Volusia County is home to two FCS football programs.

One sits on “The World’s Most Famous Beach” on the east side of the county. The other calls the more small-town, Southern setting of the west side home.

One has been playing football for more than 100 years. The other relaunched its football program in 2013 after a 57-year hiatus.

Saturday evening, Bethune-Cookman and Stetson finally met on the football field, appropriately enough, near the halfway point between the two campuses at Daytona Stadium.

And for a brief moment, the Hatters made things interesting.

Stetson put a scare into B-CU trailing by just four points after 2 quarters. The Hatters skipped into the halftime locker rooms flirting with what would have been a signature victory for its program.

But then the second half happened.

Bethune-Cookman reminded everyone who still runs football in Volusia County.

The Wildcats pulled away after halftime, turning a four-point game into a convincing 43-18 victory and flattening the Hatters in the first-ever cross-county showdown.

THE GOOD

Rashon Brown scores three rushing touchdowns.

That pretty much speaks for itself. Brown found the end zone three times and provided the Wildcats with a balance of tough and explosive running averaging 5.0 yards per carry.

True freshmen Isaiah Daniel added two more rushing touchdowns and averaged 5.1 yards per carry.

After scoring just 6 points in the season opener against UCF, seeing B-CU put 43 points on the scoreboard was a welcome sight.

The defense did its job.

Two forced turnovers. Three stops on fourth down. And, most importantly, the Wildcats held Stetson to fewer than 20 points.

Stetson had its moment late in the first half, but the defense never allowed that moment to change the game.

Amari Jones provided a fourth-quarter spark.

With the offense struggling to find consistency for much of the afternoon, B-CU made a change at quarterback to begin the fourth quarter.

FIU transfer Amari Jones replaced Tyler Jefferson and immediately changed the complexion of the game.

Jones led the Wildcats on three consecutive scoring drives, helping stretch what had been a 21-10 lead into a commanding 37-10 advantage.

Whether that performance was enough to earn Jones the starting job remains to be seen, but it certainly gave the coaching staff something to think about heading into next week.

Welcome back, Rod Z.

The official hype man of B-CU home games was back where he belongs, helping bring some familiar energy to Daytona Stadium. Welcome back sir!

And how about the Marching Wildcats?

They sound so GOOD don’t you agree?

THE BAD

The passing game sputtered for 2½ quarters.

Don’t let the final score hide what happened before the fourth quarter.

B-CU’s offense struggled to find any rhythm through the air for much of the game.

By our count, there were at least four missed throws with receivers open by five yards or more. To add insult to injury, we counted at least four drops as well.

That’s eight opportunities in the passing game where the Wildcats either didn’t deliver the football or didn’t finish the play.

Against Stetson, B-CU was able to survive it.

Against the better teams remaining on the schedule, those missed opportunities could be the difference between winning and losing.

The inconsistency ultimately forced a change at quarterback, with Jones replacing Jefferson to start the fourth quarter.

And after Jones directed three straight scoring drives, suddenly there is a legitimate quarterback conversation in Daytona Beach.

Head coach Raymond Woodie didn’t name a starter afterward.

“I am not a fortune-teller, so I don’t know who will start at QB next week … but guys have to compete if they want to keep their job.”

That’s probably the biggest storyline coming out of a 25-point victory. B-CU scored 43, but the quarterback position is anything but settled.

Welcome to late summer in Central Florida.

The scheduled 4 p.m. kickoff became a 5:15 p.m. kickoff thanks to an hour-and-15-minute weather delay.

Rain delays and Florida football in September go together like beans and rice; if you see one, expect the other.

The penalties.

And this wasn’t just a Bethune-Cookman problem.

Both teams gave away too much yardage through penalties. For B-CU, the 9 penalties for 77 yards need to be cleaned up.

THE BOTTOM LINE

For a half, Stetson made the first-ever meeting interesting. For the second half, Bethune-Cookman made the pecking order clear.

But somewhere between those two realities, another storyline emerged.

The Wildcats may have walked into Daytona Stadium with Tyler Jefferson as their starting quarterback, but they walked out with a decision to make.

Amari Jones got his opportunity and did exactly what you’re supposed to do when your number is called: he made the decision harder for the coaches.

That’s a conversation for next week.

For now, the Hatters crossed the county looking for a signature win. They went home with a reminder: there may be two FCS football programs in Volusia County. But, at least for now, there’s still only one baddest team in the county.

Three Things We Learned From Bethune-Cookman at UCF – Week One

The 2026 season is officially underway for Bethune-Cookman.

And after one night in Orlando against UCF, there are things to talk about for sure.

But conclusions? Nah. We aren’t ready to rush to any conclusions after last night.

Here are three things we learned and are worth discussing from the Wildcats’ season opener.

1. We Didn’t Learn Much — And That’s Okay

If you walked away from Thursday night’s game believing you now know what Bethune-Cookman will be in 2026, you’re probably mistaken.

The truth is, we didn’t learn much.

UCF is a Big 12 football program. Bethune-Cookman is an FCS. And when the two teams lined up Thursday night, it looked like it.

That’s not an insult. That’s simply the cold reality of modern college football.

The Knights were bigger. Stronger. Deeper. Faster.

They have advantages in recruiting, facilities, nutrition, strength and conditioning, staffing and, perhaps most importantly, money.

Then add UCF’s offensive tempo.

The Knights snap the ball, line back up and come at you again before you’ve had much time to process what happened on the previous play. Against a team already dealing with disadvantages in size and depth, that tempo eventually becomes suffocating.

Put all of that together, and it’s simply too much for Bethune-Cookman — and probably 99.9 percent of FCS programs — to overcome.

Were there individual plays and moments from B-CU that I liked? Absolutely.

But I’m not going to use a game against a Big 12 opponent to determine what this Wildcats team can or cannot become.

Ask me again after Saturday.

2. Let’s Be Done With These Money Games against the Big Boys

I understand why money games exist.

Athletic departments have bills to pay, and I don’t carry the responsibility of balancing athletic budget. There are financial realities involved in scheduling that are much easier to criticize from the outside than manage from the inside.

But if B-CU has to play these games, I would much prefer that they be strategic about which games they take.

Last season, Bethune-Cookman played both Miami and FIU.

Give me FIU.

Give me Western Michigan.

Give me the Group of Five — or whatever we’re calling that level of college football these days.

Those are still uphill battles. They’re still opportunities to collect a check. But they’re games where the physical disparity doesn’t have to become the primary story.

There is a difference between playing up and simply being physically overwhelmed.

We’ve seen Miami.

We’ve seen UCF.

I’m good.

Take the check, but whenever possible, find a check attached to a game in which you have a reasonable chance to compete.

3. Hopefully, The Biggest Loss Was Only On The Scoreboard

For me, the primary objective Thursday night was simple:

Get your check.

Get your reps.

And get back to Daytona Beach healthy.

I’m not certain Bethune-Cookman accomplished the third one.

On B-CU’s final offensive play of the first half, returning leading rusher Kamani Robinson went down with what appeared to be a significant leg injury.

We won’t diagnose it. We won’t speculate about its severity.

But we can say what everyone watching could see: it didn’t look good.

Robinson couldn’t leave the field under his own power and appeared unable to put meaningful pressure on his right knee. The same right knee that sidelined him during his high school career.

Hopefully, the scene looked worse than the eventual diagnosis.

Because if the cost of Thursday night’s money game includes losing one of your most important offensive players, that’s an awfully expensive check to cash.

Our prayers are with Kamani, and hopefully we’ll get good news about him and the rest of the Wildcats who came out of a physically demanding night in Orlando.

Because now?

The real season starts.

Bethune-Cookman comes home Saturday to face Stetson, which arrives in Daytona Beach after taking its own 70-7 beating in Week 1.

And yes, South Dakota State is technically an FCS program — although calling the Jackrabbits an ordinary FCS team feels like calling a Lamborghini “transportation.”

So Stetson knows something about mismatches, too.

But Saturday won’t be one.

It’ll be Bethune-Cookman and Stetson.

Daytona vs DeLand.

A little Volusia County business to attend to.

Call it the I-92 Showdown.

Maybe the Volusia County Collision.

We’ve got until Saturday to figure out the name.

More importantly, we’ve got until Saturday before we really begin finding out what the 2026 Fighting Wildcats are made of.

Thursday was the money game. Saturday starts the football season.

The 2025 edition of the Florida Blue Florida Classic will kickoff this weekend. Players from both schools will look to add their names to the lore of their respective schools by having a “Classic Moment.”

Before the next hero arises, let’s take a look back at some of the more memorable moments in Florida Classic history.

Memorable Florida Classic Moments

1978 – Florida A&M trailed BCU 17-0 at halftime in the first ever Florida Classic played in Tampa Stadium. The Rattlers scored 27 unanswered points in the second half en route to a 27-17 victory. Rudy Hubbard’s squad went on to win the first 1-AA (now FCS) National Championship later that season. A year later (1979) BCU won their first Florida Classic 25-20.

1994 – BCU QB Tony Kerrin connected with Morris Nobles on a 2 yard TD reception in the corner of the endzone to give the Wildcats a 27-24 lead with :47 remaining in the contest. BCU went on to win by the same margin and Coach Cy McClairen earned his first victory over the Rattlers as a head coach.

2000 – In what was essentially a de facto MEAC Title game, 70,719 fans witnessed what many argue to be the greatest Florida Classic of all time. The game had everything. The conference title was on the line. You had memorable moments. You had all time great players like Quinn Gray, Jacquay Nunnerlly, Pa’Tell Troutman, Allen Suber, Rashean Mathis, the list goes on.

The most memorable moment of the contest came when Mathis fielded a missed field goal and returned it 106 yards for a BCU touchdown. The missed-field goal return gave BCU a 28-25 lead. However, two Juan Vazquez field goals pushed the final outcome in favor of the Rattlers 31-28.

2003 – Daytona Beach native and NFL Pro Bowler, Eric Weems, scored 3 touchdowns and helped the Wildcats rally from a 28-10 halftime deficit. The final touchdown was set up by a fake punt attempt on 4th and 17 with less than 2:00 remaining in the contest. A FAMU player was flagged for pass interference on the fake punt and BCU was awarded an automatic first down.

Later in the drive, quarterback Allen Suber avoided a sack, rolled to his right, and hit Weems who beat triple coverage just beyond the pylon with 9 seconds remaining to give BCU a 39-35 advantage in front of the largest crowd (73,358) in Florida Classic history.

2004 – Florida Classic fans were treated to the first overtime in the history of the series. The Wildcats eventually prevailed 58-52.

FAMU’s Ben Dougherty (QB) and Roosevelt Kiser (WR) had career days in that contest. Midway through the third quarter, Dougherty connected with Kiser on a 66 yard TD reception and extended FAMU’s lead to 45-24.

Head coach Alvin Wyatt then made the decision to move eventual three-time All-Pro defensive back Nick Collins from safety to cornerback with the assignment of blanketing Kiser. The move proved to be very effective for the maroon and gold. The FAMU passing game was severely limited as a result of the coaching decision and the Wildcats outscored FAMU 34-7 from that point forward. Rodney Johnson’s 15 yard touchdown run in overtime sealed the victory for BCU.

Coach Wyatt, who was overcome with emotion after the win, fainted and had to be carted off the field by medical personnel. Wyatt was eventually treated for dehydration but was no worse for the wear.

Not only was the 2004 victory the first overtime game in Florida Classic history, it was also the first time BCU won three consecutive victories over the FAMU.

2005 – Like the year prior, this game was also decided in overtime; only this time FAMU would emerge as the victor. The Rattlers entered the contest as underdogs and quickly fell behind to the Wildcats 17-0. But A&M slowly climbed back into the contest and forced the game into overtime on the strength of a Wesley Taylor 43-yard field goal with less than 3 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter. Taylor’s 26-yarder in overtime vaulted the Rattlers to a 26-23 win.

2010 – BCU entered the 2010 FC (Brian Jenkins’ first year) with an unblemished 10-0 record. However, a 3rd quarter injury to eventual MEAC Offensive Player of the Year, quarterback Matt Johnson, derailed BCU’s high-octane “Speedway Offense.” FAMU capitalized on the opportunity and secured a 38-27 win in one of the biggest upsets in FC history. Phillip Sylvester scored 3 times for the Rattlers and rushed for 146 yards on 26 carries in the process.

2019 – FAMU entered the FC buzzing in Willie Simmons second season as head ball coach. The Rattlers were 9-1 with their only loss coming against FBS powerhouse UCF. The Rattlers held a 27-24 lead late in the 4th quarter. BCU used a 9 play, 69 yard touchdown drive to go ahead for good. The key play of the drive was a 44 yard Arkevious Williams to Steffon Francois reception on 2nd and 25. A play later, Isaac Washington took an inside run 15 yards to score the game winning touchdown.

BCU’s 9 game winning streak over FAMU was ultimately sealed when linebacker Devin James picked off a Ryan Stanley pass with 1:25 remaining to secure the 31-27 victory.

These are just a handful of the memories that make this game so special. Let us know your favorite Florida Classic moment!

Saturday afternoon began as an opportunity for Bethune-Cookman to keep its three-game winning streak alive. It was a chance to remain tied for first place in the East and show that the Wildcats’ rebuilding project was full steam ahead. Instead, it turned into a frustrating, head-scratching, and downright disappointing 31–23 loss to Grambling State.

Let’s be clear: Grambling is a good football team on the rise. Losing to the G-Men in The Hole isn’t a shameful thing. And to be fair, Bethune had won five of the previous six matchups, so the law of averages leaned toward Grambling’s favor.

But the disappointment isn’t in who they lost to — it’s in how they lost.

The Hard Truth

BCU fell to a team led by a 17-year-old, true freshman, walk-on quarterback — Hayden Benoit. Salute to the young man for playing a solid game, but as a Wildcat fan, it’s a gut punch to watch a kid who’s still legally… well, a kid, throw four touchdown passes and rack up 220 yards through the air.

Add to that the G-Men pounding the ball for 197 rushing yards on 4.8 yards per carry, and you’re left feeling — you guessed it — disappointed.

This Wildcat defense looked unprepared and uninspired against a Grambling offense that has struggled all year to find the end zone. Just a week ago, that same Grambling team managed only 13 points against Alabama A&M, a defense that’s been pedestrian at best. But against BCU? They looked like an offensive juggernaut. That’s disappointing.

And if that wasn’t enough to make you sigh, the Wildcats’ offense didn’t help themselves either. Senior quarterback Camron Ransom led five offensive possessions that totaled -18 yards, no first downs, and three turnovers. You read that right — negative 18 yards and three giveaways in five possessions.

Ransom’s had a good season overall, but Saturday? It just wasn’t his night. Again — disappointing.

Peaked, Plateaued, or Just a Poor Performance?

Sometimes a bye week comes at just the right time. And sometimes, you wish you could’ve just kept playing. For BCU, you wish they could have skipped the bye.

Through the first half of the season, we saw this team improve week by week. But since the bye, the Maroon and Gold haven’t looked quite as sharp. They slogged through wins against UAPB and Valley — games that masked deeper issues for those of us who follow this team closely.

Valley hung 34 points on this same BCU defense a week ago, yet they managed to score just three points against Jackson State on Saturday. UAPB only scored 14 versus BCU, but they missed three wide open touchdowns in the process.

On Saturday, Grambling did what neither Valley nor UAPB could — they made Bethune pay for its mistakes.

So here’s the question that has to be asked: has Bethune-Cookman peaked, plateaued, or was Saturday just a poor performance?

The numbers tell a story: Bethune is 4–0 against SWAC teams currently with losing records, but 0–2 against teams with winning records. That’s not an indictment for beating the teams you should or losing to good ones — it’s simply a reflection of where you are.

To borrow from Bill Parcells, “you are what your record says you are.” And right now, the record says BCU is better than last year; but still a .500 team who is not yet ready to compete for a SWAC title. That’s disappointing, yes, but it’s also okay. The rebuild is real but just not as far along as some in Daytona had hoped.

Worth Celebrating

There were bright spots. Timmy McClain entered the game for the struggling Ransom and delivered a spark, completing 15 of 18 passes (83%) for 224 yards and a touchdown.

Trailing 24–20 early in the fourth, McClain led the Wildcats down to Grambling’s 29-yard line with a chance to take the lead. But a nagging lower-body injury forced him to the medical tent, and Ransom re-entered the game. A few snaps later, Grambling recovered a Ransom sack-fumble; his third turnover of the afternoon. BCU’s comeback hopes were extinguished at that point.

Maleek Huggins continues to shine, hauling in six receptions for 122 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown. That’s his seventh score of the year, and he now sits just 223 yards away from the 1,000-yard mark.

Chaos Erupts

You’d like the primary storyline to be the 17-year-old quarterback leading Grambling to victory. Or maybe Grambling clinching its first winning season since 2019. Heck, choose any of the points made in this article as main takeaways. But instead, the headlines from Saturday will be dominated by the halftime brawl that erupted as both teams returned to the field.

Grambling head coach Mickey Joseph used part of his postgame presser to say, “Disrespect will be met with disrespect,” and “Disrespect will not be tolerated at Grambling.” He places the blame squarely on Bethune-Cookman — claiming the Wildcats’ slow return to the field caused the altercation.

Bethune Cookman and Grambling State football teams got into a physical altercation during the Wildcats’ loss to the Tigers: pic.twitter.com/zH711rquCE

— Kalan Hooks (@KalanHookstv) November 9, 2025

My take? It’s football. It’s emotional, it’s physical, and sometimes things boil over. I don’t condone it, but I understand and I can live with it. What’s harder to stomach is Coach Joseph’s public stance — seemingly justifying a full-on melee that ended with nine players ejected (five from Grambling, four from BCU), at least one player swinging at an opposing coach, and administrators getting tangled up.

It was an ugly scene on an otherwise beautiful afternoon of football.

As of this writing, the SWAC has yet to issue an official statement or announce additional discipline or fines related to the incident. I am sure some are forthcoming.

Bottom line: This one hurt. Grambling was the better team on Saturday. Respect to them! But BCU didn’t play close to their best game even with first place one the line and that, Wildcats fans, is simply — disappointing.

The Delta Devils traveled from Mississippi on the first Saturday after Halloween. They did everything in their power to haunt Bethune-Cookman’s perfect home record this season. Thankfully for the Wildcat faithful, BCU casted off some second-half complacency and “shook the Devils off” (or whatever that song says).

From the opening kickoff, it was clear Bethune-Cookman was the more complete team. They were faster, bigger, deeper and just better.

Javon “Bon-Bon” Ross set the tone early, fielding the opening kickoff at his own 15-yard line. Fourteen seconds and 85 yards later, Ross was crossing the goal line. That electrifying return helped earn him SWAC Co-Specialist of the Week honors. Ross added a 24-yard receiving touchdown just three minutes later. At that point, it looked like this one might be a cakewalk. But football is a funny sport.

From that moment until the final whistle, Josh Brown, Mississippi Valley’s dual-threat quarterback, took over the game. He became the most dynamic player on the field. Maybe it was because his family made the short three-hour drive from Camden County, Georgia. Maybe it was the Florida sunshine. I am not sure of the reason. Whatever it was, Brown played like a man possessed for the final three and a half quarters. He had the game of his life.

And it wasn’t as if BCU’s defense played poorly. They got pressure and moved him off his spot all afternoon. But Brown had an answer for everything. He got the ball out quickly on short routes. He showed tremendous pocket awareness. He turned would-be sacks into highlight reel scrambles. It was almost hocus pocus like how he escaped free blitzers a half dozen times at least. He finished with 418 passing yards, a passing touchdown, and two rushing touchdowns. All you can do is tip your cap to the young man. A job well done sir! 👏

Still, Bethune-Cookman proved why they’re the better team. When it mattered most, they controlled the trenches. They executed in the red zone. They finished drives whenever Valley seemed to threaten the lead.

It was an Antwone Watts pick-six midway through the fourth quarter that stretched the lead and essentially sealed the deal. The Wildcats never trailed in the game and remained in control throughout, even if the Devils made things a little too interesting at times.

The biggest coaching point is this: BCU has to do a better job of respecting every opponent. They must put teams away when they have the chance. Coach Woodie said this in his postgame presser. He admitted his guys didn’t believe him. He had warned them throughout the week that Valley would put up a fight.

The Cats survived and advanced. They finish the year undefeated at home and currently sit tied for first in the SWAC East. Next up: a road trip to Grambling, where they’ll look to earn their first road victory of 2025.

If they can handle business in Louisiana, it sets up a massive first-place showdown with JSU in Jackson.

In other words — now that Mary’s Babies dealt with the Devils, it’s time to grab a few Tigers by the tail. GSU, you’re on the clock. 🐾

Statistic	MVS	BCU
First Downs
Total	29	20
Rushing	5	12
Passing	21	7
Penalty	3	1
Rushing
Total (Net)	60	200
Attempts	25	41
Avg. Per Rush	2.4	4.9
Rushing TDs	3	3
Yds. Gained	84	224
Yds. Lost	24	24
Passing
Total (Net)	418	154
Comp.-Att.-Int.	36–57–1	14-23-0
Avg. / Att.	7.3	6.7
Avg. / Comp.	11.6	11.0
TDs	1	1
Total Offense
Yards	478	354
Plays	82	64
Avg. / Play	5.8	5.5
Fumbles – Lost	0-0	0-0
Penalties – Yds.	8–64	6-62
Punting
Punts – Yds.	4-144	6–249
Avg. / Punt	36	41.5
Inside 20	1	0
50+ Yds.	0	1
Touchbacks	1	2
Fair Catch	0	0
Kickoffs
Total – Yds.	7-409	7-438
Avg. Yds. / Kickoff	58.4	62.6
Touchbacks	1	3
Returns
Punt: Total – Yds. – TDs	2-18-0	1-20-0
Punt: Avg. / Return	9.0	20.0
Kickoff: Total – Yds. – TDs	4-69-0	6–184–1
Kickoff: Avg. / Return	17.3	30.7
INT: Total – Yds. – TDs	0-0-0	1–32–1
Fumble: Total – Yds. – TDs	0-0-0	0-0-0
Miscellaneous
Misc. Yards	0	0
Poss. Time	32:14	27:46
3rd. Down Conv.	7 of 16	7 of 14
4th. Down Conversions	1 of 3	1 of 1
Red-Zone: Scores – Chances	4–4	3-3
Sacks: Total – Yds.	2-15	3–19
PAT: Total – Made	4-4	6–6
2PT Conversion: Total – Made	0-0	0-0
Field Goals: Total – Made	2–2	0-0

Qtr	Time	Scoring Play	MVS	BCU
1st	14:46	BCU – Ross,Javon 85 yd kickoff return (Dominguez,Juan kick)	0	7
1st	11:27	BCU – Ross,Javon 24 yd pass from Ransom,Cam’Ron (Dominguez,Juan kick) 4 plays, 41 yards, TOP 02:00	0	14
1st	09:02	MVS – Brown,Josh 5 yd run (Jovisic,Marko kick), 6 plays, 78 yards, TOP 02:18	7	14
1st	03:07	BCU – Scott Jr.,Alihaja 1 yd run (Dominguez,Juan kick), 13 plays, 91 yards, TOP 05:50	7	21
2nd	14:34	MVS – Brown,Josh 2 yd run (Jovisic,Marko kick), 8 plays, 72 yards, TOP 03:28	14	21
2nd	10:32	BCU – Ransom,Cam’Ron 2 yd run (Dominguez,Juan kick), 9 plays, 77 yards, TOP 03:56	14	28
2nd	03:28	MVS – Jovisic,Marko 48 yd field goal 15 plays, 54 yards, TOP 06:56	17	28
3rd	12:04	MVS – Jovisic,Marko 31 yd field goal 9 plays, 58 yards, TOP 02:56	20	28
3rd	01:01	BCU – Robinson,Khamani 19 yd run (Dominguez,Juan kick), 10 plays, 68 yards, TOP 04:41	20	35
4th	11:45	MVS – Fant,DePhabian 12 yd run (Jovisic,Marko kick), 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:16	27	35
4th	09:43	BCU – Watts,Antwone 32 yd interception (Dominguez,Juan kick)	27	42
4th	06:48	MVS – Nelson,Cameron 35 yd pass from Brown,Josh (Jovisic,Marko kick) 6 plays, 88 yards, TOP 02:49	34	42
			34	42