On a windy Saturday afternoon, Mississippi Valley State got off to a hot start on the football field but Bethune-Cookman got the best of the Delta Devils, coming out on top 45-35.
On homecoming night at Rice-Totten Stadium, after blocking the Wildcats’ punt, MVSU struck first. On its opening drive, Valley quarterback Jamari Jones hit Jacory Rankin for a 29-yard touchdown — going up 7-0 with 13:46 left in the first quarter.
MVSU put together a solid drive on its next possession, and took the ball to red zone territory, but a Wildcat player picked off Jones and took it for six.
From here, both teams began to trade scoring blows. Bethune-Cookman went on to score 15 unanswered points in the second quarter, but was outscored 21-17 in the third by Valley — including a moment late in the third quarter where both teams traded back-to-back kick return touchdowns.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats clung to a 38-28 lead. Valley needed a touchdown to make the game interesting, and Jones found Rankin once again for a much-needed touchdown.
Still ahead by three points, Bethune-Cookman broke out a 26-yard rushing touchdown with 2:07 left in the game, effectively eliminating the Delta Devils’ chances of winning.
Saturday’s loss pushes Valley to 0-8 overall, and Bethune-Cookman improves to 2-5 overall.
Jones finished going 13-of-28 for 218 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Jones was also the leading rusher with 101 yards on 16 tries.
Kaiyus Lewis picked up a rushing touchdown and ran for two yards on two tries.
Rankin was the leading receiver. He finished with six catches for 93 yards with two touchdowns. Sylvester Campbell also had a receiving touchdown on two catches for 26 yards.
Cobie Bates had a 97-yard kick return for a touchdown, and running back Jakobe Thomas picked up a rushing touchdown. Thomas also ran for 45 yards on eight carries.
After the game, a scuffle broke out between the two teams on the MVSU sideline. It was eventually broken up.
MVSU has a bye week next week, and will host Alabama A&M the week after.
-Contact Jared Conerly at 662-581-7237 or jconerly@gwcommonwealth.com.
