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Bethune Cookman falls to Clark-Atlanta in shocking upset

The Clark-Atlanta Panthers pulled out an epic upset win over the Bethune Cookman University Wildcats on a walk-off field goal in Daytona Beach.

By Herbert Seward III

BCU lost a hard-fought battle to SIAC Division II foe Clark Atlanta University on Saturday.
BCU lost a hard-fought battle to SIAC Division II foe Clark Atlanta University on Saturday. / Michael Reaves/GettyImages
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Clark-Atlanta's Air Raid Offense is the Real Deal

CAU Head Coach Teddy Keaton and talented Quarterback David Wright III are known commodities in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and the greater NCAA Division II football ecosystem. If they weren't known to folks outside of those football circles, this was an awesome introduction.

Wright went 30-of-49, for 374 passing yards, and 4 touchdowns against one lone interception. The Panthers had three receivers ( Jamal Jones, Armone Harris, and David Martin ) over, at, or flirting with 100 yards receiving each during a second-half comeback that was one for the ages.

Clark Atlanta didn't get much from their run game, but they didn't need it. With the performance, the Panthers are increasingly looking like a threat for not only the SIAC league crown, but a place in the NCAA Regional Rankings, which bodes extremely well for a bid to the NCAA Division II football playoffs.

Bethune finds their signal-caller in defeat...Major questions about defending the pass persist.

There's often an expectation when people see FCS vs. NCAA Division II matchups that the FCS squad has the advantage on paper; more scholarships... possibly even more prestigious names for players or transfers. Part of that was the case on Saturday, but NONE of those expectations played out on the field.

The Wildcats' pass defense was in shambles for wide stretches of the game, particularly during a 2nd half that saw the Bethune-Cookman secondary victimized over and over again with almost surgical precision.

The BCU offense, to their credit, did their part to pull out a win. Cam'Ron Ransom completed 22-of-31 pass attempts for 382 yards and 3 touchdowns, with no interceptions. It was an effective and efficient spreading of the wealth, with 10 Wildcat receivers catching at least one pass attempt.

Six receivers caught two completions or more. As good as those positives were, giving up 451 yards worth in total offense (and losing a total of 2 turnovers) didn't do the Wildcat faithful any favors in this quest for a win.

Remember the name...Leonardo Cabrera

As wild and wacky as the momentum swings of this game were, the ultimate cliffhanger ending came after a rare (and impressive) defensive stand in the game by the Clark-Atlanta defense, forced Bethune Cookman to punt.

11 plays and 61 yards later, Freshman kicker Leonardo Cabrera nails a 55-yard field goal for the ultimate walk-off, game-over moment the SIAC has seen in a while.

So where do both programs go from here, after such an emotional game?

Undefeated Clark Atlanta will continue its' SIAC Conference schedule, going on the road to Memphis, Tennessee to play in-conference foe Lane College. The Bethune Cookman University Wildcats will look to get their first win of the season in their first conference game of the year, as they welcome the Alabama State University Hornets.


Stay Tuned to Saturday Blitz for more content and coverage of HBCU football at the NCAA FCS and Division II level!

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