Month: October 2013

Top 5 B-CU/SCSU games in history

/ J Bell / Leave a comment
Suber man

Allen Suber – Onnidan.com

Following 13th ranked (SportsNetwork) Bethune-Cookman’s pivotal 14-3 win over South Carolina State Saturday at Municipal Stadium, I started thinking about the intense battles this matchup has produced in recent history.

Although the Bulldogs lead the series 28-19-1, the Wildcats have won three of the last four meetings and have had some of their most memorable wins in school history versus their conference foes from Orangeburg, SC.

Listed below are the top five games between the Wildcats and Bulldogs.

HAILWILDCATS.COM Homecoming 2k13 Photo Gallery

/ D Will / Leave a comment

WILDCAT NATION

We the staff at Hailwildcats.com would like to show our gratitude and extend a warm thank you  for the support shown this past homecoming weekend, it was truly a memorable weekend, one that couldn’t have happened without YOU.

Once again thank you and please join us in viewing the sights of Homecoming 2k13!

Hailwildcats.com Staff

Bethune-Cookman solidifies position atop the MEAC with 14-3 win over SCSU

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Credits: BCU Athletics

Credits: BCU Athletics

The final transition in the MEAC’s changing of the guard was solidified on Saturday afternoon with #14 Bethune-Cookman’s 14-3 Homecoming victory over South Carolina State in Daytona Beach.

The Wildcat defense limited the Bulldogs to just 143 yards of total offense and forced 3 SCSU turnovers including 2 in the red zone during Saturday’s contest.  Marquis Drayton undercut a Richard Cue pass intended for Temarrick Hemingway to provide BCU with their first impactful defensive play of the afternoon.

On the subsequent drive, quarterback Quentin Williams guided the “good guys” on a 9 play, 81 yard touchdown drive.  Williams went 5-5 on the drive with the biggest play, a 47 yard strike to Eddie Poole, requiring a little divine intervention.

“When I tell you God is good, God is good.  I lost the ball in the sun for like 3 seconds but somehow it landed softly in my hands” Eddie Poole stated when commenting on the reception that gave BCU 1st and goal from the 1.

The drive culminated with a 4 yard pass from Williams to Isidore Jackson giving the Wildcats a 7-0 lead 10 minutes into the contest.

Two possessions later, BCU pushed its lead to 14-0 this time scoring on a 6 yard quarterback keeper by Williams.

Williams, who played the entire game at quarterback, finished the contest 12-16 for 220 yards and 1 touchdown.  Eddie Poole caught 5 passes for 130 yards and moved up to 5th place all-time on the BCU receptions list.

Jarkevis Fields paced the Wildcats with 14 tackles; none bigger than his 4th quarter stop at the 1 yard line forcing a Justin Taylor fumble and BCU recovery in the endzone.  “I saw (Taylor) coming downhill.  I went down low and my helmet hit the ball.  The next thing I knew the crowd was screaming so I knew it was a turnover.  I looked up and thankfully Donald Smith reacted the way our coaches taught us and fell on the ball in the endzone.”

After the game, a consolatory Buddy Pough stated:  “I’m going to be honest; I thought Cookman just outplayed us today.”  “I have to take my hat off to Coach Jenkins and his staff.  They found a couple little things that gave them a chance to get ahead early.  The guy (Coach Jenkins) is a good football coach.  They put together a great program.  They have a great following.  They have probably the most fertile group of (recruiting) talent there is in this part of the country. You put all those things together along with his connections and the great job he’s doing coaching and you win football games.”

BCU’s win over SCSU stretches their MEAC win streak to 17 games.

GAME STATS: http://www.bcuathletics.com/fls/23910/pdf/Football/BCUFB13_Gamebook_08SCSU.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=23910

Hailwildcats.com Homecoming Tailgate Zone

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Homecoming

Attention Wildcat Nation!

Please join us and have your photo taken at our Hailwildcats.com Homecoming Tailgate Zone spot 78 at Municipal Stadium on Saturday starting at 1 pm.

All photos will be posted on our website, Hailwildcats.com, so stop by and show your Wildcat Pride!

While in the zone, please enter into our Florida Classic ticket giveaway. Thats right, Hailwildcats.com will be giving away 2 free tickets to the 68th Annual Florida Classic hosted by Florida Blue in Orlando, Fl November 23rd, 2013.

Winner will be announced on Hailwildcats.com the 1st week in November! (Must be present to enter)

We look forward to seeing you Saturday!

HAILWILDCATS

Bethune-Cookman vs. South Carolina State–The best non-traditional rivalry in HBCU football???

/ J Bell / 2 Comments

On the huntWhat a great time to be in the World’s Most Famous Beach.  The days are sunny, the nights are pleasant, and there is a tangible sensation of excitement permeating the air.  It is homecoming week at Bethune-Cookman University and the Wildcats are preparing to take on perennial MEAC power South Carolina State. 

This matchup is special any time it’s played.  Adding the pageantry, expectations, and atmosphere of a  homecoming event to it as well as the stakes of first place in the league standings makes it epic.

Non-Traditional Rivalry

The BCU vs. SCSU annual showdown has become one of the best on-the-field rivalries (albeit a non-traditional one) in all of HBCU football.  There is no disdain for or hatred of the opposing team’s fan base.  There are no geographical wars over disputed lands of which to speak.  To the best of our knowledge, no grandkids have been written out of the Will for choosing the wrong side and no giant oak trees have been poisoned (sorry Auburn fans).   Instead, this rivalry evolved from intense, hard-hitting action on the field and the primal desire of 2 clans of alpha males slugging it out to prove that they are the MEAC’s top dog (or top cat if you prefer).

SCSU standout defensive lineman Javon Hargrave stated he thinks about Bethune-Cookman a lot.   “The coaches keep saying how they’ve got us set up for homecoming,” Hargrave said. “We just don’t get along with Bethune-Cookman very well. South Carolina State and Bethune-Cookman is a rivalry.”

Even Brian Jenkins ventured from his normal tight-lipped postgame rhetoric and repeatedly exclaimed his excitement about this weekend’s matchup after his team’s 48-21 dismantling of Savannah State.  Jenkins used the word “excited nine times in a 24 second span and stated  the game would be a “star-studded event.”

DSC_0119These Games Matter

Tradional HBCU rivalries like Jackson State vs. Tennessee State; Alabama State vs. Alabama A&M; and FAMU vs. Southern all draw much larger crowds, but when BCU and SCSU tangle the outcomes have an impact on the college football landscape.

The winner of this game has gone on to win 4 of the last 5 MEAC championships.  They share 5 playoff appearances between themselves since 2008 and they have won 2 Black College National Championships in that same timeframe. BCU and SCSU were predicted to finish 1st and 2nd respectively by the league’s coaches and sports information directors at this year’s MEAC Media Luncheon.  They rank first and second in the league in Scoring Offense, Total Offense, Scoring Defense, and Total Defense.

SCSU head coach Buddy Pough has won four MEAC crowns in 11 seasons and guided the Bulldogs to an all-time MEAC best 21 consecutive game conference win streak from 2007-2010.  In a twist of irony, BCU can match that mark this season if they win out and it was the Jenkins-led Wildcats who ended the Bulldogs win streak in Oliver Dawson Stadium in October of 2010.

The Wildcats have won 2 MEAC titles in Brian Jenkins’ first 3 seasons.  Jenkins owns a 2-1 head-to-head advantage over Pough and BCU has won 9 of the past 15 matchups with SCSU.  The Wildcats are the only MEAC school to boast a winning record in Orangeburg during Pough’s tenure (3-1).  However, this game isn’t being played in South Cackalacky and the homefield has proven to be somewhat of a disadvantage in this matchup as of late.   The road team has inexplicably won 6 of the last 8 meetings in this contest.  In SCSU’s last visit to Municipal Stadium two years ago, they left with a 26-18 victory. 

The 2011 loss suffered at the hands of the Bulldogs is the only MEAC home defeat on Jenkins’ record and it is all that separates coach Jenkins from earning 3 MEAC crowns in 3 years.  Saturday’s winner will earn sole possession of 1st place in the conference and gain a stronghold on the league’s automatic qualifier bid for postseason play.

It’s Buddy vs. Brian; the 101 vs. the Pride; the old guard vs. the new; Big Dogs vs. Big Cats; South Carolina State vs. Bethune-Cookman.  It’s HBCU football at its best.

So tell us what you think.  Has the BCU vs. SCSU matchup become the best non-traditional rivalry in HBCU football?

Alvin Wyatt takes over as interim head football coach of 0-7 Edward Waters

/ J Bell / Leave a comment
alvin%20wyattEdward Waters football coach Brad Bernard was abruptly fired on Tuesday and  replaced on an interim basis by veteran college coach and former boss Alvin  Wyatt, who had been the Tigers’ defensive coordinator.

EWC is 0-7 following a 49-9 loss to Webber on Oct. 12. The Tigers were off  last week and have four games remaining on the schedule, three of them on the  road. EWC plays at Newport News (Va.) Apprentice School on Saturday.

Bernard, a Parker graduate who also coached at Sandalwood, Mandarin and  Raines following his college playing career at Georgia Southern, was the  offensive coordinator at Bethune-Cookman under Wyatt for 11 years. EWC had .500  records in each of Bernard’s two seasons, going 6-6 in 2011 and 5-5 in 2012.

The Tigers’ 2011 season was their first .500 record since 2004. Bernard’s  total record as the Tigers’ coach is 11-18.

“We believed it was time for a change … we didn’t see the improvement as we  expected,” said Edward Waters athletic director Johnny Rembert. “This makes a  statement that we are serious about our program. We don’t want to be a  doormat.”

Rembert said Bernard’s dismissal was mostly about the Tigers’ performance on  the field and praised Bernard for his work of the last three years.

“He had the best interests of the players at heart, I do believe that,”  Rembert said. “There was a difference in philosophy.”

Wyatt, who was brought to Edward Waters in 2012 by Bernard, is the all-time  leader in coaching victories at Bethune-Cookman with a 90-54 record from  1997-2009. A Jacksonville native like Bernard, Wyatt, 65, led his alma mater to  their first two NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoff berths in 2002  and 2003, and their first MEAC titles in the same years.

Edward Waters coordinator of public relations Dee Registre said Wyatt was  unavailable for comment. Bernard did not return a phone message and an e-mailed  request for comment.

Read more at Jacksonville.com:  http://jacksonville.com/sports/college/2013-10-22/story/brad-bernard-fired-edward-waters-replaced-former-boss-alvin-wyatt#ixzz2iV9eOO8O

MEAC Roundup 10.20.13- BCU, SCSU tied for first

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BCUSSU

Credits: BCUAthletics

MEAC: Bethune-Cookman, South Carolina State tied for first

By ALVIN HOLLINS JR.
Alvinhollins833@yahoo.com

MEAC ROUNDUP: Defending champion Bethune-Cookman remained atop the MEAC standings as the Wildcats (6-1, 3-0) crushed visiting Savannah State, 48-21.

BCU’s win sets up next Saturday’s “Showdown on Da Beach” with fellow MEAC unbeaten, South Carolina State.  The winner will gain sole possession of first place in the league heading into the final four week stretch of the 2013 campaign.In other MEAC action, the recent trend of parity continued to rear its ugly head as 4 road teams picked up victories.  Delaware State (3-4, 3-1) was two minutes away from a shutout, pulling off a nonetheless stunning 12-7 win over a suddenly slumping North Carolina A&T (3-3, 1-3) in Greensboro.

Also surging up from the depths of near oblivion Saturday were two formerly 0-5 teams, Hampton and Morgan State (both 2-5, 2-1).  Hampton defeated cross bay rival Norfolk State (2-5, 2-2), 27-17 at Norfolk, Va., while Morgan State outslugged host North Carolina Central (3-4, 1-2), 34-22 in Durham, N.C.In the day’s other game, visiting Howard University (2-6, 1-3) scored 21 first half points and made it stand up to spoil Florida A&M’s homecoming (2-5, 1-2), 21-10 in Tallahassee.

Next Week’s slate features all 11 schools in action in five conference bouts and one non-conference affair, including Hampton at Delaware State, 1:00; Norfolk State at ODU, 1:00; Morgan State at Howard, 1:00; North Carolina A&T at Florida A&M, 2:00; North Carolina Central at Savannah State 2:00, and the big one, South Carolina State at Bethune-Cookman, 4:00.2013 MEAC FOOTBALL STANDINGS

Through October 19

Team …………………… Conference …….. Overall

Bethune-Cookman ……. 3-0 1.000 ….. 6-1 .857

South Carolina State …. 3-0 1.000 ….. 5-2 .714

Delaware State ………… 3-1 .750 ….. 3-4 .428

Hampton ………………… 2-1 .667 ….. 2-5 .285

Morgan State …………… 2-1 .667 ….. 2-5 .285

Norfolk State ………….. 2-2 .500 ….. 2-5 .285

North Carolina Central .. 1-2 .333 ….. 3-4 .428

Florida A&M ……………. 1-2 .333 ….. 2-5 .285

North Carolina A&T …… 1-3 .250 ….. 3-3 .500

Howard …………………. 1-3 .250 ….. 2-6 .250

Savannah State ……….. 0-4 .000 ….. 1-7 .125

MEAC WEEK EIGHT SCORECARD (October 19)
Bethune-Cookman 48, Savannah State 21
Delaware State 12, North Carolina A&T 7
Howard 21, Florida A&M 10
Hampton 27, Norfolk State 17
Morgan State 34, North Carolina Central 22

NEXT WEEK’S SCHEDULE (October 26)
Hampton at Delaware State, 1:00
Norfolk State at ODU, 1:00
Morgan State at Howard, 1:00
North Carolina A&T at Florida A&M, 2:00
North Carolina Central at Savannah State 2:00
South Carolina State at Bethune-Cookman, 4:00

Wildcats take care of Savannah State 48-21

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Credits: BCU Athletics

Credits: BCU Athletics

Bethune-Cookman scored 42 first half points and cruised to a 48-21 victory against Savannah State on Saturday evening in Municipal Stadium.  Cary White and Isidore Jackson accounted for all six of BCU’s first-half touchdowns.

Jackson opened the game’s scoring on a 16-yard TD reception from Quentin Williams and rushed for two more scores later in the half.  White added rushing touchdowns of 1, 24 and 12 yards.

Simon Heyward scored on a 76-yard TD pass from Leon Prunty to give the Tigers their first points of the evening.

After a scoreless 3rd quarter, SSU scored twice in the 4th on a pair of Antonio Bostick touchdown throws. BCU registered its only points of the second half on the strength of a 27 yard TD run by Michael Jones.

The Wildcats now shift their attention towards next week’s homecoming showdown against South Carolina State.

Team Stat Comparison

SAV

COOK
1st Downs 19 25
Total Yards 404 465
Passing 310 192
Rushing 94 273
Penalties 7-66 8-55
3rd Down Conversions 5-16 4-10
4th Down Conversions 2-7 1-2
Turnovers 5 4
Possession 30:38 29:22

Passing Leaders

Savannah State C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT
Bostick 17/36 202 5.6 2 2
Bethune-Cookman C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT
Williams 10/14 143 10.2 1 0

Rushing Leaders

Savannah State CAR YDS AVG TD LG
Veals 9 59 6.6 0 18
Daniels 6 21 3.5 0 9
Bethune-Cookman CAR YDS AVG TD LG
White 7 69 9.9 3 24
Jackson 12 54 4.5 2 12

Receiving Leaders

Savannah State REC YDS AVG TD LG
Heyward 3 113 37.7 1 76
Moore 1 59 59.0 0 59
Bethune-Cookman REC YDS AVG TD LG
Gordon 2 47 23.5 0 34
Jackson 3 34 11.3 1 16

Scoring Summary

FIRST QUARTER SAV COOK
TD 12:53 Isidore Jackson 16 Yd Pass From Quentin Williams (Jonathan Cagle Kick) 0 7
TD 07:25 Cary White 1 Yd Run (Jonathan Cagle Kick) 0 14
TD 01:15 Cary White 24 Yd Run (Jonathan Cagle Kick) 0 21
SECOND QUARTER SAV COOK
TD 11:07 Cary White 12 Yd Run (Jonathan Cagle Kick) 0 28
TD 10:13 Simon Heyward 76 Yd Pass From Leon Prunty (Preston Mccarthy Kick) 7 28
TD 06:23 Isidore Jackson 2 Yd Run (Jonathan Cagle Kick) 7 35
TD 00:54 Isidore Jackson 2 Yd Run (Jonathan Cagle Kick) 7 42
FOURTH QUARTER SAV COOK
TD 13:23 Edward Lackey 3 Yd Pass From Antonio Bostick (Preston Mccarthy Kick) 14 42
TD 11:40 Michael D. Jones 27 Yd Run (Pat Blocked) 14 48
TD 07:03 Jake Durham 15 Yd Pass From Antonio Bostick (Preston Mccarthy Kick) 21 48

Wildcats return home after a month to face Savannah State

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BladakBradford Gillens | Bethune-Cookman Wildcats Examiner— After more than a full month on the road, the 17th ranked (SportsNetwork) Bethune-Cookman Wildcats will entertain a two game homestand beginning with this weekend’s matchup against Savannah State at Municipal Stadium.  The matchup with the Tigers will be followed by the highly anticipated homecoming contest against South Carolina State.

In the previous four road games, the Cats (5-1, 2-0 MEAC) have gone 3-1 with their only setback coming to fifth ranked Florida State in Tallahassee.  The Wildcats made history away from home scoring the first win in school history as well as the MEAC’s first ever win over a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent with a 34-13 drubbing of Florida International. Last Saturday, the Wildcats were able to use a balanced attack to defeat a pesky Howard Bison squad 27-6 in Washington, D.C.

B-CU now turns its attention to the Tigers of Savannah State (1-6, 0-3 MEAC) who are coming off a 27-14 loss to Florida A&M. SSU gave up 21 unanswered points in the first half  of the FAMU contest and were never able to recover. While the Tigers are looking to pull an epic upset en route to its first conference win of the season, the Wildcats are looking to avoid the proverbial “trap game” as next week’s homecoming showdown against South Carolina State is already being billed as the game that will decide the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship. According to Savannah State head coach, Ernest Wilson, he is not expecting the Wildcats to take his Tigers lightly.

Read on: http://www.examiner.com/article/wildcats-return-home-after-a-month-to-face-savannah-state

MEAC, Ohio Valley trust change is in the air

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Credits: TSU Athletics

Credits: TSU Athletics

By Craig Haley, FCS Executive Director

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Is this finally the year? That’s what teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Ohio Valley Conference have been asking themselves for too long.

They’re hoping the first half of the season suggests the FCS playoffs will be different – for whomever comes out of their respective conference.

But they might have an idea already the way OVC front-runners Eastern Illinois and Tennessee State and MEAC leaders Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State are playing this season. All four could be postseason-bound.

Both conferences are steeped in tradition, but, incredibly, a MEAC team has not won an FCS playoff game since 1999 and the OVC has been shut out since 2000.

UT Martin coach Jason Simpson said at OVC media day that the lack of playoff success is the “thorn in our (the conference’s) side right now.” South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough says success in the playoffs “is at a real, real high level. Until as a (MEAC) league we all get there, I don’t know if any individual can rise above it enough to hang in the league with the CAA and with the Southern Conference and those kinds of leagues.”

Coaches in both conferences point to difficult first-round matchups as the main reason for the playoff failure. When the playoffs were 16 teams deep, the MEAC sometimes ran into a regional road block against the CAA or SoCon, and the OVC champ sometimes ran into a Missouri Valley Football Conference team, and, in three different years from 2001-10, the eventual national champion, in an early round game.

This year’s results can’t be denied, however. The playoffs will expand from 20 to 24 teams, and both conferences could have two playoff qualifiers each.

In the OVC, No. 5-ranked Eastern Illinois (5-1) has basically had the best results of any team in the FCS, starting with a three-touchdown win at San Diego State and victories over Southern Illinois, Illinois State and Eastern Kentucky, losing only to Northern Illinois. The Jimmy Garoppolo express is on another level this season and the Panthers could be headed toward being a seeded team.

Tennessee State (6-1) might have the type of stingy defense to stop EIU, and the road-tested the Tigers hope to win the OVC’s automatic bid. The Tigers have only lost by a field goal to Bethune-Cookman

Speaking of whom, Bethune-Cookman (5-1) could enter the picture as the MEAC’s best hope to the playoff drought. Like Eastern Illinois, the Wildcats have a win over an FBS team (FIU) and their only loss was to another FBS opponent (Florida State).

They hosted playoff games in 2010 and last year, and have no intention of coughing up another home game if they have one this season.

But Bethune-Cookman may not even be the MEAC’s top club. South Carolina State (5-2) has reeled off five straight wins, including a sweep of North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central in a five-day span, to make a statement after having a rare subpar season under coach Buddy Pough. Their losses are only to Clemson and unbeaten Coastal Carolina.

South Carolina State hosts Bethune-Cookman on Oct. 26, which is also the date of the Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State showdown.

Veterans at quarterback and playmakers on defenses link the four teams. Victories in the playoffs may link them by season’s end.

Read on: http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/news/news.aspx?id=4631160