South Carolina State outlasted the scrappy Bethune-Cookman Wildcats in a frenzied touchdown-fest 55-41 at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. The old Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference foes combined for 1068 yards of total offense.
Senior quarterback Ryan Stubblefield completed 21-of-35 passes for 286 yards and a touchdown to lead the Bulldogs to their second win of the season. Stubblefield scored the first touchdown of the game with a 3-yard scamper to cap a 14-play, 83-yard drive.
SC State scored on each of its next four possessions to take a 27-0 lead early in the second. Thankfully for the visitors, their defense held the Bulldogs to field goals on the last two series, or the numbers would have been gaudy.
The second quarter started like the first quarter for the Wildcats, and Head Coach Raymond Woodie decided to make a change. He replaced starter Timmy McClain on the second series of the quarter with Cam’Ron Ransom. The redshirt senior understood the assignment. Ransom marched the Wildcats 75 yards to the end zone in 16 plays.
Ransom breathed new life into the Wildcats. The defense held the Bulldogs to their first three-and-out of the game.
His performance did not surprise SC State Head Coach Chennis Berry. “We know about Cam,” said Berry. “They’ve been playing two quarterbacks all season. We know about Cam, a really good football player. We have to do a better job when teams are moving the football on us, we gotta find a way of turning the water off, is the term that I use.”
Berry’s offense did what his defense couldn’t do down the stretch – put the Wildcats away. With Ransom at QB1 the Wildcats scored four touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The 41 points might have been good enough had the Bulldogs’ offense taken its foot off the gas – but it didn’t.
Freshman sensation Mason Pickett-Hicks (South Pointe HS) showed why he was considered the best running back in the state pound-for-pound. The 5-foot-8, 162-lb dynamo ripped off a 69-yard touchdown run on second-and-5 to give the Bulldogs some additional breathing room. As it turns out, his touchdown made the difference. Tyler Smith added another touchdown from 2 yards out for added measure.
SC State travels to Tampa at the end of the week to face the University of South Florida (2-1)