By MATT SWINEA
Special to pressbox1.com

MUSKOGEE, Okla. - Bethel College withstood a torrential downpour and early scores by the host Bacone College Warriors for an important 42-18 road victory. Last year’s game against Bacone in McKenzie had an hour-and-a-half delay due to lightning and storms. This year’s game was not suspended but got an extremely heavy dose of rain during the second and third quarters. Bethel ’s defense adjusted to the Warriors' early success and the offense racked up 505 total yards mainly on the one-two rushing tandem of Terrence Bell and Adrain Smith.

Bacone took the opening kickoff and marched 57 yards on eight plays before stalling on the Bethel 19. The Warrior’s Brandon Hawley booted a 36-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead. Bethel responded with an eight play 60-yard drive for a Bell touchdown. On the drive, Bell carried six times for 40 yards on the drive as he capped it off with a seven yard TD run. Bacone answered that with 71-yard, nine play drive that put the Warriors up 10-7. Bethel began their next drive with senior quarterback Ronnie Jankovich completing a 47-yard pass to Joevaris Carter. Bell finished off the 74-yard, six-play drive with his second touchdown of the afternoon from 14 yards out. Normandin added the PAT and Bethel led 14-10.

Carrying over from the first quarter, the Wildcats put together a 15-play, 86-yard drive ending as Smith powered it in from the 5 yard line. The PAT missed, but Bethel led 20-10 as the rains began to flood the field. With the storm causing water to collect on the artificial turf, the field became slippery and neither team was able to mount any type of offensive drive before the end of the half.

The Wildcats got off to a fast start as the third quarter began. On the second play Bell ran 36 yards to the Bacone 17 yard line. But, three plays and the ‘Cats picked up only 1 yard to the 16. They choose to go for it on fourth and 9, Jankovich couldn’t find an open receiver, broke two tackles and called his own number for a 5-yard gain but was short of the first down. The Wildcat’s Wade Vandergriff picked his first career pass on and returned it to the Warrior 15 yard line. Four plays later, Jankovich sneaked it in from the 1 for the TD. The Wildcats attempted a two-point conversion that failed but led 26-10. With the rains continuing to wreak havoc on the field and the players, it remained tough to establish anything offensively and as the third quarter came to a close.

The rains stopped and gave way sunshine and the artificial turf dried up quickly. The Warriors began to move the ball, but cornerback Donald Lightfoot picked off a pass in the end zone to put a stop to the Bacone threat. Then, Smith took the handoff at the Bethel 31 and after breaking four tackles, he got loose for a 69-yard TD run. The Wildcats went for two and Jankovich found tight end Buck Reed in the back of the end zone to give BC a 34-10 lead. Bacone got back on the scoreboard after driving 61 yards on four plays to tighten the score 34-18. Bell capped of the scoring in the game with an 11-yard TD run. Bethel again went for two to post the final score of the day and Bethel won 42-18.

Offensively, Terrence Bell had 184 yards on 25 carries and three touchdowns. Adrain Smith carried for 12 for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Ronnie Jankovich had 20 yards on five carries and one touchdown. Jankovich was 10-18 for 138 yards passing. Joevaris Carter had two grabs for 54 yards. Adrain Smith caught two for 30 yards and Rashad Daniels three for 20 yards.

Defensively, Brandon Looney had nine tackles with one and a half for loss and an interception. Markee Robinson had eight tackles including one for a loss. Donald Lightfoot had four tackles, one for loss and had two interceptions.

Bethel improves to 2-1 on the season as they enter a bye week. On Saturday, September 22 they travel to Jackson, Miss. to begin divisional conference play as they take on the Belhaven College Blazers. Belhaven is 0-2 on the season and will face Texas College at home during Bethel’s bye week.

BC NOTES: Huntingdon product Terrence Bell rushed 25 times for 184 yards and four TDs at Bacone while teammate Adrain Smith carried 12 times for 123 yards.

Their feat marked the ninth time since 2004 that two Bethel running backs cracked the century mark in the same game. Four other times, one back was inside of 10 yards or achieving that feat. This year, in the opener against Webber International, Bell needed only six yards to break 100 while teammate Smith had 204.

Here is a bit of history on the dual-century achievement: Nov. 13, 2004 Bethel defeated Virginia Wise 47-39. Smith had 22 carries for 24 and two TDs. Bell hand eight carries for 105 yards and two TDs.

In 2005: On Sept. 24 in a 29-14 victory over Union College (Ky.), Antonio Brown had 14 carries for 118 and Smith had 15-107 and a TD. On Oct. 2, in a 47-0 victory over Kentucky Wesleyan, Smith carried 22 times for 167 yards and two TDs while Bell had 14 for 151 and a pair of scores. On. Nov. 5 in a 61-13 victory over Cumberland, Smith carried 17 times for 210 and a touchdown while Bell had 19 totes for 160 yards and four TDs.

In 2006: On Sept. 9 in a 45-0 victory over Bacone, Bell was 15-158 and a TD, Smith 12-123 and three TDs. On Sept. 30 in a 51-21 win over Belhaven, Smith was 17-129 and two TDs, Bell had 9-100 and a touchdown. On Oct. 7 in a 49-21 dismantling of Georgetown, Bell carried 17 times for 14 and two TDs, Smith 20-110 and two TDs. On Nov. 4 in a 28-7 victory against Cumberland, Bell carried 19 times for 143 and a score while Smith had 18 carries for 123 yards and two TDs.

And last week, in a 42-18 victory at Bacone, Bell had 25 carries for 184 yards and three TDs while Smith had 12 carries for 123 yards and two TDs.