DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Interstat) — Cam’Ron Ransom accounted for two touchdowns and a dominant second-half performance propelled Bethune-Cookman to a 45-14 victory over Southern on Saturday at Daytona Stadium.

The Wildcats, now 2-4, erupted for 17 points in the third quarter to break open a game that was surprisingly tight early on. The win surpassed the pregame expectations set by oddsmakers, who had installed Bethune-Cookman as a slim two-point favorite.

Southern stunned the home crowd early. On their first offensive series, quarterback Cam’Ron McCoy connected with Darren Morris on a 71-yard touchdown pass just over five minutes into the game, giving the Jaguars a 7-0 lead.

Bethune-Cookman answered late in the opening quarter with a 13-yard scoring run by Ransom, tying the game at 7. The Wildcats then seized control in the second quarter. Rashon Brown broke a 12-yard touchdown run and Ransom later found Rickie Shaw II on a 5-yard scoring pass, sending Bethune-Cookman into halftime with a 21-7 advantage.

Any hope of a Southern comeback was extinguished in a decisive third quarter. The Wildcats’ ground game continued to punish the Jaguars’ defense, with Ali Scott Jr. plunging in from 2 yards out. Kicker Juan Dominguez added a 32-yard field goal, and just over a minute later, Ransom struck through the air again, hitting Lorenzo Jenkins for a 33-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 38-7.

Southern found the end zone again in the fourth quarter when backup quarterback Ashton Strother threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Malachi Jackson. Bethune-Cookman capped the scoring with a 19-yard touchdown run from Juan Rodriguez.

Ransom, a Lakeland, Florida native, was efficient for the Wildcats, completing 27 of 36 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns while adding 35 yards and another score on the ground. The Wildcats’ offense showcased its depth, with eight different players recording a reception and five different players rushing for a touchdown. Maleek Huggins led all receivers with 92 yards on eight catches.

For Southern, which fell to 1-4, the quarterback combination of McCoy and Strother each threw for 101 yards and a touchdown. Morris’s early long touchdown catch accounted for the bulk of his 87 receiving yards, while Trey Holly provided a bright spot on the ground with 71 yards on 14 carries.

The Jaguars’ offense struggled to sustain drives against a resurgent Bethune-Cookman defense, managing just 14 points against a Wildcats team that had allowed an average of 44.8 points in its first five games.

The final score of 59 total points went over the betting over/under line of 55.5. The result was more lopsided than projected by analytics, as Interstat’s game simulator had predicted a 40-33 Bethune-Cookman victory and gave the Wildcats a 55.6 percent probability to win.

Southern will look to rebound next Saturday when it hosts Prairie View. Bethune-Cookman has a bye week before returning to action on Oct. 25 to host Arkansas-Pine Bluff.