A Homecoming Win for Bethune-Cookman

COURTESY OF BCU ATHLETICS

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For the first time since 2018, Bethune-Cookman Football is victorious on Homecoming with a 31-14 win over Arkansas – Pine Bluff, Saturday evening at Daytona Municipal Stadium.

After a big return to open the game from Javon Ross, the Wildcats (4-4, 3-1 SWAC) were forced to punt at the UAPB 40.

UAPB (3-6, 1-3 SWAC) avoided disaster after a near-fumble on its first drive of the game, but the Cats still forced a three-and-out.

B-CU finally broke through midway through the quarter as Cam’Ron Ransom used some help from his offensive line for a tush-push touchdown to make it 7-0, Cats.

Both offenses continued to sputter, heading into the second quarter with no further scoring chances.

B-CU saw a spark on defense to open the second quarter as Adrian Hall Jr. forced a UAPB fumble to give the Cats the ball near midfield, but B-CU could not turn it into points on the board.

As the B-CU offense remained stagnant, the Golden Lions blocked a B-CU punt deep in Wildcat territory, taking over at the two-yard-line before punching in a game-tying score to make it 7-7.

B-CU re-took the lead into the half on a 9-play, 65-yard drive culminating in a five-yard Ali Scott Jr. touchdown on a run up the middle.

B-CU made it 21-7 midway through the third after a 27-yard UAPB punt gave the Cats the ball at UAPB 43. After a furious 22-yard rush by Khamani Robinson, Ransom ran it in himself on a fake for the score from the two.

The Golden Lions did not fade away, as UAPB took just three plays to pull to within a score again as quarterback Christian peters found D’Avery Robinson for a 34-yard touchdown to make it 21-14, B-CU.

Bethune-Cookman worked some magic to move in front two scores again, drawing up a flea flicker for 53 yards to Josh Evans before Khamani Robinson got into the endzone to double up the Golden Lions at 28-14.

B-CU added some insurance with ten minutes to play as Juan Dominguez sent the first field goal of the game through the uprights from 25 yards out to make it 31-14.

B-CU marched down the field again late in the quarter, but the Cats were unable to convert on a 4^th-and-one from the UAPB 2-yard-line. Fortunately for B-CU, it did not matter as the Cats Defense took it the rest of the way for the 31-14 win.