BCU Wins another Florida CLASSIC

ORLANDO, Florida -- Make that a seventh win in a row for Bethune-Cookman Football against Florida A&M.

Larry Brihm, Jr. rushed for a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns, including the go-ahead touchdown on a two-yard naked bootleg with 1:15 remaining as Bethune-Cookman rallied for a 29-24 come-from-behind victory over Florida A&M in the Florida Blue Florida Classic before a Camping World Stadium crowd of 47,819 and a national ESPN audience.

The redshirt senior quarterback concluded his career by manufacturing a 14-point fourth quarter comeback to deliver the Wildcats' seventh consecutive victory in the series and conclude Bethune-Cookman's 2017 campaign at 7-4 (6-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference).

Brihm finished with 280 yards and one touchdown passing in addition to the two rushing touchdowns.



Florida A&M (3-8, 2-6 MEAC) outgained the Wildcats 136-8 as they took a 24-10 lead on Ricky Henrilus' 4-yard run and Devin Powers' 8-yarder to start the fourth quarter.

Bethune-Cookman quickly closed to within one touchdown with a 9-play, 52-yard drive that produced Brihm's 5-yarder with 11:27 left. Completions of 15 yards to Frank Brown and 20 yards to Jawill Davis sparked the drive.

The Wildcats then received a golden opportunity thanks to Cameron Rigby, who eluded two Rattlers blockers to tackle punter Chris Faddoul shy of the marker on a fake punt.

The quick 32-yard march produced Michael D. Jones's 4-yarder with 7:02 remaining, but Florida A&M kept the 24-23 lead when Antonio Miller blocked the PAT from junior kicker Uriel Hernandez.

After the Maroon and Gold defense registered a three-and-out, Brihm's final drive as a Wildcats student-athlete was a 13-play work of art.

Jamaruz Thompkins runs of 14 and 7, respectfully, set the tone for drive, and Brihm went 3-for-4 on the march that got BCU down to the one yard line after a Michael D. Jones run.

Brihm scored two plays later.

Senior safety Diquan Richardson's second interception of the game preserved the victory with a leaping grab in the end zone as the Rattlers threatened with under a minute to play. With BCU featured on SportsCenter's "Geared Up" segment to begin the day, the Wildcats were able to show off the uniforms in "victory formation" fashion as Brihm kneeled for one last time to run out the clock.

Brihm's touchdown pass was a 35-yarder to senior tight end and Orlando native Ja-Quan Lumas in the first quarter.

Hernandez gave BCU, wearing the "Daytona Nights" uniforms, a 10-3 lead with a 31-yard field goal with 6:22 left in the first half. But Florida A&M managed a 10-10 halftime time on Ryan Stanley's 31-yard touchdown pass to Kareem Smith.

Redshirt senior Frank Brown led the Wildcats receivers with seven catches for 72 yards, while fellow redshirt senior Jawill Davis had six catches for 74 yards. Last weekend's hero, Keavon Mitchell, added five catches for 44 yards. And it was Michael D. Jones who led the rushing attack with 39 yards on 13 carries. Thompkins added 36 on seven carries.

Follow Bethune-Cookman Football on Twitter (@BCUGridIron) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUathletics), Instagram (@BCUathletics), Snapchat (@BCUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/BCUathletics).

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HBCU Football Judgment Day Scoreboard -- Week 12

NOVEMBER 18, 2017

NCAA Division II National Playoffs
Delta State 45,  Bowie State 35
West Georgia 35, Virginia State 9

NAIA National Football Championship Playoffs
Northwestern (Iowa) 55,  Langston 7

MEAC
Florida State 77, Delaware State 6 
North Carolina A&T 24, North Carolina Central 10 
Hampton 20, Howard 17 
Norfolk State 45, Morgan State 32
Savannah State 34, South Carolina State 10 
Bethune-Cookman 29, Florida A&M 24, Florida Classic



OVC
Jacksonville State 36, Tennessee State 6 (Nov. 16)

SWAC
Prairie View A&M 42, Incarnate Word 28 (Nov. 16)
Alabama State 16, Mississippi Valley State 10
Alabama A&M 21, Kentucky State 13 
Jackson State 7, Alcorn State 3 
Texas Southern 24, Arkansas Pine Bluff 10`

Late interception propels Alabama State to victory

ITTA BENA, Mississippi | Three Hunter Hanson field goals and a late interception by Ronnie Scott helped Alabama hold on to defeat Mississippi Valley State 16-10 Saturday afternoon at Rice-Totten Stadium.

"The game was played exactly how I was afraid of how it would be," Alabama State interim head coach Donald Hill-Eley said. "They played so high against Grambling State, coming in here lulls you to sleep. It's a tough place to play."

The win by Alabama State (4-6, 4-3 SWAC), coupled with an Alcorn State loss to Jackson State later in the day, allowed the Hornets to tie the Braves with the best record in the SWAC East Division. However, due to their head-to-head matchup earlier in the season, the Braves will represent the division in the SWAC championship game due to one-game difference in overall conference record.

With adverse weather conditions throughout the game, the Hornets struggled to move the ball offensively in the first quarter as they went against winds that were gusting into the mid-20s. They took advantage a Mississippi Valley State special teams miscue as punter Ruben Piraquive had his knee touch when fielding a snap to set Alabama State up at the 15-yard line. Five plays later, Darryl Pearson, Jr. ran the ball in from three yards for a 7-0 lead with 3:59 to play in the opening quarter.



"We were able to move the ball," Eley said. "You move the ball into plus territory and we need a play here or three, and we start moving backwards. That is the stuff we can't do, we have to find a way to make those plays. We left a lot of points and a lot of plays out there on that field."

The lead was extended to 10-0 in the second quarter, when Hanson drilled the first of three field goals through the uprights. His first field goal was a new career long of 48 yards with 10:32 to play in the first half.

Mississippi Valley State trimmed the lead to 10-3 on a field goal with 5:15 remaining, but it was Hanson again with one minutes to go in the half with a 40-yard field goal to extend the lead to 13-3 heading to the locker room.

The freshman kicked his final field goal with 7:37 to play it the third, this one a 39-yard field goal to push the lead to 16-3. However, Mississippi Valley State (2-9, 1-6 SWAC) trimmed the lead to 16-10 with 11:19 to play on Quinn McElfresh touchdown reception.

"Much needed," Eley said of Hanson. "We figured we had the win on the extremely long one and ended up getting a low snap that threw us off all together. But he did his job and got us some points."

That was as close as Mississippi Valley State would get as the Hornet defense would not allow the Delta Devils any closer than their 19 yard line. On fourth down, Scott stepped in front of a pass intended for McElfresh for the interception to help seal the game.

Alabama State held Mississippi Valley State to 179 yards of total offense, with 168 of those coming through the air. They also forced two turnovers and recorded four sacks, as well as 11 tackles for loss. Jeffrey Hill and Andrew Wilson each recorded seven tackles for the Hornets in the win.

"They got after us today," Eley said. "That is what you expect when you have team that is playing their last game, every trick and every fake we could see today. The defense has been steady all year, and the only things that kept them on the field were penalties but they did their job like they have been doing."

Meanwhile, offensively, Alex Anderson led the rushing attack with 46 yards on 11 carries, while Pearson added 38 on 11 carries. The Hornets ran the ball 43 times for 161 yards on the day.

Alabama State returns to action Thanksgiving Day as they face Edward Waters in the Turkey Day Classic at ASU Stadium, with kickoff set for 2 pm.

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For complete coverage of Alabama State University football, please follow the Hornets on social media @BamaStateFB (Twitter), /BamaStateSports (Facebook) and @BamaStateSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Alabama State athletics at BamaStateSports.com.

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4th Quarter Surge Lifts NSU Over Morgan State, 45-32

BALTIMORE, Maryland – Baltimore native Aaron Savage ran for two touchdowns, including the go-ahead 11-yard score in the fourth quarter, and Isaiah Winstead's 24-yard TD reception later in the period sealed Norfolk State's 45-32 win over Morgan State in the season finale for both teams on Saturday afternoon at Hughes Stadium.

One week after the Spartans (4-7, 4-4 MEAC) saw a fourth-quarter lead slip away in a last-second loss at Howard, the Spartans surged in the final period Saturday, outscoring the Bears (1-10, 1-7) 15-0 in the final 15 minutes.

Savage's 11-yard TD run with 9:55 left to play and the ensuing two-point conversion pass from Juwan Carter to George Wahee gave NSU a 38-32 lead. The Bears answered by driving to the NSU 23 on the next possession, but NSU forced a turnover on downs to get the ball back midway through the period.

NSU then marched 77 yards in 10 plays for another score. Carter connected with his classmate and former high school teammate Winstead on the back-breaking 24-yard TD play on a 3rd-and-14 play with 2:02 remaining in the game. Winstead caught the pass near the Bears 10-yard line, spun away from a defender and picked up a block downfield en route to his third touchdown reception of the year.

Cornerback J.T. Wahee's interception in the end zone ended the Bears' final drive and allowed NSU to run out the final minute of the game.

The first half saw the Bears control the time of possession and total yardage, yet the Spartans led 21-20 thanks to touchdowns by their offense, defense and special teams units. MSU led 8-0 after its second possession ended with a 12-yard TD pass from DeAndre Harris to Daylin Baldwin and Harris' two-point conversion pass to Amonta Poteat.

The Spartans answered less than three minutes later. Poteat fielded a punt by NSU's Taylor Goettie at his own 31, and after running backwards, was stripped by reserve linebacker Tim Flood. Chuma Awanna scooped up the fumble and returned it 20 yards for the score to bring NSU within 8-7 with 4:27 left to play in the opening quarter.

Herb Walker's 8-yard TD run at the 11:13 mark of the second quarter pushed the Bears' lead to 14-7. But the Spartans scored two touchdowns in an 11-second span midway through the quarter to regain the lead. Freshman C.J. Jones scored on a 4-yard run with 7:27 left before halftime to tie the score. On the first play from scrimmage on the Bears' next possession, NSU cornerback Aaron Chandler scored on a 30-yard interception return for a 21-14 NSU lead at the 7:16 mark.

The teams continued trading points in furious fashion. DuShon David caught a 7-yard TD pass just before the half to bring the Bears within 21-20 going into the locker room. NSU took its first possession of the second half and drove 65 yards in eight plays, with Savage scoring from 1 yard out to push the lead to 28-20.

But the Bears scored touchdowns on both of their third-quarter drives. Manassah Bailey caught a 34-yard TD pass from Harris to slice NSU's lead to 28-26. But on the two-point conversion try, J.T. Wahee intercepted a pass by Harris and returned it nearly 100 yards for a defensive two-point conversion, pushing NSU's advantage to 30-26.

The Bears kept coming. Harris finished off a 10-play, 64-yard Morgan drive with a 2-yard TD run to give MSU a 32-30 lead with 54 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

But the Spartans executed on offense and defense to near perfection in the final period. Savage churned out 42 of his 76 rushing yards and Carter went 5-of-6 for 64 yards and also ran for 31 more yards as the Spartans cashed in their first two possessions of the final period. The NSU defense, meanwhile, forced two turnovers, one on downs, to finish off the Spartans' 11th straight win on the field over MSU.

MSU held a 438-276 edge in total offense. Savage ran 15 times for 76 yards and notched his first collegiate two-touchdown game. He scored all three of his touchdowns this year in the final two games. Jones, meanwhile, rushed eight times for 40 yards and Carter rushed for 30.

Carter also completed 14 of 22 passes for 139 yards, with Winstead leading the Spartans with four catches for 63 yards and a touchdown.

Walker rushed for 139 yards and a score for the Bears. Harris passed for 187 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 79 and another score for MSU. But he was intercepted twice and fumbled once, part of a four-takeaway day by the Spartans.

J.T. Wahee and Nigel Chavis both had 11 tackles to lead the Spartans. Wahee and Chris Lee both had two tackles for loss, with Lee also notching a sack in his final game as a Spartan. Linebackers Anthony Smith (nine) and Kyle Archie (six), two more NSU seniors, combined for 15 stops and three pass breakups in the win.

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Jackson State knocks off SWAC East champ Alcorn 7-3 in Capitol City Classic

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State's defensive leaders had walked from the field at Veterans Memorial Stadium having played their hearts out in losses all season.

They were determined Saturday would be different, and it was.

The Tiger defense bent but never broke in the annual Capitol City Classic, and Jackson State handed the SWAC East champion Alcorn Braves a 7-3 loss.

"Nobody gave us a chance," JSU coach Tony Hughes said. "Nobody but us. We fully expected to come in here and win this game."

The Tigers closed the season by winning three of their last four games under Hughes, who wrapped up his second season at 3-8 overall and 3-5 in SWAC play - a record identical to his first year.

His defense played a splendid game in the season finale against their bitter rivals, despite giving up 339 yards of total offense.



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SSU beats S.C. State, 34-10, to end season

SAVANNAH, Georgia – Savannah State's football team defeated South Carolina State, 34-10, in both teams' season finale Saturday. It was the Tigers' third victory in their last four games, all Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference contests, after earlier beating Delaware State and Norfolk State.

A T.A. Wright Stadium of 3,015 celebrated Senior Day/Community & High School Band Day by watching SSU beat S.C. State for the first time since a 14-9 win in 2001. SSU (3-8 overall, 3-5 MEAC) improved to 2-18 in the series against S.C. State (3-7, 2-6).

"Hopefully, this gives us some momentum going into the offseason that we can carry into recruiting and also into the offseason workouts," SSU second-year head coach Erik Raeburn said. "We talked about how many true freshmen we've played all season. They showed me these last four weeks they have the talent to compete in the MEAC. But we've got to develop in the weight room and get more physical. Man, if we do that, we've got a really good, young nucleus to build around."

SSU took a 7-0 lead on freshman running back Jaylen McCloud's 6-yard touchdown run with 10:21 left in the first quarter, and Giovanni Lugo kicked the first of his four extra points, to cap a 10-play, 68-yard drive.

SSU made it 14-0 with 6:15 left in the first quarter when freshman quarterback D'Vonn Gibbons connected with junior tight end Paris Baker for a 90-yard touchdown. Gibbons held onto the ball until the last possible second and he was drilled by an S.C. State defender a split-second after he threw it. Baker, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound graduate of Savannah's Jenkins High School, caught the ball despite double-coverage by defenders and rumbled about 45 yards to the end zone.

"I saw him stop in his route and come back to me so I threw it," said Gibbons, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound graduate of Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain. "I wasn't worried about the hit. I was just worried about delivering the ball."

Sprawled on the turf, Gibbons said he heard the roar of the crowd and knew something good happened.

"I peeked my head up at the end of the play and I was like, 'Oh, he's still running!" said Gibbons, who finished 13-of-23 passing for 267 yards and two touchdowns.

As Baker lumbered toward the end zone, he used the sun of the afternoon game as a guide.

"All I was doing was looking at my shadow (on the turf)," he said. "I saw my shadow, and my shadow only, so I just kept running."

During S.C. State's ensuing series, SSU senior defensive back Juwuan Tolbert, after dropping a potential interception, made up for it on the next play by picking off S.C. State quarterback Dewann Ford's pass.

SSU's ensuing drive ended when Gibbons fumbled and S.C. State linebacker Damu Ford recovered at the Tigers' 31-yard line. The Bulldogs cut the score to 14-7 on Dewann Ford's 24-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Baxley with 1:25 left in the first quarter. Tyler Scandrett kicked the extra point.

"I thought this was maybe their most solid performance this season," Raeburn said of SSU's defense. "They played excellent against Delaware State as well. I thought they really played well (today). The only touchdown, (S.C. State) got the ball in good field position. That doesn't excuse giving up a big pass play. But other than that, they played really physical all day."

Late in the second quarter, SSU's Gibbons connected with senior wide receiver Cameron White for a 51-yard gain to S.C. State's 29-yard line. Three plays later, Gibbons found senior wide receiver Tino Smith for an 8-yard gain that extended the drive. Three plays after that, Gibbons connected with senior wide receiver Steven "Tyler" Hagan for a 10-yard pickup that kept the chains moving. SSU decided to attempt a 28-yard field goal on third down and Lugo made it to put the Tigers up 17-7 with 19 seconds left before halftime. SSU's 10-play, 69-yard drive took 2:21 to complete.

With 8:34 remaining in the third quarter, S.C. State cut it to 17-10 on Scandrett's 29-yard field goal, capping a 14-play, 57-yard drive that took 6:26 off the game clock.

With 6:18 to go in the third quarter, SSU junior defensive back Darrell "Vanquez" Bonner forced S.C. State quarterback Dewann Ford to fumble and freshman Jeremiah Bundrage recovered for the Tigers at the 50-yard line.

SSU's Gibbons connected with junior wide receiver James Kicklighter, a graduate of Savannah's Windsor Forest High School, for a 47-yard gain to the Bulldogs' 3-yard line. SSU settled for a 22-yard field goal by Lugo that made it 20-10 with 4:28 remaining in the third quarter.

After S.C. State's drive ended with a punt, SSU's White made an acrobatic catch for a 25-yard gain to the Bulldogs' 5-yard line, ending the third quarter. On the next play to start the fourth quarter, Gibbons threw a 5-yard touchdown strike to Smith that made it 27-10. The Tigers' six-play drive covered 52 yards. During the touchdown pass, Gibbons again held onto the ball until the last possible second before enduring another vicious hit.

"He took some shots," Raeburn said of Gibbons. "They're good on defense. It's a combination. It's some poise and a lot of courage. It's hard to stare down, when you know you're going to take a shot, it's hard to hang in there and deliver the ball, and he did it a bunch of times today.

"He's done a great job," Raeburn continued. "He's really improved every week. The plan was to redshirt him and give him some time to develop in our program but he got thrown into the fire and he really responded. I'm so proud of the way he progressed."

With 5:27 to play, SSU faced a fourth-and-goal from S.C. State's 2-yard line. The Tigers elected to go for it but Gibbons was sacked for a 6-yard loss and the Bulldogs took over on downs. But two plays later, SSU sophomore defensive back Terrance McCray intercepted S.C. State's Dewann Ford and returned the ball for a 27-yard touchdown, making it 34-10 with 5:15 to go.

SSU's White finished with three catches for 90 yards. Hagan, a graduate of Guyton's South Effingham High School, made three catches for 17 yards. Baker finished had two catches for 93 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, SSU was led by defensive end Stefen Banks, who made a team-high 10 tackles, including three sacks. Banks, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound junior from Columbus, Ohio, made four tackles for losses of 26 yards and forced a fumble.

"We just wanted to come out and set the tone early," Banks said. "Last year, they came out and set the tone on us. We wanted to make sure that we came out with the gas pedal down."

SSU committed only one penalty for 15 yards compared to S.C. State's 11 penalties for 79 yards. The Tigers were 4-of-5 on red zone scoring opportunities, while the Bulldogs were 1-of-1.

"Part of (SSU's strong finish) was all these young guys that we're playing just getting some experience, growing up a little bit," Raeburn said. "The older guys hung in there and kept the faith. I'm really proud of them how they played today but also the way we finished the season."

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Norfolk State needs to think boldly about its future following Hampton's departure from MEAC

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Give Hampton University President William Harvey credit for thinking big. Historically black colleges and universities tend to remain in their comfort zones, and that means in HBCU athletic leagues.

Only one Division I HBCU school currently competes outside of the Mid-Eastern Athletic or Southwestern Athletic conferences: Tennessee State, which joined the Ohio Valley in 1986.

Harvey announced Thursday that Hampton will become the second to compete in a league with majority-white schools when it joins the Big South Conference in July. It’s a move with deep implications not only for HU, but also the MEAC and Norfolk State.



Harvey has been Hampton’s president for almost four decades, and has always been something of a dreamer and innovator. That’s why Hampton, which does not have a medical school, opened the region’s first proton therapy center, which uses an advanced technology to fight cancer.

Reaction to Hampton’s move to the Big South on social media has been mixed. Many alumni are happy the Pirates are moving up. And although it’s only a marginal step up, the Big South has better football and basketball, and a better TV presence, than the MEAC.

But other fans are miffed, wondering why Hampton officials believe they have to leave an HBCU league to better themselves.

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