The 2026 football season has delivered upsets and stunning losses, but this one might be the most shocking. Over the past two seasons, Bethune-Cookman has gained momentum as a formidable SWAC East contender, but it needed a definitive win over one of the conference's top teams to prove its worth. Today, that victory came.
Bethune-Cookman secured a 24-21 win over Jackson State University after Tyler Jefferson connected with Ricky Shaw II on a game-winning 19-yard touchdown with 40 seconds left. While the game wasn't the highest-scoring affair, Bethune-Cookman jumped out to a 14-0 lead early in the first quarter and then took a 17-7 lead heading into halftime. Jackson State refused to be deterred, and Jared Lockhart found Jabari Jones for a 30-yard touchdown pass with 7:58 left in the third quarter to make it 17-14.
Jackson State then got a 1-yard, 1-play touchdown run with Ladarius Pryor to take the lead 21-17 after the PAT, with 2:56 left in the fourth. It looked like Jackson State would pull away for another narrow win, as they've done in the past, but this time things were different. Jackson State had a chance to tie the game after Bethune-Cookman's touchdown, but Andrew Ivaniciuc missed a 49-yard field goal, securing a huge win for the Wildcats.
Article Continues BelowBethune-Cookman is now tied with Alabama A&M at the top of the SWAC East, a feat many didn't believe was possible heading into the season. With a loss, Jackson State falls to 3-2 in conference, with a game against a scrappy Mississippi Valley State team coming up on November 7th.