IT. WAS.GREAT.

Shout out to all of the players, coaches and team personnel that endured arduous COVID protocols to bring us a semblance of a season in 2020. With that being said, IT WAS GREAT having college football fully back this weekend. Not the scaled back version of 2020, I am talking the full spectrum of all that makes college football the most wonderful pastime America has to offer. The full stadiums. The bands. The team colors. The pettiness. The overreactions. ALL OF IT. I realize I may sound a bit melodramatic but I needed this weekend desperately.

Unfortunately, our favorite gridiron gang came up short 38-28 against FBS foe University of Texas El Paso but Bethune-Cookman’s effort was applaudable even in defeat. Here are our final thoughts, reactions and overreactions to Week One of @BCUGridiron Football.

I LIKE OUR GUYS

BCU got off to a sluggish start in the first half but that was to be expected after a 600+ day hiatus. The Wildcats trailed 10-0 at the intermission but rallied to score 28 points after halftime. 

Shannon Patrick performed well under center and connected on 68% of his passes. Save for a couple of drops, Patrick’s completion rate would have topped 70% on the evening. Patrick looked poised and navigated the pocket well. Most of his and BCU’s offensive production came in the second half. The UAPB transfer’s best throw of the night was a 58 yard strike to wide receiver Marcus Riley late in the 3rd quarter. Three plays later, Patrick found tight end Kemari Averett in the back of the endzone for his second TD throw of the contest. Patrick’s performance answered many fans’ off-season concerns regarding the health of the quarterback position. If Week One’s performance against an FBS opponent is any indication, the QB position seems to be in good hands.

Riley and Averett both signed with Louisville before transferring to BCU. The duo ended the evening with almost identical stats registering 72 yards receiving apiece and 1 touchdown each. Riley’s quickness and Averett’s size at 6’7” offers the Wildcats a diversity in the passing game that should bode well for them this year. Add Running back Que’shaun Byrd to the mix and Wildcats have a formidable trio of playmakers on offense.

Byrd ended the night 2 yards shy of a C-Note and racked up 98 yards rushing on 12 attempts. The Wildcats longest play of the evening came courtesy of Bryd’s 68 yard scamper behind the right side of the offensive line.

BCU matched up well from a speed, size and athleticism standpoint across the board. You can even argue BCU may have been superior at the skill positions especially once they got their sea legs under them in the 3rd and 4th quarters. UTEP’s advantage came in the form of their line play and at the point of contact. Heck, based on the feedback the HailWildcats.com traveling party received while in El Paso, Miner fans expressed their team was awarded another advantage in the form of a highly debatable roughing the passer penalty when the game was still within one score. The Wildcat defense forced a three and out deep in Minor territory and was set the take over possession midway through the 3rd. The momentum was clearly in the Wildcats favor but a BCU defender was called for a late hit on the quarterback. UTEP retain possession and extended its lead several plays later. Miner fans, who were extremely gracious by the way, expressed their concerns about how the game may have turned out had that call not gone in their favor. But that is football and you have to live with the calls that are made.

Either way, I like how BCU’s skill guys and team in general matchup against any team in their conference after what I saw this weekend. The questions that remain are how well will the team continue to develop; and how well will the offensive and defensive lines hold up against SWAC opponents? 

Reranking the Order

Wildcat fans have sang the same refrain over the past 2 months. “We are not the 5th best team in the SWAC East.” After watching quite a bit of SWAC football over these past several days, I would have to agree. Bethune-Cookman, even in defeat, looked more like an upper echelon SWAC team than the opposite. Sure that’s an overreaction to Week One but overreactions are as much a part of the game as tailgating and marching bands. The best part of football though is that it is played on a 100 yard field and not on blogs, in newspapers or social media spaces. 

Bethune travels to the Bounce House to collect another payday…I mean compete against the University of Central Florida this Saturday. We are rooting for the Wildcats to exit Saturday’s contest with no injuries and another week of progress. Reigning Black College National Champs, Alabama A&M, invade Daytona Stadium the following Thursday Night in what will be Bethune’s first in conference SWAC action. That is when the real fun begins and fairer standards can be used to judge this team. 

We invite you to travel with us to UCF as we support our guys. You can find travel details at LetsGoWildcats.org regarding all away trips this season. You should also tune in to https://www.joy1063fm.com/ on Thursday evenings from 8:00pm-9:45pm to talk BCU football. We would love to hear from you.

All Hail!