Bethune-Cookman coach Brian  Jenkins was asked how to contain Florida A&M running back Phillip Sylvester.

“Hire someone to kidnap him the night before the game. The kid’s tremendous.”

Sylvester, the fourth-leading rusher in Rattlers’ history, came alive in the second half, leading Florida  A&M (8-3, 7-1 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) to a come from behind 38-27 victory over Bethune-Cookman (in the Florida Classic before 61,712 at the Citrus Bowl. The victory was the third straight for the Rattlers over the Wildcats, giving them a 48-15-1 lead in the series. Bethune-Cookman’s   last victory over Florida A&M came in 2007, 34-7.

The loss ended Bethune-Cookman’s bid for a perfect season and forced a three-way tie in the final MEAC standings for first place with Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M and South Carolina State sharing first place in the Mid-Eastern  Athletic  Conference. Bethune-Cookman by virtue of tiebreaker, will advance to the NCAA’s Football Championship Series subdivision playoffs, beginning next week. It will be the Wildcats’ first playoff appearance since a 33-24 loss to Florida Atlantic in 2003.

Playing in his final collegiate game, Sylvester, who was held to two yards on eight carries in the first half,  finished the game with 146 yards on 26 carries and three touchdowns. The senior  from Marianna, Florida finished his Florida A&M career with 2,998 yards; eight yards behind third all-time leading rusher Rashard Pompey’s 3,006 yards.

Trailing 27-14 at halftime, the Rattlers scored all 24 points of their points in the second half, taking the lead for good 31-27 with 2:29 remaining in the third quarter on Lavante Page’s one-yard run. Sylvester set up the touchdown with a 48-yard run to the  Bethune-Cookman 2.  Sylvester capped the scoring with his third touchdown, a 3-yard burst with 28 seconds remaining.

Florida A&M (7-4, 6-2) took the early lead on its final possession, 7-0, as Sylvester scored on a nine-yard run, following quarterback Austin Trainer’s 47-yard completion to Kevin Elliott on the Rattlers’ first offensive play. Trainor finished with 19 of 38 for 261 yards and one touchdown.

 Bethune-Cookman got on the board with 4:56 remaining in the first quarter, as Johnathan Moment ran it in from a yard out capping an eight-play 69 yard drive. Kevin Kowalski missed the extra point, leaving the Rattlers with a 7-6 lead.

On their next possession, the Rattlers went 60 yards in eight plays as Trainer hit Antonio Lawrence from 10 yards out to give Florida A&M a 14-6 lead. The 14 points in the first quarter was just five fewer than the Wildcats had allowed in the first quarter all season. Bethune-Cookman came right back, going 86 yards in nine plays, with Androse Bell going in from a yard out.

After giving up  159 yards of total offense in the first quarter, the Wildcats’ defense, allowed just 49 in the second quarter as Bethune-Cookman scored all 21 second-quarter points. Running back Isidore Jackson scored on a two-yard run, capping a 10-play, 66-yard drive to give the Wildcats their first lead, 19-14 . Kowalski, who had missed his previous two extra-point attempts, was good on this one. Johnson, who completed 11-of-16 for 209 yards and a touchdown, ended the first-half scoring with his first touchdown pass, a 35-yard strike to Eddie Poole. Poole led the Wildcats with six receptions, for 112 yards and a touchdown.