Former Georgia, Carver High tailback Isaiah Crowell starts strong, but leg cramps hamper him in debut with Alabama State as Hornets squander 21-point lead to Bethune-Cookman

ORLANDO, Fla. ­-- A lot of things needed to go in Alabama State's favor for the Hornets to win Sunday's MEAC-SWAC Challenge battle with Bethune-Cookman at the Citrus Bowl.

For much of the first half, the Hornets were clicking, but a 21-point lead evaporated in a rash of mistakes and a strong Bethune-Cookman rushing attack as the Wildcats rallied to take a convincing 38-28 victory over the Hornets in front of 17,410 fans and an ESPN audience in the black college season opening showcase.

It was hard to tell what was more disappointing, a defense that surrendered 272 yards in a 34-minute stretch that included all of the second half and the final four minutes of the first half or an offense that managed just two first downs and 37 total yards from that same stretch late in the first half until midway through the fourth quarter, when the outcome was already decided.

"I was disappointed in both," said Alabama State coach Reggie Barlow. "Defensively, the best player on their team was the quarterback at one point and no one was accounting for him. That's disappointing and certainly something we have to correct. We've got a good team. Our guys fought. The heat was tough on us, but, all in all I was proud of them. We've got a lot of work to do."

The Hornets had high expectations for their offense with the return of quarterback Greg Jenkins from an injury-filled 2011 and the addition of former Georgia tailback Isaiah Crowell (Carver High), who transferred to Alabama State after being dismissed by the Bulldogs in late June.

Both were at their best in the early moments of the game, and offensive coordinator Fred Kaiss effectively mixed up plays as a high-tempo offense marched 75 yards in 12 plays for a touchdown on the season's first possession, took a muffed Bethune-Cookman punt 20 yards for another score late in the first quarter and marched 72 yards in the second quarter for a stunning 21-0 lead over the favored Wildcats.

But the chinks in the armor were starting to show. Jenkins, chosen as the Hornets' most valuable player in the contest, wasn't crisp with most of his throws, a new offensive line that included true freshman guards Terease Chappell and Damian Love had trouble with the larger Wildcats, and Crowell left the field late in the first quarter with leg cramps and never looked the same the remainder of the game.

"It's obvious that (Crowell) gives us an opportunity to be really explosive in the running game," Barlow said. "And that opened up stuff in the passing game. When you have a weapon like that and he's not on the field, that's definitely going to slow you down a little offensively.

"We just have to get him in shape. We have to get him where he can stay in the game for consecutive plays. But he showed you on a couple of runs where he was able to get going that he's a good running back with great balance and great power. He's a good weapon for us."

Crowell finished with 39 yards on 15 carries but never was the same after gaining 20 yards on five carries in the first quarter. The leg cramps cost the sophomore his explosiveness and his elusiveness. He was smothered for a 5-yard loss on his first carry after returning in the second quarter.

From that moment, the Wildcats turned their attention to Jenkins.

"We were controlling the tempo at the beginning of the game," Jenkins said. "But they were controlling the tempo in the second half. It's hard when the offense was on the sideline a lot. They controlled the time of possession. When they do that, it's hard to stay in a rhythm."

Alabama State had an edge in time of possession (8:12-6:48) in the first quarter, but Bethune-Cookman had the ball for nearly 28 minutes of the final 45 minutes of the game. And the Hornets' offensive struggles were compounded when Bethune-Cookman starting quarterback Jackie Wilson was replaced on the Wildcats' final possession of the second quarter.

Brodrick Waters led the Wildcats to a field goal on that possession and touchdowns on three of the first four possessions of the second half as Bethune-Cookman turned a 21-7 deficit into a 31-21 lead.

"I felt that energy and that's what had me so confident and comfortable when I got in there," Waters said. "I knew that everyone, from the young guys on up, was ready. We weren't worried about who was on the other side of the ball, we were going to play Wildcat football.

"It wasn't a switch (that changed the momentum). I brought the same energy the starter, Jackie Wilson, brought. The offensive line started to calm down and we believed in the technique and relaxed and stayed in the moment. If we stay in the moment and play Wildcat football, it's amazing what can happen."

The Hornets, who ranked near the bottom of the conference in rushing defense last season, will open SWAC play next week at home against Mississippi Valley State in the same dilemma after giving up 367 rushing yards as Isidore Jackson (123), Rodney Scott (103) and Waters (100) all hit the century mark in rushing.

"We just lost our focus," said Hornet defensive end Jimmy Daniels, who led the team with nine tackles. "We came in at halftime and were all saying we had to play like we were down. (Wilson), I guess, wasn't reading (the defense) right. It seemed like changing quarterbacks helped them out a lot."

The Wildcats, who looked confused with an early passing attack, switched to a punishing rushing attack that attempted just eight passes in the second half.

"Once they brought in Waters, he was athletic and could run the ball and put us in a bind," Barlow said. "The first quarterback was a better thrower and he wasn't a threat to run it. Once they switched quarterbacks, there were like three options - the quarterback and the two running backs. Once they switched to that, it changed the momentum for them."

Waters, who transferred from Louisiana Tech and watched a quarterback battle between Wilson and former Florida "Mr. Football" Quentin Williams in August practice, was the obvious choice as the Wildcats' most valuable player after helping the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win for the sixth time in eight games in the showcase between the two conferences.

"I played quarterback up until I went to Louisiana Tech," Waters said. "I was recruited (to Louisiana Tech) as a 'Wildcat' quarterback because my last year in (Independence Community) College we ran the triple option. For other reasons, I decided to leave there and go to Bethune-Cookman. And I came here as a receiver."

This story was originally published September 2, 2012 at 8:11 PM with the headline "Former Georgia, Carver High tailback Isaiah Crowell starts strong, but leg cramps hamper him in debut with Alabama State as Hornets squander 21-point lead to Bethune-Cookman ."