ORLANDO — The only thing that could stop Bethune-Cookman on Saturday, it seems, was Mother Nature.
The Wildcats took a 21-7 lead over Florida A&M in the first half and looked to be on their way to a blowout victory in this year's Florida Classic, but torrential rain at the Citrus Bowl sent B-CU's offense sputtering for a bit.
It didn't last long as quarterback Quentin Williams had 304 total yards and four touchdowns to lead B-CU to a 35-14 win over FAMU for this year's Classic crown.
It was the Wildcats' most points in the game since 2008 and the largest margin of victory in the series since 2009.
Now the Wildcats (9-2, 7-1 MEAC) hope the Division I-AA playoff selection committee members are impressed after they earned a piece of the MEAC title along with North Carolina Central and North Carolina A&T.
Bethune-Cookman is trying secure an at-large bid and become one of 24 teams to qualify. The committee will reveal its decision today.
First-year coach Terry Sims said he believes his team deserves to be in the playoffs.
"We're one of the top 24 teams," Sims said. "It's that simple. We score points on offense and we stop teams on defense. We have mistakes that happen in a game, but we have a determined team that won't quit."
Early on, Sims' Wildcats looked very much like a playoff team.
Williams, formerly of Jefferson High, drove B-CU 54 yards on four plays during its first possession before finding the end zone on a 13-yard run. It was his third rushing touchdown of the season.
FAMU tried to answer with a 15-play, 69-yard drive, but Carson Royal's fade pass into the back of the end zone was intercepted by Marquis Drayton. It was his third interception of the season and the first of four turnovers forced by B-CU.
Florida A&M coach Alex Wood pointed to those miscues as part of the reason his team struggled to keep up.
"I thought we played hard and we played with good emotion, but we just made too many mental errors to put enough points on the board to win this game," Wood said.