Redshirt freshman quarterback Quentin Williams accounted for three of Bethune-Cookman’s four touchdowns and led the Wildcats to a 28-12 homecoming victory over North Carolina A&T at a sold out Municipal Stadium on Saturday. Williams finished the afternoon with a game high 111 yards rushing and 128 yards passing.
The Aggies struck first on the scoreboard when quarterback Lewis Kindle hit Marquis Gorham on a 24 yard touchdown strike but the Aggies failed to convert the PAT. BCU responded on their next possession with a 5 play 60 yard drive which culminated in a Isidore Jackson 1 yard TD run.
The Wildcats stretched the lead to 14-6 after Quentin Williams scored his first rushing touchdown of the afternoon with 10:57 remaining in the 2nd quarter. Zach Cimaglia’s 38 yard FG cut the BCU lead to 5 points just before half.
NCA&T’s first score of the second half came after a controversial 5th down play. The Wildcat defense appeared to hold the Aggies on a 4th and short. The officials called for a measurement and it seemed that the referee signaled the Aggies were held just short. NCA&T was also flagged for an illegal procedure on the play. But instead of BCU taking over on downs, the officials marked off the 5 yard penalty which effectively gave the Aggies a 5th down. Cimaglia converted a 36 yard field goal on the next play which cut the Wildcat lead to 2 (14-12).
Rodney Scott scored on a 6 yard screen pass from Quentin Williams to push the Wildcat lead to 21-12 and Williams accentuated the best performance of his young college career with a 31 yard scoring run with 55 seconds left in the contest.
Give it up for the defense
The Wildcat defense, who gave up 257 yards rushing against Hampton a week ago, limited the Aggies to 47 yards rushing on 29 attempts (1.6 yards per rush). Mike Mayhew, North Carolina A&T’s all-time leading rusher, gained only 35 yards on 13 carries.
Two of the Aggies three scoring drives covered less than 20 yards (9 plays 10 yards and 6 plays 19 yards) and the Wildcats forced three NCA&T interceptions including two in the endzone.
“I feel good because this team played with passion. They came out and played passionate football” an energetic Brian Jenkins declared after the game.
The Wildcats are off next week. BCU resumes play against defending conference champion Norfolk State on October 20th in Daytona Beach.
Team Stat Comparison
NCAT |
COOK |
|
---|---|---|
1st Downs | 8 | 18 |
Total Yards | 163 | 310 |
Passing | 116 | 128 |
Rushing | 47 | 182 |
Penalties | 6-32 | 7-60 |
3rd Down Conversions | 3-13 | 9-16 |
4th Down Conversions | 0-0 | 1-3 |
Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
Possession | 25:55 | 34:05 |
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER NCAT COOK
TD 10:18 Marquis Gorham 24 Yd Pass From Lewis Kindle (Pat Failed) 6 0
TD 08:02 Isidore Jackson 1 Yd Run (Sven Hurd Kick) 6 7
SECOND QUARTER NCAT COOK
TD 10:57 Quentin Williams 5 Yd Run (Sven Hurd Kick) 6 14
FG 00:31 Zach Cimaglia 38 Yd 9 14
THIRD QUARTER NCAT COOK
FG 12:05 Zach Cimaglia 36 Yd 12 14
TD 02:56 Rodney Scott 6 Yd Pass From Quentin Williams (Sven Hurd Kick) 12 21
FOURTH QUARTER NCAT COOK
TD 00:55 Quentin Williams 31 Yd Run (Sven Hurd Kick) 12 28