Vicksburg Daily News –
Story from JSU Athletics:
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. | No. 23 Jackson State brushed off a sluggish first half to pull away from Bethune-Cookman 37-17 in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) action at Daytona Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Jackson State (6-2, 4-0 SWAC) fell behind early, trailing in the first quarter 14-7 before tying the game right before halftime on a Joanes Fortilien14-yard touchdown pass with just 13 seconds remaining in the half. The Tigers came out in the second half with back-to-back possessions in the third quarter with touchdowns to take a 31-17 lead with under five minutes to play in the third.
Irv Mulligan led a balanced Jackson State offensive attack with 171 yards rushing on 18 carries with a pair of touchdowns. He averaged 9.5 yards per carry, while Travis Terrell Jr.finished with 86 yards on eight carries averaging 10.8 yards per carry. The Tigers recorded 349 yards on 41 carries while finishing with 513 yards of total offense.
Jacobian Morgan finished 138 yards on 14-of-18 passing with a touchdown, leaving the game in the third quarter while Cam’Ron McCoy finished with 26 yards and a touchdown. The Tigers hit four receivers, led by Tyquan Henderson with six receptions for 38 yards, while Isaiah Spencer (61 yards) and Fortilien (47 yards) each added four receptions.
Ashton Taylor and Esaias Guthrie led Jackson State with six tackles each on defense, while the Tigers finished with a pair of sacks.
How It Happened
1st Quarter (11:16) – Maleek Huggins 11-yd pass from Luke Sprague (Cade Hetcher kick), B-CU 7-0.
1st Quarter (8:27) – Mulligan 39-yd rush (Gerardo Baeza kick), 7-7.
1st Quarter (2:30) – Lorenzo Jenkins 16-yd pass from Sprague (Hetcher kick), B-CU 14-7.
2nd Quarter (8:47) – Baeza 24-yd field goal, B-CU 14-10.
2nd Quarter (2:31) – Hetcher 25-yd field goal, B-CU 17-10.
2nd Quarter (0:13) – Fortilien 14-yd pass from Morgan (Baeza kick), 17-17.
3rd Quarter (7:42) – Mulligan 1-yd run (Baeza kick), Jackson State 24-17.
3rd Quarter (4:28) – Spencer 23-yd pass from McCoy (Baeza kick), Jackson State 31-17.
4th Quarter (13:37) – Baeza 39-yd field goal, Jackson State 34-17.
4th Quarter (7:08) – Baeza 28-yd field goal, Jackson State 37-17.
Game Notes
- For just the third time this season, Jackson State trailed at the end of the first quarter. The other two times were losses to ULM and Grambling State on the road.
- Baeza took over kickoff duties for the first time this season and promptly recorded touchbacks in his first two kickoffs.
- Matt Noll recorded a season-long 66-yard punt in the first quarter going for a touchback, topping his previous season-high of 54 yards against ULM in the season-opener. The punt was just the fourth punt in nine quarters for Noll, with one against Florida A&M and two against Alabama A&M.
- Jacobian Morgan connected on his first five pass attempts on the day with his only incompletion to the back of the end zone on a pass attempted to Joanes Fortilien.
- Mulligan reached the 100-yard mark for the second time this season, reaching it in the first half despite a 74-yard touchdown run called back due to a penalty. It is the third time this season that the Tigers had a 100-yard rusher in a game.
- The Tigers used 16 plays on their opening drive in the third quarter to take their first lead of the game. The drive matched a season-high 16-play drive against Texas Southern in the first quarter of the game in Houston (Sept. 28).
- Jackson State held Bethune-Cookman to just six plays on offense in the third quarter, forcing two three-and-outs.
- For the second consecutive week, Jackson State held their opponents scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Up Next
Jackson State returns home next weekend facing UAPB at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, with kickoff set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.
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