Month: September 2014

Wildcats need two late scores and late defensive stand to preserve 34-33 win

/ J Bell / Leave a comment
Donald Smith

Donald Smith’s interception on FTU’s 2-point conversion attempt preserves 34-33 win for BCU

Quentin Williams threw two touchdowns and ran for a third to lift Bethune-Cookman to a 34-33 comeback win over Florida Tech on Saturday.

BCU trailed 27-20 heading into the fourth quarter but Williams tied the game with a 27 yard touchdown run at the 3:18 mark and connected with Frank Brown on a 67 yard catch and run with 1:25 remaining in the contest to push BCU’s lead to 34-27.

Florida Tech, a Division II team, had a chance to win the contest after marching 80 yards on the ensuing possession and narrowing the lead to 34-33. Donald Smith intercepted Mark Cato’s pass on the two point conversion attempt to preserve the win for the Wildcats.

BCU improved to 3-1 on the year and will begin conference play next Saturday against Delaware State in Daytona Beach.

Team Stat Comparison

  FLTH COOK
1st Downs 18 24
3rd down efficiency 7-17 7-15
4th down efficiency 1-2 1-1
Total Yards 425 401
Passing 310 222
Comp-Att 20-37 16-28
Yards per pass 8.4 7.9
Rushing 115 179
Rushing Attempts 28 46
Yards per rush 4.1 3.9
Penalties 6-33 13-112
Turnovers 3 1
Fumbles lost 2 1
Interceptions thrown 1 0
Possession 26:03 33:57

 

 

Wildcats remain in Top 15 in both polls after loss to UCF

/ J Bell / Leave a comment

BCU vs UCF-325Bethune-Cookman held on to it’s Top 15 ranking in both the FCS Coaches’ Poll (#14) and the SportsNetwork Media Poll (#15) even after falling 41-7 to FBS foe Central Florida this past weekend.

North Dakota State was the unanimous No. 1 pick in the Football Championship Subdivision Coaches Poll this week. The Bison totaled a perfect 650 points after receiving all 26 first-place votes for the first time this season.

NDSU extended its FCS-record winning streak to 28 games after topping then No. 3 Montana, 22-10, on Saturday in a matchup of top-five teams. The Bison totaled 447 yards of offense, including 280 rushing yards, and possessed the ball for 39:08 to earn their 16th straight home win. Kicker Adam Keller kicked a school-record five field goals, including a season-long 47-yard field goal, and added one extra point to score 16

Nine conferences were represented among the 25 teams. The Missouri Valley Football Conference led all conferences with seven teams in the top 25. The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) was second with four schools while the Big Sky, Big South and Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) each placed three.

The FCS Coaches Poll is based exclusively on a voting panel of head coaches in the FCS under the cooperation of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and is administered by the Southern Conference.

RANK SCHOOL RECORD POINTS PREVIOUS
1 North Dakota State (26) 4-0 650 1
2 Eastern Washington 3-1 623 2
3 Coastal Carolina 4-0 578 5
4 McNeese State 1-1 545 6
5 Villanova 2-1 526 7
6 Montana 2-2 505 3
7 New Hampshire 2-1 494 9
8 Jacksonville State 2-1 492 8
9 South Dakota State 3-1 449 10
10 UNI 1-2 408 11
11 Southeastern Louisiana 2-2 368 4
12 Youngstown State 3-1 303 15
13 William & Mary 3-1 301 17
14 Bethune-Cookman 2-1 273 12
15 Chattanooga 1-2 271 14
16 Southern Illinois 3-1 269 13
17 Montana State 2-2 241 16
18 Eastern Kentucky 4-1 210 22
19 Fordham 3-1 188 19
20 Tennessee State 3-1 154 2
21 Richmond 2-2 141 18
22 Illinois State 2-0 101 24
23 Liberty 3-1 80 NR
24 Missouri State 3-1 65 NR
25 Charleston Southern 4-0 39 NR

Dropped out: No. 21 Furham, No. 23 Northern Arizona, No. T25 Bryant, No. T25 Sam Houston State

Others receiving votes: Sam Houston State 26, Towson 22, Furman 18, Alcorn State 16, Samford 16, Harvard 13, Northern Arizona 13, Sacramento State 12, Stephen F. Austin 9, Indiana State 7, North Carolina A&T 7, Albany 5, Alabama State 3, South Dakota 3, Bryant 2, Cal Poly 2, Northwestern State 1, Southeast Missouri State 1

Wildcats lose big to UCF (41-7)

/ J Bell / Leave a comment

IMG_7602Bradford Gillens | Orlando, FL-Before a near capacity crowd of 44,510 at Brighthouse Networks Stadium, after leading 7-3 after the first quarter, Bethune-Cookman surrendered 38 unanswered points to the University of Central Florida en route to a 41-7 defeat. With the loss, the Cats dropped their seventh straight game to the Knights, the last coming in a 38-7 decision in 1995.

Once again, penalties plagued the Wildcats as they were flagged a season high 17 times for 137 yards after a 10-150 yard performance against Grambling. Several times during the game those penalties either extended Knights drives or led to UCF scores. When I spoke to head coach Brian Jenkins last week regarding the extreme amount of penalties his teams accrue on a weekly basis, he told me “he would live with them” because it oftentimes is the result of them playing physical. He may want to reevaluate that assessment after today’s game.

Leading the B-CU offense was quarterback Quentin Williams, who finished 9-12 for 102 yards along with 32 rushing yards, but was constantly pressured by the UCF defensive front, leading to him being sacked a season high five times. The Wildcat offense struggled mightily against the Knights defensive front, and never really got anything going. Jenkins was visibly dejected after this loss and through one of his assistant coaches, declined to speak to the media and did not make Bethune-Cookman players available to the media either.

Continue: http://www.examiner.com/article/bethune-cookman-falls-to-ucf-41-7?CID=examiner_alerts_article

$40 Roundtrip on HAILWILDCATS.COM Fan Bus to Savannah State October 18th, 2014

/ D Will / Leave a comment

Greetings BCU Fans!

You are cordially invited to hop onboard the HailWildcats.com ‘Road to the Championship’ Fan Bus as we support our team in their quest to have another successful season. Our Fighting Wildcats will travel to Savannah, Georgia (Ted Wright Stadium) on Saturday October 18th, 2014  to take on the Savannah State University, kickoff at 6:oo p.m.

Forget about parking and having to walk long distances, for the low rate of $55.00  you will be guaranteed transportation to and from the game and a game ticket. If you already have a game ticket, you can secure your transportation to and from Savannah St. Ted Wright Stadium  for just $40.00.

The bus will make a pickup at the Home Depot on Lee Rd in Orlando at 10:00 am, then depart Daytona Beach at 11:00 a.m., make a pickup in Jacksonville, Fl at 12:30 pm and arrive at Savannah St. Ted Wright Stadium around 3:30 pm. We will depart for Florida 30 minutes after the conclusion of the game.

Seats are available on a first come, first serve basis. No seats are guaranteed until final payment has been received. All sales are final!

We encourage the use of PayPal for a fast, safe, and convenient method of securing your seat. We have attached the PayPal links/options below for your convenience. You do NOT need a PayPal account to complete your transaction. If you prefer to pay with cash or with Credit/Debit card in person or over the phone, please coordinate with Jerry Bell or Darold Williams at the numbers below. Checks will NOT be accepted.

Seats are filling up quickly, so be sure to lock yours in today.

PICKUP LOCATIONS:

ORLANDO, FL- Home Depot- 10:00 AM 5351 Diplomat Cir, Orlando, FL 32810

DAYTONA BEACH, FL –Bethune Cookman University -11:00 AM   Between the Facilities building and the Band Hall

JACKSONVILLE, FL – LaQuinta Inn- 12:30 PM  812 Dunn Ave, Jax, FL 32218

If you have any questions, please call or text Jerry Bell at 407-494-5302  or Darold Williams at 904-351-8381.

photo 2 (4)

Hail Wildcats!
___________________________________________________________________

1-Bus Seat to BCU vs Savannah St. at Ted Wright Stadium- Savannah, GA (Transportation Only Option)
paypal_buynow $40.00
 
or
 
1-Bus Seat & Game Ticket to BCU vs Savannah St. at Ted Wright Stadium- Savannah, GA
paypal_buynow $55.00
 
 
2-Bus Seats to BCU vs  Savannah St. at Ted Wright Stadium- Savannah, GA (Transportation Only Option)
 paypal_buynow $80.00
 
or
 
2-Bus Seats & Game Tickets to BCU vs Savannah St. at Ted Wright Stadium- Savannah, GA- Savannah, GA
 paypal_buynow $110.00
 
3-Bus Seats to BCU vs Savannah St. at Ted Wright Stadium- Savannah, GA (Transportation Only Option)
paypal_buynow $120.00
 
or
 
3-Bus Seats & Game Tickets to BCU vs Savannah St. at Ted Wright Stadium- Savannah, GA
paypal_buynow $165.00
 
 
4-Bus Seats to BCU vs Savannah St. at Ted Wright Stadium- Savannah, GA (Transportation Only Option)
paypal_buynow $160.00
 
 or
4-Bus Seats & Game Tickets to BCU vs Savannah St. at Ted Wright Stadium- Savannah, GA
paypal_buynow $220.00
 
 
 
       

Visiting Team Parking for UCF Game

/ J Bell / Leave a comment

SONY DSCHey Wildcat fans,

Are you planning to attend Saturday’s matchup against UCF?  If so, you may be happy to know that University Carillon United Methodist Church, located just across the street from Brighthouse Stadium,  is offering a visiting team and family friendly parking venue for today’s game.

Individual (unreserved) game day parking – $20 per car

  • Enjoy a visiting team and family friendly parking venue
  • Free hot dogs, chips and drinks
  • Lighted & Sheriff patrolled
  • Much closer than general public parking on campus  (Find us at “1-I” on the UCF campus map)
  • Open 4 hours before game time
  • Easy to exit following the game
  • Support the Community Ministries of the University Carillon United Methodist Church

For information, contact

Chris Akers, Executive Pastor

University Carillon United Methodist Church

1395 Campus View Court, Oviedo FL 32765

Office – 407.588.1715    Cell – 321.439.9715

www.ucumc.net

LeBranden Richardson eager to face old UCF teamates

/ J Bell / Leave a comment
1 LeBrandon Richardson

LeBrandon Richardson #50

DAYTONA BEACH — When Bethune-Cookman’s LeBranden Richardson takes the field at Bright House Networks Stadium Saturday, he should feel right at home.

As a former UCF player, Richardson is quite familiar with the surroundings of the Knights home turf, but this time the confines won’t be so friendly. Nonetheless, he’s looking forward to seeing some of his old friends.

“It’s going to be exciting … I love that Bright House stadium. It will be like a homecoming, bringing back some old memories. I made my first collegiate sack at that stadium,” said Richardson, now a senior defensive end at B-CU. “I won’t be nervous. I will just like any other game, but I will get that feeling once I get out there, I suppose. I’m excited for it.”

Some of his former teammates are gone and so is his old position coach Jim Panagos, now the defensive line coach at Rutgers, but the Knights’ roster still features some of his closest friends, including UCF receiver Josh Reese.

Continue… http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/ucf-knights/os-ucf-bethune-cookman-lebranden-richardson-0918-20140917-story.html# .

Williams pace Wildcats to 36-23 victory over Grambling

/ J Bell / Leave a comment

image

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Quentin Williams threw for 165 yards and ran for two touchdowns to rally Bethune-Cookman to a 36-23 comeback win over Grambling State on Saturday.

Trailing 23-22 in the fourth quarter, Bethune-Cookman (2-0) drove 46 yards to set up a Haden Hoggarth field goal but took the first down instead after a roughing-the-kicker penalty against Grambling State. Danny Dillard ran in the 5-yard go-ahead TD two plays later.
The Wildcats then held the Tigers (0-3) and scored again in the final minute when Drexler Dixon ran in for a touchdown from the 3 to give Bethune-Cookman its first win over Grambling State since 1954.

Williams was 13 of 18 in the air and had 40 yards rushing. Anthony Jordan had 73 yards on 20 carries.

Team Stat Comparison

GRAM

COOK
1st Downs 19 23
Total Yards 267 396
Passing 220 165
Rushing 47 231
Penalties 4-27 10-150
3rd Down Conversions 7-14 1-9
4th Down Conversions 0-2 0-0
Turnovers 3 1
Possession 26:19 33:41

Passing Leaders

Grambling State C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT
Stephen Johnson 19/32 220 6.9 2 1
Bethune-Cookman C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT
Quentin Williams 13/18 165 9.2 0 0

Rushing Leaders

Grambling State CAR YDS AVG TD LG
Jestin Kelly 5 17 3.4 0 6
Ka’Jandre Domino 2 13 6.5 0 10
Bethune-Cookman CAR YDS AVG TD LG
Anthony Jordan 20 73 3.7 0 10
Danny Dillard 8 55 6.9 1 16

Receiving Leaders

Grambling State REC YDS AVG TD LG
Dominique Leake 2 82 41.0 1 75
Chad Williams 4 39 9.8 1 17
Bethune-Cookman REC YDS AVG TD LG
Darian Baker 1 47 47.0 0 47
Frank Brown 3 46 15.3 0 32

Scoring Summary

FIRST QUARTER GRAM COOK
FG 11:46 Marc Orozco 45 Yd Field Goal 3 0
FG 6:12 Haden Hoggarth 29 Yd Field Goal 3 3
SECOND QUARTER GRAM COOK
FG 1:26 Haden Hoggarth 23 Yd Field Goal 3 6
TD 1:03 Q. Williams run for 16 yds for a TD, (Two pt rush, L. Brihm GOOD) 3 14
TD 1:03 L. Brihm run for 3 yds for a TD 3 12
FG 0:00 Marc Orozco 42 Yd Field Goal 6 14
THIRD QUARTER GRAM COOK
TD 11:57 Chad Williams 9 Yd pass from Stephen Johnson (Marc Orozco Kick) 13 14
FG 9:32 Marc Orozco 32 Yd Field Goal 16 14
TD 5:54 Quentin Williams 9 Yd Run (Larry Brihm Pass to for Two-Point Conversion) 16 22
TD 3:57 Dominique Leake 75 Yd pass from Stephen Johnson (Marc Orozco Kick) 23 22
FOURTH QUARTER GRAM COOK
TD 6:12 Danny Dillard 5 Yd Run (Ben Noboa Kick) 23 29
TD 0:56 Drexler Dixon 3 Yd Run (Haden Hoggarth Kick) 23 36

Basketball News ~ Bethune-Cookman adds 7-0 Harvard Transfer

/ J Bell / Leave a comment

IMG_0886Just five days after announcing the signing of three junior college transfers, Quentin Brewer (Gordon State), Denzel Dulin (CCBC Dundalk) and Jeffon Powell (Cecil), @BCUHoops announced 7 foot Harvard transfer Ugo Okam would be joining the squad.

Okam saw action for the Crimson’s 2011-12 Ivy League championship team, who made Harvard’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 1946 when it faced Vanderbilt in the second round.

The native of Nigeria has already earned his undergraduate degree in economics and is currently enrolled in Bethune-Cookman’s graduate program. He has a possible two years of athletic eligibility remaining.

He played for Montverde Academy for three years, starting at center, captaining the team in 2010 and making ESPN’s list of the top 100 college prospects.

“I watched him in high school (Montverde) and for Each Teach One, his AAU team,” Craig said. “I thought he had potential to be a good college player with development. He adds size that we haven’t had in a long time. “

Okam will be the first Wildcat 7-footer since Aulcie Perry, who played two seasons from 1971-73 before going on to become one of the greatest players in Israel professional basketball history. Okam also is part of Craig’s effort to shore up the Wildcats underneath with the addition of Delino Dear (6-9) joining Travis Elliott (6-8).

“With all this added size, we’re looking more and more like a Division I team these days,” Craig kidded.

Bethune-Cookman opens its 2014-15 season on Saturday, November 15, hosting Trinity College at 1 p.m. in Historic Moore Gym.

The Pride Beyond the Fifty (Episodes 1 & 2) ~ Video

/ J Bell / Leave a comment

Hey Wildcat fans!  Did you know the Marching Wildcats have a new weekly video series entitled “Beyond the Fifty?”  The series chronicles ‘The Pride’s” 2014 marching season and provides viewers with a first hand account of the band’s preparations and performances.

Check out the first two videos below.  Check back frequently for new episodes.


Episode 2


Episode 1