Jaden Davis spurs Bethune-Cookman football past MVSU; Stetson drops rollercoaster

Jaden Davis provided one last highlight.

After he grabbed three interceptions earlier in the game, the Bethune-Cookman safety recovered a fumble and escorted it 61 yards for a touchdown in the final minute against Mississippi Valley State.

It served as the emphatic closing of a 34-14 Wildcats victory on Oct. 17 in Itta Bena, Mississippi.

Davis’ three picks tied him for third on the program’s all-time single-game leaderboard. The redshirt junior also contributed nine tackles, a sack and the scoop-and-score.

Tyler Jefferson helped Bethune-Cookman (4-3, 2-1 SWAC) put up the rest of its points. He replaced starter Amari Jones with the Wildcats trailing 7-0 in the second quarter.

That ignited a 28-0 run as Jefferson found Rickie Shaw II for a 23-yard touchdown toss and then ran for a 2-yard score late in the first half.

Bethune-Cookman led 14-7 at the break.

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Jefferson helmed two more scoring drives in the second half. He scampered for a 12-yarder in the third quarter and hit Shaw for another 23-yard connection in the fourth.

The Delta Devils (3-5, 2-2) finally answered with 11 minutes left. Josh Brown fired a 35-yard touchdown pass to Dayvian Bluitt, but the Wildcats’ defense prevented any further comeback.

Jefferson completed 7 of his 15 attempts for 109 yards. He rushed for 38 yards on eight carries. Shaw made five catches for 80 yards.

But Bethune-Cookman’s defense stood out.

Along with all the mayhem Davis caused, the Wildcats racked up a season-high six sacks. Joseph Evans had two. They collected 11 tackles for loss.

Bethune-Cookman will head home for its final outing of October. It hosts Jackson State at 1 p.m. Saturday at Daytona Stadium. The contest will air on SWAC TV.

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Stetson erased a 12-point deficit in the final period, rallying to snatch a 43-40 lead with 51 seconds left.

But the Blue Hose concluded the rollercoaster ride with the winning touchdown — a 2-yard run by Jackson Burleson — with 19 seconds to go, stealing a 47-43 victory at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium.

The battle saw six lead changes in the last eight minutes. After combining for 39 points across the first three quarters, the Hatters (1-6, 0-3 PFL) and Presbyterian exploded for 51 in the fourth.

But the game went back and forth throughout.

Presbyterian (4-3, 3-1) rattled off the first 14 points. Stetson responded with the next 15 via two Thomas von Grote touchdown strikes to take a one-point advantage at halftime.

The Blue Hose punched back with a field goal and a touchdown in the third quarter. Following another field goal early in the fourth, they sat in front 27-15 with 12:27 remaining.

That’s when the firework show commenced.

The Hatters’ rally included three touchdown passes from von Grote — one apiece to Shawne Jones, Troy Flowers and Landon Falco. Von Grote also used his legs for a 5-yard score.

But Presbyterian traversed 65 yards in 21 seconds, ruining the Hatters’ dreams with Burleson’s deciding score.

Stetson’s final possession ended with a fumble on a lateral as time expired.

The Hatters accumulated 481 yards. Von Grote supplied 345 of them through the air, going 23 of 28 and spraying passes to seven receivers.

Flowers compiled 120 receiving yards, and Wyatt Rogers had 105.

The Blue Hose one-upped Stetson with 534 yards. Their damage was split fairly evenly, with 292 passing yards and 251 on the ground.

Next week, the Hatters trek to Morehead State for a 2 p.m. tilt on ESPN+.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Jaden Davis spurs Bethune-Cookman football past MVSU; Stetson drops rollercoaster