coming out of the break, scoring on each of their first three possessions of the second half. Brown completed his three-touchdown afternoon with a three-yard scoring run on B-CU's opening drive of the third quarter.

Freshman Gerian Traynor then found the end zone for his first first career touchdown on a nine-yard run midway through the quarter, before USF transfer Jaylen Johnson added an 11-yard touchdown run with 1:42 remaining in the third to push the lead to 55-3.

Johnson scored his second touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter, breaking the goal line from four yards out to cap the scoring.

Bethune-Cookman finished with 655 total yards, including 530 on the ground. The Wildcats averaged 7.4 yards per rushing attempt and recorded 38 first downs, while limiting Virginia-Lynchburg to 159 total yards and 57 rushing yards.

The Bulldogs are an undefeated 4-0 on the year and are on a 12-game winning streak as a program dating back to last season. They completed dominant wins over Division II opponents Savannah State and Virginia State, who they beat by a combined score of 153-0. SCSU also picked up victories over Florida A&M in Miami and on the road against Furman.

South Carolina State is the top offense in the MEAC by a large margin, as they are averaging 51.0 points per game. They have been especially dominant running the football, with an average of 6.9 yards per carry and 280.3 yards per game.

Mason Pickett-Hicks has been the focal point of the SCSU offense. He is the MEAC's leader with 477 rushing yards and an average of 9.2 yards per rush. He had a standout performance against Florida A&M, with 210 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, the Bulldogs are allowing just 177.3 yards per game, and are stout against the run. They have yet to allow a rushing touchdown and are giving up just 1.4 yards per carry. SCSU has also recorded 13 quarterback sacks, three interceptions, and forced three fumbles.

Ka'Von Chisolm has been stellar as the Bulldogs' leading pass rusher. He leads the team with four sacks and sits second with 6.5 tackles for loss.



This will be the fourth meeting between the Wildcats and Bulldogs since B-CU left the MEAC for the SWAC in 2021. SCSU has won all three matchups, outscoring the Wildcats 130-85 and lead the all-time series 35-24-1.


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