Norfolk St. narrowly beats Bethune-Cookman 27-24

Published Nov. 9, 2013 7:51 p.m. ET

foxsports

Lynden Trail scored a touchdown and forced a fumble as Norfolk State fought off a fourth quarter run by Bethune-Cookman and held on to a 27-24 victory on Saturday.

Trail caught a 2-yard pass from Tyler Clark with 11 minutes left to play in the second quarter for the Spartans (3-7, 3-3 Mid-Eastern Conference), giving them a 17-7 lead.

Bethune-Cookman (8-2, 5-1) began to move down the field. On the third play Trail forced a fumble and Natturner Harris returned it 31 yards for a Norfolk State touchdown.

The Wildcats trailed 27-7 at the start of the fourth quarter, but Nick Addison returned a Norfolk State fumble for a touchdown and sparked a 17-point scoring spree. Isidore Jackson's 11-yard TD run and a two-point conversion brought Bethune-Cookman within three.

The loss knocked the Wildcats out of sole possession of first place in the MEAC.