DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.- Bethune-Cookman rolled up 592 yards of offense as the Wildcats defeated Savannah State 42-12 in front of 5,975 fans at Municipal Stadium.
 
It was the first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game of the season for both teams.
 
Bethune-Cookman drove to the SSU 49 on their first possession but was stopped for a one yard gain on a fourth and two situation.
 
Savannah State took over at their own 48 and marched to the Wildcats 21 before their drive stalled.
 
The Tigers did not come away empty, scoring the first points of the contest on a John Barron 30-yard field goal with 6:10 left in the first quarter.
 
On their next series, Cookman was able to score a touchdown as Jamie Wilson caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Quentin Williams with 3:07 left in the quarter. Uriel Hernandez added the extra point for a 7-3 lead.
 
Two offensive series later, SSU drove to the Bethune 12 but Barron missed a 33 yard field goal attempt with 14:06 left in the second quarter. The drive was highlighted by a 34 yard reception by KerSean Wilson and  a 31 yard run by Richard Williams.
 
On the next Savannah State offensive series, the Tigers drove from their own 18 to the Bethune 41. Following a five yard loss by Williams and a incomplete pass by Arshon Spaulding, the drive was halted when Jocelyn Borgella intercepted a pass thrown by David Handler at the Wildcats 31.
 
The Wildcats took advantage of the turnover when Anthony Jordan scored on a 11 yard run with 5:08 left in the quarter. On their next possession, B-CU went ahead 21-3 when Jawill Davis caught a 56 yard touchdown with 1:20 left before the half.
 
Savannah State took the kickoff and drove to the Bethune six only to have Barron miss a 23 yard field goal attempt as the clock expired to end the first half.
 
In their first possession of the second half, Bethune fumbled at the SSU one and Savannah State defensive back Isiah Bennett recovered.
 
With 6:19 left in the third quarter, the Wildcats scored a touchdown to increase their advantage to 28-3.
 
Savannah State began the fourth quarter with a drive that ended with Barron connecting on a 42 yard field goal with 13:37 left in the game.
 
Less than a minute later, the Tigers would score their only touchdown of the contest when linebacker Leonardo Myers intercepted a pass in the end zone for a touchdown. The two-point conversion failed and the Tigers trailed 28-12 with 12:41 remaining.
 
Bethune scored touchdowns on their next two series to expand their lead to 42-12.
 
The Tigers would drive to the Wildcats seven yard line on their final offensive series but would not score. Faced with a fourth and three, Spaulding pass intended for Jeremiah Harris was incomplete. B-CU took over and ran out the clock as they improved to 3-1 overall.
 
SSU produced their best offensive output of the season with 275 yards.
 
Richards ran for 79 yards while Spaulding threw for 102 yards. Harris had five receptions for 37 yards. Defensively, Marquis Smith had eight tackles.
 
Bethune, who had 212 yards in penalties, were led by Williams who ran for 104 yards and threw for 207 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Davis had three catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. Jason Smith had seven tackles for the defense.
 
The Tigers (0-3) will play their home opener on October 3 against Florida A&M at 7 p.m.