DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Larry Brihm, Jr. threw for a season- and career-high matching 354 yards and a career-high five touchdowns to lead Bethune-Cookman to a 41-28 win over Morgan State on Saturday at Municipal Stadium. The game was Senior Appreciation Day for the homestanding Wildcats, as the school and program said farewell to 29 seniors playing in their last home game for the Maroon and Gold.
Brihm, a redshirt senor signal caller from Delray Beach, Florida, finished 23-for-30 passing and spread the ball around, connecting with a different receiver on each touchdown. Jamaruz Thompkins added a 20-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
In all, Brihm would match a school record with five (5) passing touchdowns on the afternoon, equaling the total of Bernard Hawk (vs. Morris Brown in 1984) and Jarod Rucker (vs. South Carolina State – 2007, in Charleston, S.C.). He would connect with eight different receivers overall in the contest.
Catching the touchdown throws for Bethune-Cookman (5-4, 4-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) were Keavon Mitchell, redshirt senior Jawill Davis, redshirt senior Frank Brown, running back Que'Shaun Byrd and redshirt senior tight end Ja-Quan Lumas.
As for receiver Frank Brown, the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida native hauled in five catches for 85 yards and a score in the contest, allowing him to tie Jack "Cy" McClairen and Eric Weems for second place all-time in school history with 21 receiving touchdowns in his career.
Morgan State (1-8, 1-5 MEAC) out-gained the Wildcats in total yardage, 504 to 471, and got a career-high 218 yards and two touchdowns from the elusive and speedy running back
Eric Harrell (Orlando, Fla native), who had 19 carries. Sophomore quarterback
DeAndre Harris had touchdown throws to
DuShon David and
Manassah Bailey following starting quarterback
Elijah Staley exiting the game early-on.
MSU's defense was led by sophomore linebacker
Rico Kennedy who finished with seven tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. Senior safety Cravon Rogers added six stops and blocked an extra point.
The BCU defense was paced by the play of Joseph Johnson with a game-high 10 tackles, while four teammates recorded nine tackles each.
The win extends Bethune-Cookman's series advantage over Morgan State to 23-7, while allowing the Wildcats to finish the 2017 campaign at 4-0 on the year at home. Dating back to last season, BCU has now won its last five consecutive at Municipal Stadium.
