Box Score
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman quarterback Matthew Johnson completed 17 of 27 passes for 225 yards and three scores to help the Wildcats to a 21-7 victory over Norfolk State on Saturday afternoon at Municipal Stadium.
All of Johnson's TD throws came in the first half, and the Spartans (2-2, 1-1 MEAC) were unable to mount a rally in the second half despite a number of good opportunities.
Johnson helped the Wildcats (3-0, 1-0) drive 69 yards in eight plays on the first drive of the game. He tossed a 16-yard pass to Tony Wilson to open the scoring with 12:15 left.
The teams traded punts, and then Johnson went to work again. He completed a short screen pass to Eddie Poole, who took it 42 yards for a Wildcats' touchdown with 3:16 left in the first quarter.
The Wildcats resorted to some trickery on their next possession. On 4th-and-5 from the NSU 11, B-CU lined up for a field goal, but NSU called timeout. After the timeout, B-CU ran its offense back out on the field and quickly snapped the ball. Johnson hit Randy James for an 11-yard TD pass with 14:51 left in the second quarter.
All seven of the Spartans' second-half drives entered Wildcats' territory, buy only one resulted in points. In the third quarter, Ryan Estep (Chesapeake, Va.) had a 41-yard field goal hit the upright to thwart one drive. Later, an Anthony Taylor (Virginia Beach, Va.) fumble recovery set up NSU at the BCU 29. But the Spartans were stopped on 4th-and-2 from the Wildcat 21.
NSU finally got on the board on a 1-yard touchdown run by Takeem Hedgeman (Charlottesville, Va.) with 13:46 left in the game. The sophomore's first score of the year capped an eight-play, 52-yard drive that lasted 4:10.
The Spartans continued their momentum when Jamie Short (Virginia Beach, Va.) recovered Estep's onside kick. The Spartans then drove to the Wildcat 19. But Chris Walley's (Tallahassee, Fla.) fourth-down pass hit off the outstretched fingers of Joe Hawkins (Chicago, Ill) in the end zone and fell incomplete.
The Spartans' last-gasp drive ended when Walley's 4th-and-3 pass from the B-CU 12 hit off the hands of Jeremy Wicker (Quantico, Va.) near the goal line and was picked off by Arkee Smith with 2:10 left.
B-CU outgained NSU 392-318. The Spartans held B-CU to just 94 yards of offense in the second half.
Walley completed 22 of 42 passes for 196 yards. He was intercepted twice. Victor Hairston (Martinsville, Va.) and Hawkins notched career highs in receptions with eight and five, respectively. Hairston led all players with 83 receiving yards.
The Spartans are off next Saturday before returning to action on Oct. 9 at South Carolina State.
