DAYTONA BEACH (Interstat) — Rashon Brown rushed 31 times for 260 yards and one touchdown, and Bethune-Cookman’s defense turned in key stops as the Wildcats beat Alabama State 16-10 on Saturday in a NCAA Football Championship Division game at Daytona Stadium in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Bethune-Cookman’s first scoring chance came with 9:39 remaining in the first quarter, when Aiden Lanier missed a 33-yard field goal attempt. Three seconds later, Lanier connected from 28 yards. With 1:26 remaining in the first quarter, Lanier made a 24-yard field goal. Alabama State’s Andrew Abu-Akel missed a 35-yard attempt with 11:54 remaining in the second quarter, but he made a 34-yard field goal with one second left before halftime. With 4:27 remaining in the third quarter, Brown scored on a 12-yard run, and Lanier’s extra point followed. Lanier added a 33-yard field goal with 13:34 remaining in the fourth quarter. Alabama State answered with 11:50 remaining when J. Hostzclaw scored on a 2-yard run, and Abu-Akel made the extra point. The Hornets could not complete the comeback. Alabama State fell to 3-2. Bethune-Cookman improved to 3-2.

Alabama State had won three of its first four games before Saturday, including victories over Mississippi Valley State, Lane and Southern. The Hornets’ lone loss came at Troy. Bethune-Cookman entered after a win over Virginia Lynchburg and a loss to South Carolina State. The Wildcats also had beaten Stetson and lost at UCF earlier in the season.

Tyler Jefferson, a 6-foot, 230-pound quarterback from High Springs, Fla., passed for 51 yards and ran 14 times for 60 yards for Bethune-Cookman. Josh Evans, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound wide receiver, caught one pass for 8 yards and made two tackles. Lewon Lurry Jr., a 6-foot-3, 265-pound defensive end, had two tackles and one sack. Stephen Sparrow, a 6-foot, 197-pound defensive back, recorded three tackles and one quarterback hurry. Timothy Gulley, a 6-foot-1, 300-pound defensive lineman, and Jaden Davis, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound safety, each finished with three tackles. Isaiah Washburn, a 6-foot-2, 235-pound safety, had four tackles and half a sack. Myron Shafer III, a 6-foot, 210-pound linebacker, made five tackles. Naim Lassiter, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound cornerback, posted nine tackles and half a sack. Tre Rigby, a 5-foot-9, 160-pound safety, added three tackles. Sadonnie Gay had two tackles. Kobe Stewart, a 6-foot-3, 191-pound wide receiver, caught one pass for 17 yards. Willie Anderson had three receptions for 26 yards. Isaiah Daniel ran four times for 4 yards and returned three kickoffs for 41 yards. Deanwar Johnson, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound running back, added four carries for 14 yards. Brown, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound running back, finished with 31 carries for 260 yards and one touchdown. Montravius Lloyd, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound running back, had one tackle and half a sack. Isaac Gallagher-Cheetham punted four times for 154 yards. Aiden Lanier, a 5-foot-9, 150-pound kicker, made field goals from 28, 24 and 33 yards. Noel Brown, a 6-foot-1, 285-pound tackle, had one quarterback hurry. Cole Hash made one tackle. Dairo Melendez Jr., a 6-foot-1, 285-pound tackle, made one tackle. Marquis McCants, a 5-foot-9, 155-pound wide receiver, made one tackle. Abram Fofana made one tackle. Jaylen Lewis, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound linebacker, had one tackle and half a sack. Jamar Dean made one tackle. Malakhi Boone made one tackle. Jaden Williams, a 6-foot-2, 193-pound defensive back, made one tackle. Preston Thompson, a 6-foot, 185-pound defensive back, made one tackle. Samuel McCall, a 6-foot-1, 182-pound defensive back, made one tackle. Joseph Evans made two tackles. Keontae Byas, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound cornerback, made two tackles.

For Alabama State, Trevor Bywater punted five times for 162 yards. Omari Russell had three tackles and one interception. Ta’Shaun Sims, a 6-foot-1, 181-pound safety, made four tackles. Corey Lucius, a 6-foot-2, 208-pound linebacker, Myles Richardson, a 6-foot-4, 247-pound defensive end, and Zion Crawford each had five tackles. Montel Campbell recorded eight tackles. Rashad Watson made 11 tackles. Mitchell Robinson Jr., a 6-foot, 210-pound linebacker, led the Hornets with 12 tackles. Zach Williams, a 6-foot, 170-pound defensive back, added three tackles. John Austin caught one pass for minus 2 yards. Franck Pierre, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound wide receiver, had one reception for 11 yards. Randall King, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound wide receiver, caught one pass for 13 yards. Kareem Keye had three receptions for 20 yards. Israel Tate, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound wide receiver, caught four passes for 26 yards. Andrew Abu-Akel, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound kicker, made a 34-yard field goal. The Hornets’ offense was held without a touchdown until Hostzclaw’s fourth-quarter run.

Bethune-Cookman’s defense finished with several contributors. Lurry, Washburn, Lassiter, Lloyd and Jaylen Lewis each recorded at least half a sack. Sparrow and Noel Brown each had a quarterback hurry. The Wildcats also received tackles from Gulley, Davis, Shafer, Rigby, Gay, Hash, Melendez, McCants, Fofana, Dean, Boone, Jaden Williams, Preston Thompson, Samuel McCall, Joseph Evans and Byas.

Alabama State’s defense was led by Robinson’s 12 tackles, Watson’s 11 tackles and Campbell’s eight tackles. Lucius, Richardson and Crawford each made five tackles. Sims made four. Russell, Zach Williams and Ta’Shaun Sims finished with multiple stops. The Hornets also got an interception from Russell. Brown proved difficult to bring down throughout the game for the Wildcats. Alabama State returns home to face Florida A&M next. Bethune-Cookman travels to Alabama A&M next.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Alabama State 59, Bethune-Cookman 27. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Alabama State with a 73.8 percent probability to win. Bethune-Cookman had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -7. The total score of 26 went over the over/under line of 52.5.