Halloween Horror: Wildcats Embarrassed in Pine Bluff 63-21

/ J Bell / 1 Comment
Credits: UAPB Athletics

I normally wait until Sunday evening to write my article, just to be sure I’ve had a chance to fully digest the gameday experience. But I can’t wait that long tonight. I need to get this out of my system on this Halloween Evening so here goes…

Who were those ghosts and goblins dressed in Bethune-Cookman uniforms on Saturday afternoon?

Seriously, I know it was Halloween, but ain’t no way that was the same team that beat Alabama State in early October.

I kept waiting for the Wildcats to show up. I kept waiting for somebody to make a play, find some fight, or give us some indication that the team we watched take down Jackson State just a week ago was still in there somewhere.

But they never came.

Instead, we watched a Bethune team that looked completely unrecognizable. The energy wasn’t there. The execution wasn’t there. The fight certainly wasn’t there. Whatever confidence and momentum the Wildcats carried out of their October victories seemed to disappear somewhere between Daytona Beach and Pine Bluff.

This was a full blown Halloween horror show as Arkansas-Pine Bluff handed the Wildcats a humiliating 63-21 defeat, and the nightmare began almost as soon as the game kicked off.

Jaylen Jennings took the first snap from scrimmage 87 yards to give UAPB a 7-0 lead.

Eight seconds later, freshman quarterback Joel Morris took the field getting the start in place of the injured Tyler Jefferson. Morris threw an interception on BCU’s first offensive play.

Pine Bluff converted that turnover into a touchdown in 2 plays covering 22 yards in 22 seconds; 14-0.

On BCU’s next offensive drive, they ran the ball on first down, followed by another Morris interception which was returned for a touchdown on second down. Pine Bluff 21, BCU 0 less than 2 minutes into the game.

You heard that right. 21-0 in under 2 minutes.

The comedy of errors continued in the first half with Pine Bluff scoring 14 more points off of two more BCU interceptions. They added a 6th score to take a 42-0 lead into halftime.

Embarrassing!

By night’s end, UAPB racked up 333 yards rushing and 451 yards of offense.

Meanwhile BCU was held under their season average rushing for 166 yards. They also failed to reach the 200 yard passing mark and have yet to throw for 200 yards in any game this season.

At some point, we have to stop treating these performances like isolated incidents.

To put it bluntly, the road struggles under Raymond Woodie are becoming impossible to ignore. Heck, they are becoming worrisome.

Bethune is now 2-11 in SWAC road games during the Woodie era. Across those 13 games, BCU has been outscored 420–256. The only road victories have come against Mississippi Valley State, which the Wildcats defeated in both 2024 and 2026.

That’s not a small sample size anymore. That’s a pattern. A troubling pattern because you can’t play all your games at home.

What is happening with this program on the road? And why does this team struggle so mightily to carry its success from one week into the next? Are there systematic issues that need to be addressed beyond the usual conversations about fundamentals and attention to detail?

These are legitimate questions, and Saturday only added fuel to them.

The Identity Crisis Continues

Wildcat supporters throughout this season have repeatedly stated they simply don’t know which team is going to show up.

And here we are, nine games into the season, still having the same conversation.

Think about the emotional roller coaster in October alone; BCU has had two signature wins at home against ASU and JSU as mentioned earlier; but they have also had two blowout road losses over these last four weeks against AAMU and now UAPB.

Here is the hard truth, we know exactly who the Wildcats are. They are a 5-4 team sitting one game above .500. They are good enough to beat anyone, but also vulnerable enough to lose to anyone.

That’s not criticism. It’s what the results tell us 3/4ths of the way through the season.

The Clock Is Still Ticking

For all the disappointment, the season isn’t over.

BCU still has three games remaining against three HBCU Bluebloods (Southern, Grambling, Florida A&M). The Wildcats need to win two of those games to secure its first winning season since 2019.

If the Wildcats win all three, they would end the year 8-4 with wins over ASU, JSU, Southern, Grambling, and FAMU.

That would be a pretty impressive year. But you can’t win three if you don’t win the first one.

The first one just so happens to be on the road to face Southern in Baton Rouge. And if Saturday wasn’t frightening enough, Southern just delivered a statement of its own by blowing the doors off Florida A&M 42-14.

The Jaguars appear to be finding their stride at exactly the wrong time for the Wildcats.

Halloween is over. And so is the margin for error if the Wildcats want to change the narrative surrounding this program.

Saturday was ugly. There’s no dressing it up, and no pretending it didn’t happen.

The questions aren’t going away. The only way to quiet them is to answer them on the field.

Put Pine Bluff behind you. Regroup. Refocus. Get back to work. Finish strong.

November is waiting.

We Got The Finish – Wildcats Take Down Jackson State 24-21 in Battle for 1st Place

/ J Bell / Leave a comment

Heading into the 2026 football season, there was a popular thought circulating around HBCU football circles. That thought was Bethune-Cookman might have a little something to say about who wins the SWAC East.

The thinking was that the Wildcats could play spoiler to one of the division’s preseason favorites, Alabama State or Jackson State.

Well, the Wildcats handled Alabama State in early October. And there they stood Saturday afternoon in Daytona Beach, trailing defending SWAC East champion Jackson State 21-17, facing 3rd-and-11 from the Tigers’ 19-yardline with under a minute remaining.

Quarterback Tyler Jefferson took the snap and looked left. First read wasn’t there. He stepped up in the pocket. Nothing. Jefferson scrambled right, buying just enough time to spot Rickie Shaw working his way across the field.

Shaw found a sliver of daylight in the right corner of the end zone.

TOUCHDOWN WILDCATS!

Bethune-Cookman 24. Jackson State 21.

Forty seconds remaining.

Pandemonium swept through the stadium as Shaw celebrated with his Kappa Alpha Psi shimmy!

Rickie Shaw Game Winning 19 YD TD

But for a few of us, there was no pandemonium. Not yet.

We’ve been here before.

You know, this close to a win only to watch it slip through your fingers in the most agonizing fashion.

So while the stadium erupted, a few of us suspended our excitement and began an almost ritualistic chant:

“WE GOT TO FINISH! WE GOT TO FINISH!”

Heck, Athletic Director Reggie Theus was standing in that same end zone where Shaw had just scored. Amid the celebration, he looked me squarely in the eyes and said the exact same thing.

“We got to finish.”

Jackson State took the ensuing possession and marched into field goal range with six ticks remaining.

Here we go again.

But something funny happened.

The winds that had seemingly calmed down from the earlier downpour picked up almost on cue, blowing toward the left of the uprights.

Good snap.

Good hold.

Good contact.

But Andrew Ivaniciuc’s 49-yard attempt sailed left as time expired.

WILDCATS WIN!

What an ending.

What. A. Game.

And just like that, Bethune had knocked off the defending SWAC East champions, 24-21, and moved into a tie for first place in the division.

The Wildcats found a way to finish.

Was it a perfect game? Absolutely not. But that’s kinda what’s encouraging about this win. BCU left plenty opportunities on the field. But they were able to overcome their own mistakes, and STILL take down the Tigers. That says an awful lot about where Coach Raymond Woodie has this program right now.

The question now is was Saturday simply a big win, or was it an announcement?

You know, the kind of victory that shifts not just the momentum of a season, but the trajectory of a program.

DEFENSE, DEFENSE, AND MORE DEFENSE

As dramatic as Jefferson’s game winning touchdown pass was, the real story Saturday was Bethune’s suffocating defense.

The Wildcats slowed down Jackson State’s vaunted rushing attack and controlled their offense as a whole.

Consider these numbers from BCU’s defense

  • held JSU to 33 rushing yards on 36 attempts.
  • 13-of-28 passing, under 50 percent.
  • 10 tackles for loss.
  • 4 sacks.
  • 1 forced fumble.

Pure dominance.

Stephen Sparrow was everywhere, collecting 11 tackles, a sack, and two tackles for loss.

Isaiah Washburn wasn’t far behind, recording seven tackles, a sack, and three tackles for loss.

The Wildcats pressured, pressured, and pressured the Tigers bringing 5 or 6 defenders on seemingly 90% of the snaps.

Offensively, Jefferson once again showed why his emergence has been one of the more intriguing developments of this season.

A week after providing the spark against Mississippi Valley State, Jefferson delivered three touchdown passes against Jackson State.

A 21-yarder to Josh Evans.

A 33-yarder to Rashon Brown.

And, of course, the 19-yard game winner to Rickie Shaw.

Jefferson hasn’t solved every issue with Bethune’s passing game. But he’s demonstrating a knack for making big plays when the Wildcats need them most. Plus he is a huge asset in the running game.

A LITTLE HISTORY LESSON

Here’s something you probably wouldn’t know unless you’re a football nerd like me.

Before BCU entered the SWAC, the Wildcats actually held a slightly better all-time historical winning percentage than Jackson State.

Heading into the 2020 season, the historical records looked like this:

Think about that for a moment.

For all the deserved attention JSU has has received throughout the years, Bethune-Cookman has its own rich football tradition.

But since joining the SWAC, the programs have traveled vastly different roads.

JSU has been one of the conference’s standard bearers, collecting SWAC championships and national attention.

Meanwhile, BCU has been fighting to rediscover the winning tradition that once made the Wildcats one of the most respected programs in HBCU football.

And that’s why Saturday mattered.

Not simply because Bethune beat Jackson State.

But because Jackson State represents the level BCU is trying to get back to.

The question surrounding this program has been whether the Wildcats could once again compete consistently with the SWAC’s best.

Well, on Saturday, they didn’t just compete. They won.

NOW COMES THE FUN PART

Let’s see how the Wildcats handle success.

But something about this victory and their recent play tells me they will.

Maybe it’s the way the defense has developed into one of the conference’s most disruptive units.

Maybe it’s Jefferson’s emergence.

Or perhaps it’s the growing confidence of a team that is beginning to believe it belongs in the championship conversation.

Will this be the catalyst that returns the Wildcats to the ranks of year in and year out contenders?

We don’t know that yet.

But we do know this: The Wildcats are contenders RIGHT NOW.

THE PATH FORWARD

The most straightforward path to the SWAC East crown is simple enough.

Win out and hope Alabama A&M drops a game.

If that happens, Bethune wins the East.

There are other potential scenarios, but with several weeks of football remaining, it’s far too early to start untangling every possible tiebreaker.

The Wildcats have more immediate concerns.

Get healthy.

Stay focused.

And take care of business against Arkansas-Pine Bluff this weekend.

Saturday was a huge win. Perhaps the biggest of the Raymond Woodie era.

But if this team wants to turn a signature victory into a championship season, it has to embrace the very words that echoed through the stadium during those final 40 seconds.

WE GOT TO FINISH.

Gameday Photos Against JSU

BIG Bounce Back! Bethune-Cookman Takes Down Valley 34–14

/ J Bell / Leave a comment

Credits: BCU Athletics

You know what’s great about college football? EVERYTHING.

It’s the greatest sport on earth. And part of what makes it so amazing is its unpredictability.

I mean, look at the chaos surrounding the Wacky SWAC over the past two weeks. Or consider the madness in the AP Top 10, where five of the nation’s top seven teams fell yesterday.

Then there are our Wildcats, whom many were ready to write off following last week’s hurricane drenched contest.

But in the immortal words of Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend!”

Bethune-Cookman answered the bell Saturday with a BIG bounce-back win in the Delta, taking down Mississippi Valley State 34–14.

I know. There will be a bunch of folks who dismiss this as merely a game BCU was supposed to win.

But remember, Valley entered Saturday as one of the hottest teams in the conference, fresh off back-to-back victories over reigning SWAC champion Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern. There were plenty of the self-proclaimed, social media prognosticators who even picked the Wildcats to fall.

Instead, Bethune delivered a businesslike performance, controlling the contest from start to finish.

Defense Sets the Tone

First, BCU’s defense was absolutely lights out.

Outside of a handful of plays where you simply tip your cap to quarterback Josh Brown and the Valley offense, the Wildcats smothered the Delta Devils’ rushing attack and extinguished their aerial assault.

By day’s end, BCU had forced 4 turnovers, registered 6 sacks and 11 tackles for loss, and held Valley to just 14 points.

No one had a bigger hand in that than Jaden Davis.

The redshirt junior safety out of Tampa’s Plant High School had an afternoon he will one day tell his grandkids about.

Three interceptions. A scoop and score fumble return touchdown. Nine tackles. A sack. And a tackle for loss.

Yeah, take a bow young king!

But this was hardly a one man show.

Keyontae Byas tied a NCAA record with 9 pass breakups. Joseph Evans added two sacks and three tackles for loss, Steven Sparrow and Isaiah Washburn also got into the backfield for sacks and tackles for loss.

Just a tremendous afternoon for the Wildcat defense.

Jefferson Answers the Call

On the offensive side, you have to give a HUGE shout out to quarterback Tyler Jefferson for his performance in relief of the injured Amari Jones.

Jones moved the football effectively during the opening possessions but appeared to reaggravate the ankle injury that has sidelined him for much of the season.

Enter Jefferson.

The sophomore quarterback stepped in and delivered exactly what the Wildcats needed. He finished the afternoon responsible for four touchdowns; two rushing and two passing.

Both touchdown passes went to Rickie Shaw II, and both covered 23 yards.

Jefferson didn’t need to be Superman. He simply took advantage of the opportunities in front of him, made the right plays, delivered the ball on time, and helped the Wildcats put Valley away.

And considering the criticism and struggles surrounding BCU’s quarterback play this season, you have to be happy for Jefferson.

Great job, TJ. Here’s hoping for more of the same in the weeks ahead.

Right Back in the Hunt

Speaking of the weeks ahead, here’s where things get interesting.

BCU finds itself tied atop the SWAC East standings, with Jackson State preparing to come to town.

And in a league as unpredictable as the Wacky SWAC, that’s exactly where you want to be.

I’m not sure what the social media experts will predict about the JSU game.

What I do suspect is that when Bethune plays the kind of football we witnessed Saturday… opportunistic on defense, timely offensive execution, and disciplined, complementary football, the Wildcats can compete with and beat anybody in this conference.

Last week, we asked, “What’s next for BCU?”

We got that answer: a Big Bounce Back!

Now let’s keep it going!

Hail Wildcats!

From Statement Win to Statement Loss: What’s Next After 55-17 AAMU Loss

/ J Bell / Leave a comment

There are losses, there are bad losses, and then there are humiliating losses.

Bethune-Cookman’s latest trip to Huntsville, Alabama, falls squarely into that last category.

Just a week after celebrating a signature victory over preseason SWAC favorite Alabama State, the Wildcats suffered an embarrassing 55-17 loss to Alabama A&M.

But as ugly as Saturday was, perspective matters.

One game does not define a season. And one miserable afternoon in Huntsville does not mean BCU’s goals for the season are out of reach.

What it does mean is that the Wildcats have zero room for error moving forward.

How a Competitive Game Became One-Sided

The anatomy of a blowout is rarely as simple as one team being significantly better than the other. Usually it’s a series of untimely mistakes that allow the game to get away from you.

That’s precisely what happened in Huntsville.

Despite struggling offensively and with the impact of Hurricane Isaias, BCU entered halftime trailing by just one score at 17-10. The Wildcats were hardly playing their best football, but they were very much in the contest and set to receive the opening kickoff of the second half.

It was an opportunity to regroup, establish their identity, and potentially tie the game early in the 3rd quarter.

Instead, the wheels fell off.

Cookman went three and out to open the half.

A&M responded immediately with a Cornelious Brown to Jarel Williams 60 yard touchdown pass, extending the Bulldogs’ advantage to 24-10.

On the ensuing kickoff, Isaiah Daniel fumbled the return, giving A&M possession deep in Wildcat territory.

The Bulldogs converted that mistake into a field goal, 27-10.

Tyler Jefferson threw an interception on the very next possession setting up another Alabama A&M touchdown.

In less than eight minutes, a seven-point halftime deficit had ballooned into a 34-10 disaster.

Offensive failure. 👎

Defensive failure. 👎

Special Teams failue. 👎

Game. Set. Match.

That is how blowouts happen.

I don’t want to say they quit but… let’s just say once they fell behind in those awful weather conditions, and with their anemic passing attack, getting out of “The Rocket City” quickly seemed to be the greater priority.

Ironically, the last time a BCU team seemingly quit before the final whistle came against this same Alabama A&M program in Huntsville two years ago, when BCU was dealing with the disruption caused by Hurricane Milton.

Saturday’s storm force the game to be moved ahead 6 hours from a 7pm start to a 1pm start.

But the Wildcats didn’t lose because of the weather or the game’s start time.

The Bulldogs were the better team on Saturday.

BCU was way too one dimensional offensively. And they made too many mistakes.

The Passing Game Can No Longer Be Ignored

It’s impossible to ignore the role the lack of a passing game played in Cookman losing the game and failing to mount anything close to a comeback.

The Wildcat offense managed just 26 passing yards on 12 possessions on Saturday.

It’s hard to quantify just how poor that is. You simply can’t win Division I Football games with that type of performance.

And especially when you add 4 turnovers to the mix.

The bigger issue is the passing attack has been alarmingly ineffective all season, averaging just 96 yards per game.

So you can’t just blame the weather for what we saw on Saturday; and Head Coach Raymond Woodie can no longer ignore this issue.

Surely the rest of the SWAC will setup their defenses to take away the run and force BCU to pass the ball over the last six games.

Quarterback Tyler Jefferson and the Wildcats’ passing offense has to find some productivity through the air.

That doesn’t necessarily mean throwing the football 30 times per game or abandoning the team’s run-first identity.

It does mean completing manageable throws and making opponents respect the possibility of a successful forward pass.

Righting the Ship Begins With Accountability

If Jefferson can’t get it done, Coach Woodie will have to give someone else a chance or else he risks losing the locker room.

That demands an honest evaluation from everyone associated with the program.

If that doesn’t happened, this season can unravel as quickly as Saturday’s game did.

Beware of the Devils

Mississippi Valley State use to be everyone’s get right game. But if you haven’t been paying attention, this ain’t your daddy’s Devils.

Valley has won consecutive conference games, defeating reigning SWAC Champs Prairie View A&M 28-27 two weeks ago before staging a remarkable fourth quarter comeback to stun Texas Southern 38-34 in Houston this past Saturday.

Against TXSO, Valley scored 24 fourth quarter points, including the winning touchdown with just 42 seconds remaining.

The Wildcats travel to Itta Bena on Saturday for a game that suddenly carries enormous significance and raises some questions.

A victory would restore some confidence, stabilize the season, and keep BCU firmly engaged in the SWAC East race.

Another loss and…well let’s not think about that!

Welcome to the Wacky, Chaotic SWAC

Fortunately for the Wildcats, they’re not the only team trying to make sense of this increasingly unpredictable conference.

There is chaos everywhere.

Florida A&M upset Alabama State in Montgomery on homecoming…again.

Grambling State upset Jackson State…again.

Prairie View got upset by Southern in Texas…again.

Valley upset someone…again.

AAMU didn’t upset BCU but they did run the Wildcats out of Huntsville…again.

The SWAC has become a weekly exercise in unpredictability.

Luckily for our Wildcats, that chaos presents opportunity.

Everything Is Still in Front of the Wildcats

At 3-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play, Bethune has plenty of football remaining and everything to play for.

The trick now is to not let one loss become two because you have no more room for error.

The road back begins Saturday in Itta Bena.

Let’s Go Wildcats!!!

Brown Runs Wild as Wildcats Take Down Preseason Favorite Alabama State 16-10

/ J Bell / Leave a comment

Rashon Brown’s historic 260-yard performance powers Bethune-Cookman to a statement victory in its SWAC opener.

Credits: BCU Athletics

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Alabama State arrived in Daytona Beach carrying lofty preseason expectations. But a late summer Florida monsoon and a historic 260 yard rushing performance by Rashon Brown doused the Hornets in Daytona Stadium.

On the other sideline, BCU was searching for a breakthrough win under head coach Raymond Woodie Jr. They got just that when they beat a team expected to contend for the championship through the strength of a dominant ground game and a great defensive effort.

Brown supplied the headline rushing for 260 yards, which is the third-highest rushing game in BCU history.

The redshirt freshman from Pahokee averaged 8.4 yards per attempt and scored the Wildcats’ only touchdown. His afternoon included explosive runs of 39, 41 and 47 yards.

Bama State knew where the ball was going. But knowing it and stopping it proved to be two different assignments.

All Hail to RJ Brown for his standout performance.

Credit also belongs up front. The Wildcats’ offensive line created opportunities for Brown, he capitalized.

Saturday’s performance reinforced an identity that is becoming difficult to ignore. Bethune leads the conference in rushing offense at 246 yards per game and has scored 15 rushing touchdowns. The Wildcats also lead the SWAC in defensive efficiency.

That combination gives BCU a foundation for winning.

But the numbers also reveal what must improve.

The Wildcats sit at the bottom of the conference in passing offense, averaging just 110 yards per contest. Against the Hornets, Tyler Jefferson finished with just 51 passing yards and an interception.

As one respected coach observed, “Bethune-Cookman is playing winning football with a great running game and great defense. But to play championship football, the Wildcats must find a way to get some production through the air”.

That assessment captures both the promise and the challenge ahead. The Wildcats have established something special in the run game but will need more offensive balance in order to sustain and finish possessions.

In the ASU game, those unfinished possessions helped keep the outcome in doubt when Cookman dominated most of the contest.

It led to an all too familiar scene for the Wildcats. The part that has too often turned promising afternoons into frustrating finishes.

After stretching the lead to 16-3 in the 4th quarter, ASU’s Nehemiah Hixon returned the ensuing BCU kickoff 65 yards, setting up a touchdown that trimmed the lead to six. For some of us, there was a split second of “here we go again”.

But…

Ms. Mary’s Divine Intervention on Founder’s Day

While there was the momentary temptation of doubt for some, others who have been around BCU Football for sometime felt that “thing” we have felt before. You see many Wildcats firmly believe that Ms. Mary McLeod Bethune shines down on her “black roses” as she called them from time to time. In other words, strange, and almost supernatural things happen at times leading you to believe that a higher power sometimes favor “The Church School on Da Beach”🏝️.

Case in point, with 2:22 left in the contest and trailing by 6, ASU faced a 4th and 1 from the BCU 19 yardline. But a botched center to quarterback snap led to a fumble and BCU recover.

Coincidence? Hmm… maybe…but how about this!

The Hornets got one last shot to steal a win with 31 seconds remaining and 81 yards away from the endzone. But again, the ball slipped out of quarterback Aaron Frye’s hand on 1st down leading to a BCU fumble recover.

Perhaps both of these end of game turnovers were just football plays that went wrong.

Perhaps they happened due to the soggy weather conditions. Or the inexperience of ASU’s freshman quarterback.

Or just perhaps it was Ms. Mary shining down on the 122nd Founder’s Day of Bethune-Cookman.

I suppose we will never really know.

What we do know is that this time, the Wildcats held on and finished! And that Raymond Woodie got his first signature win.

Now let’s see if we can stack a few of these wins on top of one another.

Alabama A&M, you’re on the clock!

Alabama State Insider, BZNUPE, Answers 5 Questions about the ASU/BCU Matchup

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Alabama State Insider, BZNUPE, answers 5 questions about Saturday’s Bama State/BCU matchup.

1. With Andrew Body dealing with a wrist injury and true freshman Aaron Frye stepping into the starting role, how much does the quarterback change alter Alabama State’s offense; and how confident are Hornet fans in Frye?

BZNUPE: Body being hurt is a huge blow for the program. He is our leader and the best player on our team. The good thing about Frye coming to school in January is that he went through spring practice as the main QB because we were dealing with injuries to Body and Te’Sean Smoot. Add in a new OC, Tony Hull, and it’s a difficult situation. I will say that one benefit is that Hull and Frye have been working together since the spring, and that helps tremendously.

I’ve watched “Hot Frye” for the past two years and have been at most of his high school games because of where I work. He is a baller, has played high-level football, and won a ’ship as the best player. In his 10th-grade year, he stepped in for four or five games, did well, and won a ’ship that year as well. “Hot Frye” or “In Frye We Trust” is what we like to call him. I think we will be okay both long term and at the moment with our freshman quarterback.

2. Alabama State scored 41 points against Mississippi Valley State, but the offense produced only 258 total yards. Did that performance expose legitimate offensive concerns, or was it simply a case of the Hornets capitalizing on turnovers and special teams?

BZNUPE: Each game brings new challenges, and running the offense with a new QB is a huge challenge. We did a good job of keeping the QB upright and calling plays that allowed him to get some solid throws in. We had some big drops, but those can also be attributed to timing with the new QB. We did capitalize on mistakes, and that’s what football is about in some games. Forty-one points is 41 points.

3. Beyond the quarterback position, which Alabama State players should Bethune-Cookman fans keep an eye on Saturday; and who could be the difference-maker on each side of the ball?

BZNUPE: Ta-shaun Sims sets our tone defensively, and Nehemiah Hixon will always give us great field position as a return man. He will also score a TD if you’re not careful.

4. When you examine Bethune-Cookman, what concerns you most about this matchup; and where do you believe Alabama State has its clearest advantage?

BZNUPE: What scares me the most is the defense. I think, offensively, we are both dealing with possible unknowns at QB. Your defense, with Washburn and the crew, can make it tough for my freshman QB, especially on the road.

5. What must Alabama State do to win in Daytona Beach, and what is your final score prediction?

BZNUPE: To win, ASU must take care of the football, limit mistakes, and not allow “Mary’s Kids” to speed our QB up. Also, we have to shore up our coverages in the secondary and make sure we keep everything in front of us. The run game must travel and will help take the pressure off Hot Frye.

My prediction ASU 28, BCU 21.

Close, But Not Quite: Wildcats Fall to South Carolina State, 31-21

/ J Bell / Leave a comment

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — There’s just something about the Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State matchup that delivers.

Different conferences now. Different coaches. Different players. Different expectations.

Same kind of football game we have come to expect between these two since forever.

SC State walked out of Daytona Stadium with a hard fought 31-21 victory, improving to 5-0 on the year.

But the final score doesn’t quite tell the full story.

For BCU, Saturday night felt like another reminder that the Wildcats are getting closer.

They just aren’t quite there yet.

TWO VERY DIFFERENT HALVES

For the first 30 minutes, SC State looked every bit like one of the better teams in FCS football.

The Bulldogs entered the game undefeated and ranked No. 16 in the Stats Perform poll, and they spent much of the first half showing why.

SCSU opened the scoring on a four-yard Josh Shaw touchdown run before B-CU quarterback Tyler Jefferson answered almost immediately, breaking loose for a 63-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7.

Then the Bulldogs took control.

Keely Watson connected with Troy Hillman for an 18-yard touchdown and later found Darius Thompson for a 32-yard score. Jett Jackson’s 34-yard field goal sent B-CU into the locker room staring at a 24-7 deficit.

That could have been it against the top team in HBCU Football.

It wasn’t.

Whatever was said in the Wildcats’ locker room at halftime worked.

Cookman came out looking like a completely different football team in the second half.

The Wildcats put together consecutive touchdown drives in the third quarter, with Rashon Brown and Josh Evans finding the end zone. Suddenly, a game that appeared headed toward another comfortable South Carolina State victory had become a one-possession game.

24-21.

The Wildcat offense got two cracks at taking the lead in the 4th quarter but could only muster a 3 play, 8 yard drive and a 5 play, 7 yard drive.

That is where Saturday night’s game, and perhaps where B-CU is as a program right now.

CLOSE ISN’T QUITE THERE

The Wildcats had climbed all the way back.

Now they needed to finish.

But tSCSU wouldn’t let them.

The Bulldogs showed the difference between a team trying to get there and a program that already knows how to finish games.

The Bulldogs sealed the game on an 11 play, 85 yard drive.

There was no panic.

No need for anything spectacular.

Just a physical, methodical, championship-style drive that ate away the fourth-quarter clock and eventually ended with Shaw powering in from one yard out on 4th down.

31-21.

Ballgame.

THE GAP IS CLOSING

There are no moral victories in HBCU football.

Bethune didn’t come into Saturday night looking to prove it could hang around with the Bulldogs. The Wildcats wanted to beat them.

They had their chances but didn’t.

It was the type of performance that leaves you suspended between encouraged and frustrated. Ultimately, “we’re close” has to become “we’re there.”

NOW THE GAMES REALLY COUNT

Perhaps the most important thing for the Wildcats is that Saturday’s loss doesn’t change what lies directly ahead.

The nonconference schedule is over.

B-CU enters SWAC play at 2-2 and hosts Alabama State next Saturday.

The Wildcats have shown flashes through four games.

They’ve shown they can run the football.

They’ve shown they can be explosive.

And Saturday night, after getting punched in the mouth by one of the better teams in FCS football, they showed they can respond.

Now comes the next step…finish.

The Phone Hasn’t Rung: Remembering Brad Gillens -SCSUDog4Life- During SCSU Week

/ J Bell / 3 Comments

In Memory of Brad Gillens – SCSUDog4Life

The best thing about Saturdays in the Fall aren’t the rivalries on the football field, bands in the stands, or bragging rights won. Those are all awesome. But what makes Fall Saturdays truly special are the people we share those moments with.

For over 16 years, the Bethune-Cookman/South Carolina State game has held a very special space in my heart. Not only because it usually guarantees a great game of football on the field with BCU winning 6 and losing 7 since 2010.

For me, it also guaranteed one other thing:

My phone was going to ring.

But it hasn’t rung this week.

And I know it’s not going to.

This will be the first BCU/SCSU matchup I’ve experienced without my colleague, fellow HBCU football aficionado and diehard Bulldog, Brad Gillens, better known throughout the old MEACFans community as SCSUDog4Life.

Brad wasn’t merely a passionate South Carolina State fan. He was my brother.

Calling him simply a writer or contributor to HailWildcats.com doesn’t tell the full story. Brad helped shape this thing. He helped expand our network and build relationships. Long before HBCU sports coverage became as popular and accessible as it is today, we were part of a small community who talked about, wrote about, debated about and sought to preserve the amazing history of HBCU football and shine a spotlight on our favorite teams.

Sometime during South Carolina State week, the phone would ring. Then the trash talking would start. Our wives would have to endure hours of us reliving this matchup as if either one of us were getting ready to strap up the shoulder pads and play on Saturday.

I would inevitably remind Brad about the 2006 Jarod Rucker 5 touchdown game in which BCU scored 45 unanswered points after trailing 21-0 to get the win in Charleston.

He would remind me of 2014 when Javon Hargrave racked up 6 sacks and 6 tackles for loss in a 20-14 Bulldog win.

I would talk about 2010 when BCU marched into Oliver C. Dawson Stadium undefeated and faced a South Carolina State team sitting at No. 10 in the country. The Bulldogs had won 21 straight games and 13 straight at home at that point.

The Wildcats walked out with a 14-0 victory.

He wouldn’t let me enjoy it for long and would quickly point out that the very next season in Daytona, SCSU turned the tables. Late in that game, senior defensive back Dominique Ellis picked off a Wildcat pass and took it 55 yards to the house, sealing the game for the Bulldogs.

That’s what we did:

BCU story.

SC State story.

Wildcat win.

Bulldog comeback.

One memory led to another until a phone call about Saturday’s game became a three-hour history lesson about the beauty of this matchup and Black College Football as a whole.

After the game, win or lose, he would swing by the tailgate to get his own freshly made batch of my grandma’s broccoli cornbread. You heard that right, skillet cornbread with broccoli and cheese baked into it.

It’s delightful!

That’s what this rivalry became for us. The football gave us an excuse to argue, but underneath the trash talk was almost two decades of friendship, family, memories and a shared love for HBCU sports.

Honestly, I knew this week would be hard with him gone so I booked a cruise to get away.

But you can’t cruise away from memories.

And here I am. Just stepping off the cruise ship just a few days from game day, but the phone still hasn’t rung.

There are moments after losing someone when your mind understands something that it also won’t completely accept. You know the call isn’t coming, but some part of you still waits for one more conversation, one more joke, one more argument about a football game.

That’s the part nobody prepares you for. You don’t just miss the person; you miss the routines that belonged to them…the hangouts, the jokes, the stories you’ve told 100 times but still enjoy telling.

On Saturday, another chapter will be added to a series Brad and I spent years debating. But this one will be different for me.

Thankfully, our friendship grew beyond football a long time ago. My family became his family, and his family became mine.

So while the phone won’t ring this week with SCSUDog4Life on the other end, there will be a phone call Sunday morning.

If the good guys win, Brad’s wife is going to hear about it.

And if the Bulldogs win?

I already know what’s coming.

She’s going to give me just as hard of a time as he would have.

And I’ll take it.

Because if you knew Brad, you know that’s exactly the way he would want it.

So Rest easy, SCSUDog4Life, but just so we’re clear…

Hail Bulldogs?…HELL NO! 👎

It’s always HailWildcats! 👍

We will talk about this in the sweet bye and bye. For now, tell Ms. Mary her black roses said hello and Let’s Go Wildcats! 😇🤣