Bethune-Cookman stuns No. 22 Jackson State late

Unranked Bethune-Cookman beat No. 22 Jackson State 24-21 at home, going ahead for good on Tyler Jefferson's 19-yard touchdown pass to Rickie Shaw II with 40 seconds left. The Wildcats had trailed 21-17 with 2:56 to play.

Bethune-Cookman built its cushion early, winning the first quarter 14-0 and taking a 17-7 lead into halftime. Jackson State held Bethune-Cookman scoreless in the third quarter and scored a touchdown in each of the last two, and it led 21-17 with 2:56 left.

That second-half push put Jackson State in front 21-17, and the lead changed hands twice in the game. With 2:56 left, Bethune-Cookman needed a touchdown.

It got one. Jefferson, the Bethune-Cookman quarterback, hit Shaw for a 19-yard touchdown with 40 seconds left, and the extra point made it 24-21. Jackson State never scored again.

Jefferson completed 8 of 14 passes for 113 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions, his yardage a career high in box scores we hold from 2004. Deanwar Johnson carried the ground game, running 9 times for a career-high 81 yards, 9.0 a carry, with a long of 36. Shaw led the Wildcats with 3 catches for 41 yards.

The bigger story may have been what Jackson State could not do. The Tigers had 244 total yards, far below their 451 a game entering, and just 33 rushing yards against an average of 216. Li'Darius Pryor, Jackson State's leading rusher, needed 23 carries to gain 61 yards, though he scored a touchdown.

Bethune-Cookman's defense lived in the backfield, with 4 sacks against its 2.7 a game entering. Stephen Sparrow had 11 tackles, a career high in box scores we hold since 2004, with 2 for loss, a sack and a pass defensed. The Wildcats also played clean, with no turnovers and 50 penalty yards, both better than their averages of 1.4 and 73.

Jackson State's offense came through the air. Jared Lockhart threw for 211 yards and 2 touchdowns on 13-of-27 passing, and Nate Rembert caught 5 passes for 118 yards and a score. Defensively, Tymon Wells made a career-high 11 tackles for the Tigers, nearly doubling his previous best of 6.

The takeaway

Bethune-Cookman: The Wildcats moved to 5-3 and 3-1 in conference with a win built on a fast start and a defense that held a ranked opponent's running game to 33 yards. Jefferson and Johnson each set career highs in the win.

Jackson State: The Tigers fell to 6-2 and 3-2 in conference after managing 244 yards, well short of the 451 a game they averaged entering. They committed just 10 penalty yards, well under their 77 a game, but allowed 4 sacks and could not hold a 4-point lead in the final three minutes.

Up next

Bethune-Cookman: The Wildcats play at Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Jackson State: The Tigers host Mississippi Valley State on Saturday, Nov. 7.