Bethune-Cookman 55, Savannah State 6

September 9, 2006

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman College got back to its winning ways on Saturday afternoon as they opened up their home season with a decisive 55-6 victory over Savannah State on Saturday evening at Municipal Stadium/Larry Kelly Field in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Playing without the services of Taurean Charles (Miami, Fla.) who was ejected midway through the first quarter, the Wildcats defense simply pinned its ears back and did what they do best as they went straight for the ball and the end zone on every opportunity to score without putting the offense on the field.

Bethune-Cookman (1-1) used a 19-yard interception return by linebacker/rover and South Carolina transfer Brent Davis (Daytona Beach, Fla.) and then another 10-yard fumble return for score by defensive lineman Dennis King (Daytona Beach, Fla.) to put the Wildcats up 21-0 after the first stanza. Junior running back Justin Brannon (Jacksonville, Fla.) opened up the game with a six-yard scamper on a 9-play, 92-yard drive for the ‘Cats on their second possession of the game.

The Wildcats would hold a commanding 41-0 lead at the half as quarterback Jarod Rucker (North Miami Beach, Fla.), who connected on just six passes all of last season, took charge on a 3-play, 44-yard drive complete with passing, connected with Johnathan Summers (Jacksonville, Fla.) … and later Eric Weems (Ormond Beach, Fla.), to cap off a beautiful first-half performance where he shared time with starting quarterback Jimmie Russell (Jonesboro, Ga.).

On the day, Rucker finished as the team’s leading rusher with 45 yards on seven carries, as well as passing with a 10-for-16 performance for 143 yards and three touchdowns. As earlier mentioned, Rucker completed just 6-of-9 passes all of last season, compared to his 10 completions on the day against SSU (0-2).

Savannah State would get on the board late in the third quarter when Garrett Williams hooked up with Williams on the left sideline as he side-stepped two tackles en route to the end zone. The extra point by Temple was missed, and the lead stood at 41-6 in favor of the Wildcats.

B-CC tacked on two more touchdowns, most importantly as Rucker hooked up with Paul Neufville (Miami, Fla.) on a 42-yard touchdown pass right down the middle of the field for a 48-6 lead. The ‘Cats put seven more points on the board late in the fourth quarter as running back/wide receiver Coyla Dailey (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) scored his first touchdown of the year on a six-yard run around the right side on the running back option, leading to the 55-6 final margin.

Neufville led all receivers in yards for the ‘Cats with three catches for 51 yards and one touchdown. Summers picked up 46 yards on four receptions and one touchdown his self. Chauncey Hampton (Sanford, Fla.) picked up 33 yards on five carries on the ground from his running back position for B-CC.

Defensively, B-CC was led by three (3) big ‘Cats in the form of Ronnie McCullough (Tampa, Fla.), Josh Balloon (Tampa, Fla.) and Rodney Hughes (Austell, Ga.) who all finished the game with a team-high nine tackles. Hughes collected three tackles for loss, while Balloon and McCullough each combined for another three tackles for loss. The Tigers of Savannah State were led defensively by Leonard with six solo tackles, including three tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

Now, the Wildcats will look to get their conference season started next weekend as they travel to Charleston, South Carolina for a key MEAC match-up against South Carolina State at 6 p.m. The contest is being played at the home of The Citadel at Johnson Hagood Stadium.