Daryl Jones rushed 21 times for 118 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winning 1-yard plunge with 36 seconds left, as Norfolk State snapped a nine-game losing streak against Bethune-Cookman with a 38-31 win on Saturday afternoon at Dick Price Stadium in the 60th annual Fish Bowl Classic.
The win was the first-ever in a MEAC opener for the Spartans (2-1 overall, 1-0 MEAC), who were 0-9 all-time coming into the game. The victory gave NSU just its second win over B-CU (2-2, 0-2) since moving to Division I. The first, a 21-7 win in 1997, came when current Spartans’ head coach Pete Adrian was the defensive coordinator for the Wildcats.
Sophomore safety Terrell Whitehead, who earlier in the game returned a Bethune-Cookman fumble for a touchdown, intercepted a pass by B-CU quarterback Jimmie Russell to set up NSU at the Wildcats’ 22 with 2:10 left. After three rushes by R.J. Waters got NSU down to the one, Jones dove in behind the left side of his offensive line for the go-ahead score.
B-CU’s Corey Council returned the ensuing kickoff 54 yards to the Spartans’ 43. After a sack of Russell on first down, Victor Johnson caught a 27-yard pass down to the NSU 19. But the Wildcats, who were out of timeouts, could not run another play before time expired.
“This team doesn’t quit and I couldn’t be any prouder,” Adrian said. “Even though we were behind, no one was complaining on the sideline. For us to rally like we did in the second half and take charge of the game is a big step for our program.”
The Wildcats controlled most of the first half, jumping out to a 21-7 lead. Russell, deftly running the vaunted B-CU option, rushed for 89 of his 100 yards in the opening 30 minutes. He scored on a 1-yard run in the first quarter and tossed a 25-yard TD pass to Joe Singleton in the second. Brian Sumlar’s 15-yard run gave the Wildcats a 21-7 lead with 8:01 left in the half.
NSU closed to within 21-10 on a 26-yard field goal by Justin Castellat with 17 seconds left in the half.
Whitehead helped change the game’s momentum on the first drive of the second half. He scooped up an errant option pitch by Russell and returned it 48 yards for a TD, bringing NSU within 21-16. An NSU penalty after the play pushed the extra point attempt back 15 yards, and Castellat’s try missed.
The Wildcats countered with a 42-yard interception return for TD by Antonio Cox, but Jones bulled in from 2 yards out to get the Spartans back within 28-23 with 6:53 left in the third quarter.
Adam Ward capped a 45-yard drive with a 33-yard field goal to give the Wildcats a 31-23 lead with 7:30 left in the game.
But NSU fought back on its next possession. Casey Hansen hooked up with Dario Walker (Ettrick, Va.) on a 45-yard pass play on 3rd-and-16, setting up the Spartans at the B-CU 14.
“We had to take a shot deep,” Hansen said. “I saw Dario beat his man and I went for it. You’ve got to let your receivers make plays for you, and Dario did on that one.”
Five plays later, Jones, suffering from cramps much of the second half, bulled in from the 1 with 3:32 left to cut the Wildcats’ lead to 31-29 to cap the 53-yard drive. On the two-point conversion play, Hansen rolled to his right and lofted a pass which Jamar Johnson (Norfolk, Va.) snared to tie the game.
Then it was the defense’s turn to step up. On the third play of the Wildcats’ next possession, Whitehead stepped in front of a Russell pass and appeared to return it 43 yards for the go-ahead score. But NSU was called for an illegal block on the return, meaning the Spartans would retain possession but begin from the Wildcats’ 22. It was a blessing in disguise, as it gave NSU a chance to run some more clock.
“I saw the quarterback (Russell) look my way and let it go, but the receiver wasn’t looking for it,” Whitehead. “From that point, I was just thinking ?touchdown.’”
Saturday marked the second 100-yard rushing game of the year and fourth in the career for Jones, the NSU MVP of the Fish Bowl Classic. Jones (30 career TDs) moved past former kicker Antonio Gomez (158 points from 2003-06) into fourth place on the all-time NSU scoring list.
The NSU defense held the B-CU offense to just 110 yards and three points in the second half. Linebacker Marquez Davis (Newport News, Va.) led way with a game-high 12 tackles, three for losses, and half a sack. His twin brother, Maguell Davis (Newport News, Va.), finished with eight stops, one behind the line.
Hansen finished with 153 yards passing. Walker had four catches for a career-high 71 yards.
The Spartans have a short turn-around before their next game. They travel to Greensboro, N.C., to face North Carolina A&T at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday night. The game will be televised live on ESPNU.