DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Cam’Ron Ransom led Bethune-Cookman to a 24-21 win over Grambling by throwing two touchdown passes, while the team’s defense capitalized on two turnovers in the crucial fourth quarter.
Ransom connected with Darnell Deas for a stunning 58-yard touchdown pass, narrowing the gap to 21-17 as the third quarter wound down to 3:25. The Wildcats took the lead with a 42-yard touchdown run by Dennis Palmer just before the end of the third quarter.
Grambling’s Deljay Bailey struggled in the final minutes, tossing an interception on a fourth-and-13 attempt from the Wildcats’ 39-yard line with roughly five minutes remaining. He threw another interception on a subsequent fourth-and-20 at the Grambling 26-yard line with only 40 seconds left in the game.
In addition to his pivotal 58-yard throw, Ransom had earlier thrown a 14-yard touchdown pass to Thomas Nance during the first quarter. He impressively completed 18 of 20 passes for a total of 199 yards throughout the game. On the ground, Palmer contributed to the victory with 86 rushing yards on 20 carries, boosting Bethune-Cookman’s record to 2-7 overall and 2-3 within the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Grambling had a strong start, with Keilon Elder scoring a 22-yard touchdown in the opening quarter, followed by Javon Robinson’s 72-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter, putting them ahead 14-0. Later in the game, Bailey extended the Tigers’ lead with a 9-yard rushing touchdown, bringing their advantage to 21-7 early in the third quarter. Bailey ended the game having completed 18 of 33 passes for 206 yards, while Elder accumulated 50 rushing yards on 8 carries for Grambling, whose record now stands at 4-5 overall and 1-4 in their conference play.