Box Score
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Reserve quarterback Maurice Francois ran for 179 yards, and Brian Sumlar scored on three short touchdown runs as Bethune-Cookman outlasted Norfolk State 33-17 on Saturday afternoon at Municipal Stadium.
Trailing 19-17 entering the fourth quarter, the Spartans (2-3, 1-1 MEAC) turned it over on their final three possessions, with Sumlar (3-yard run) and Androse Bell (2-yard run) scoring on short runs to seal the win for Bethune-Cookman (3-1, 1-1).
B-CU got on the board first with an eight-play, 63-yard scoring drive. Sumlar capped the march, which consisted of eight runs and no passes, with a 1-yard TD run for a 7-0 Wildcats' lead with 12:28 left in the second quarter.
NSU answered quickly with a nine-play, 80-yard drive. Dennis Brown (Miami, Fla.) hooked up with Jeremy Wicker (Quantico, Va.) for two completions covering 52 yards on the drive, the second of which gave NSU a first down at the Wildcats' 4. Two penalties backed NSU up to the B-CU 30, but Brown finished the drive with a 30-yard TD run on 3rd-and-goal to tie the game with 6:53 left in the half.
Francois quickly marched his team back into the lead, racing 46 yards to cap an 84-yard drive. The point-after was blocked by Josh Anderson (Chesapeake, Va.), keeping the B-CU led at 13-7 with 3:54 left before the half.
NSU took the lead with an eight-play, 80-yard drive just before the half. After a 44-yard rush by Brown, backup quarterback Dexter Merritt (Chesapeake, Va.) found Jamar Johnson (Norfolk, Va.) with a 7-yard TD pass with four seconds left before halftime. The extra point by Justin Castellat (Virginia Beach, Va.) gave NSU a 14-13 edge.
After an 18-yard punt return by Corey Council set up B-CU with its first possession of the second half at the NSU 48, the Wildcats needed just four plays to retake the lead. Sumlar again scored on a 1-yard run, but Anderson again blocked the extra point to keep the Wildcats' lead at 19-14 with 8:38 remaining in the third.
Castellat drew NSU within 19-17 with a career-long 49-yard field goal with 2:23 left in the third quarter. It was the third straight game Castellat bested his previous career-long by kicking a field goal in excess of 40 yards.
The NSU defense held on the next two Wildcat possessions. The first ended when Castellat missed a 36-yard field goal early in the fourth. After another Wildcat punt, the Spartans took over at their own 18 with 4:47 left. But DeAngelo Branche (Norfolk, Va.) fumbled on the first play of the next drive, and B-CU lineman Dexter Jackson recovered at the Spartan 24. Five plays later, Sumlar scored from 3 yards out to all but seal it.
Brown was intercepted on NSU's next two drives. Bell capped the scoring for the Wildcats with his 2-yard run with 54 seconds left.
NSU out-gained B-CU 319-316 in total offense. Branche had his second 100-yard game of the year, tallying 124 yards on 21 carries. Brown had 67 yards rushing and 102 passing for NSU.
The Wildcats gained 300 of their 316 yards on the ground, completing just 1 of their 3 passes. Francois (16-179) and Sumlar (16-64) did most of the damage offensively for B-CU.
NSU has its bye week next Saturday before returning to action at South Carolina State on Oct. 11.
