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DAYTONA BEACH — A game that started with a 28-7 first-quarter lead for Bethune-Cookman ended with Clark Atlanta’s entire roster storming onto the Daytona Stadium field.

Freshman kicker Leonardo Cabrera invoked the celebration, drilling a 55-yard field goal as time expired to stun the Wildcats 38-37 Saturday. The Division II Panthers (3-0-1) outscored Bethune-Cookman 24-3 in the second half.

“We just didn’t finish,” B-CU coach Raymond Woodie Jr. said. “We made too many mistakes, and that’s on us as coaches. We have to get corrected — penalties and different things like that.”

Clark Atlanta’s game-winning drive began at its own 1-yard line with 1:41 left in the fourth quarter. It took the Panthers eight plays and an unsportsmanlike penalty with 15 seconds left to get into Wildcats territory.

After a 6-yard pass and an incompletion, Cabrera trotted out for the kick with three seconds left.

Bethune-Cookman (0-4) led 37-28 entering the fourth quarter.

“At the end of the day, I kept telling the guys, ‘Those guys are not going to quit,’” Woodie Jr. said. “They had a lot of fight in them, and they finished. We can’t lighten up. We have to tighten up in those situations.”

Here are three takeaways:

Bethune-Cookman strikes first with Cam Ransom

For the first time this season, the Wildcats scored a touchdown on their opening drive.

QB Cam Ransom went 6-for-6 for 78 yards on the possession, finding Courtney Reese for a 29-yard touchdown.

Two minutes later, after Clark Atlanta fumbled the snap on a punt attempt and Bethune-Cookman recovered inside the 10, Ransom powered forward for a 7-yard score.

Before the end of the first quarter, Ransom put the Wildcats ahead 28-7. He launched a 70-yard touchdown pass to Darnell Deas and floated another one to Kobe Stewart for a 54-yard catch-and-run.

Ransom connected on his first 12 attempts. Overall, he completed 22 of his 31 passes for 382 yards and three touchdowns. He added 79 rushing yards on 11 carries.

“He did some good things and then some things we have to clean up upfront that allowed him to get hit a couple times,” Woodie Jr. said. “I do think he’s improving.”

How the comeback happened

After Bethune-Cookman jumped ahead 31-7 with 10:36 left in the second quarter, both teams tacked on points before halftime.

Armone Harris took a WR reverse and dumped a 5-yard pass to David Martin for Clark Atlanta’s second touchdown. As the first-half clock reached zero, Cade Hechter extended the Wildcats’ lead to 34-14 with a field goal.

Bethune-Cookman missed a great scoring opportunity midway through the period. Antwone Watts intercepted a Wright III pass at his own 12 and returned it 77 yards. But he fumbled while trying to evade the last player between him and the end zone, and the Panthers recovered.

In the second half, penalties, missed opportunities and long Panthers possessions killed the Wildcats.

On its two touchdown drives in the third quarter, Clark Atlanta trekked 98 and 99 yards. Both marches offered the same result: Wright III tosses to Harris.

The Wildcats pushed their lead back to two scores (37-28) with a 37-yard kick by Hechter in the final minute of the third. Those were their last points.

On its first possession of the fourth, Bethune-Cookman charged into enemy territory but turned it over on downs on fourth-and-8 when a Jostein Clark reception resulted in only 4 yards.

The Panthers took advantage immediately with a 62-yard scoring drive. Wright III threw another touchdown pass to Harris, this time for 7 yards. It cut their deficit to 37-35.

The Wildcats were penalized 12 times for 117 yards.

“That’s not the standard,” Woodie Jr. said. “We’re going to correct that immediately.”

Clark Atlanta’s game-winning drive

With two minutes left, Bethune-Cookman had the ball and a third-and-3. On a play that started at the Clark Atlanta 41, the Panthers’ blitz broke through and sacked Ransom for a loss of 14. Forced to punt, Anthony Frederique dropped a dime to the 1-yard line.

That’s where it began.

Clark Atlanta traversed 28 yards on its first two snaps. After two Wright III incompletions, a 5-yard rush brought up a fourth-and-5 from the 34. Jamal Jones snuck past the first-down marker for a 7-yard reception.

After two more incompletions, a Bethune-Cookman 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty by Johnny Harris III on third-and-10 moved the Panthers from their own 41 to the Wildcats’ 44 with 15 seconds left.

Wright III fired to David Martin for a 6-yard gain on first down. He rolled right and rifled an incompletion on second down. It stopped the clock with three seconds remaining.

Cabrera’s previous career long was 46 yards, but he nailed the 55-yarder for the win.

Wright III’s final line: 30 of 49, 374 yards and four touchdowns. Bethune-Cookman held Clark Atlanta to 72 yards on the ground.

Next up

The Wildcats will stay home next Saturday for their Southwestern Athletic Conference opener against Alabama State. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.

“We have to make corrections quickly,” Woodie Jr. said. “We have to get ready for Alabama State because they’re going to come in here ready.”