DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., -- Junior running back Mike Mayhew was the bright spot in what otherwise was a very dim night for the North Carolina A&T football team.
Led by quarterback Matt Johnson, the 12th ranked Bethune-Cookman Wildcats rushed for 461 yards and compiled 621 yards of offense in a 67-17 win over the Aggies Thursday night at Municipal Stadium.
The game aired live on ESPNU. But the broadcast took an awkward twist when lightning struck a generator near the stadium, causing a complete blackout inside the stadium at the 3:37 mark of the first quarter. The blackout led to a near two-hour delay. The two teams didn't start play again until 9:52 p.m. Therefore, a game that started at 7:35 p.m., didn't end until 12:32 a.m.
N.C. A&T's offense appeared to benefit from the lengthy delay, but nothing could slow down the Wildcats' offensive attack. Before the lights went out, the Wildcats had already compiled more than 200 yards of offense and held a 20-0 lead.
Mayhew led the Aggies response. He had two 21-yard carries on a 4-play drive that ended with a 4-yard Ricky Lewis touchdown.
Bethune-Cookman continued to score, however. The Wildcats followed up the Aggies drive with an 11-play drive that an Androse Bell touchdown. An interception by B-CU linebacker Ryan Davis returned possession to the Wildcats as they took over at the Aggies 10-yard line.
Isidore Jackson gave the Wildcats their fifth score in as many possessions with a 1-yard touchdown that put B-CU in front 32-7.
"Our defense didn't come to play tonight,'' said N.C. A&T head coach Alonzo Lee. "Bethune has a very good offense, they move the ball well. We didn't give our offense enough opportunities with the ball, but they did some good things on the field."
Mayhew continues to do outstanding things on the field. His historic season continued on Thursday as he rushed for 211 yards on 31 carries. He is the first Aggie to rush for more than 200 yards in a game since Brandon Sweeney rushed for 205 yards on Oct. 8, 2005 against Morgan State at FedEx Field.
Mayhew's performance ranks as the eighth best rushing performance in school history. His 211-yard performance also put him over the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season. He joins James White, Milton Shaw, Maurice Smith, Maurice Hicks and Michael Ferguson as the only players in Aggies history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season.
The Aggies (1-8, 1-5) will try to regroup Saturday, Nov. 6 as they face Florida A&M at 1:30 p.m., from Aggie Stadium.
