Saturday’s SWAC East clash between Bethune-Cookman and Jackson State presents an interesting narrative. The two teams share numerous off-field storylines this season but the expectations of the two programs are drastically different.
BCU and JSU are currently under the leadership of first-time head coaches, both of whom are proud alums and former players of their respective universities. The Wildcats and Tigers are adapting to new offensive and defensive coordinators, integrating new quarterbacks, and assimilating an influx of over 50 new players into their systems.
Adding to the parallels, both suffered one sided 40+ point losses to FBS adversaries just last week and both were recently led by NFL hall of famers, albeit not in an official capacity in BCU’s case.
Jackson State has a pretty good idea of their identity under their revamped management. The Tigers have already played three games against FCS opponents this season going 2-1 in that span. In contrast, Saturday’s matchup will be the first time the Wildcats face a FCS adversary this season and the first real glimpse into what type of team BCU will be in year one of the Raymond Woodie regime.
It won’t be easy for the Wildcats as their starting lineup heading into Veterans Memorial Stadium has been dealt a blow. Starting quarterback, Luke Sprague, sustained a shoulder injury in the first series of the game against Miami last week and will be unavailable against JSU. Sprauge sports an impressive 76% completion rate, 2 touchdowns, and zero interceptions this season. Additionally, backup QB Talik Bethea, injured in the same game, will likely be a minimal presence at best against JSU. This thrusts Walter Simmons into the spotlight as Bethune’s projected primary quarterback.
Bethune-Cookman cannot allow themselves to wallow in self-pity though. As Dan Hawkins once famously put it, “it’s Division I Football,” and injuries, unfortunately, are part and parcel of the sport.
Keys to victory for the Wildcats
If BCU want to leave Mssissippi’s capital city with a win, they must a) establish the line of scrimmage, b) not turn the ball over, and c) get guys on the ground..
Block. Protect the football. Tackle. It’s Football 101.
Simmons only has three collegiate starts under his belt and has not yet demonstrated that he can win a game on his own. The offensive line will need to help Simmons by establishing the line of scrimmage in the run game and keeping him upright in the passing game.
Despite his inexperience, it is worth noting that Simmons orchestrated Bethune’s only scoring drive against UM last week.
Running back Jouvensly Bazil, the transfer from Washington State, has displayed flashes of what he can be with the ball in his hands. Bazil scored on his first two touches in the matchup against Savannah State and hauled in an explosive 40 yard reception against the Hurricanes. I look for BCU to attempt to establish Bazil early against JSU in his SWAC debut.
The Wildcat defense is talented but youthful. The offense needs to follow that old football adage of ending every drive in a kick —be it an extra point, field goal, or punt—to prevent putting their defense in challenging positions.
Speaking of defense, defensive coordinator Robert Wimberly has rolled out a bend but don’t break approach with this unit early in the season. It’s not the typical vanilla “bend but don’t break” model, but rather a modification that allows the defense to pressure opposing offenses with three and four man fronts, but still limit big plays by playing zone and off coverage behind the pressure. The key to this approach is to tackle ball carriers when you get to them and limit yards after contact.
What would a victory mean for BCU
We posed this question to BCU Hall of Famer and longtime radio voice, Larry “The Professor” Wesley on Thursday night’s Hail Wildcats Gridiron Radio Show. Wesley, a historian of all things Wildcats athletics, stated a win this weekend would be similar to the 2010 triumph over Buddy Pough’s SCSU Bulldogs in Orangeburg.
If you recall, that win occurred in Brian Jenkins’ first season and the Bulldogs were the defending conference champions at the time. That 2010 victory was an announcement to the HBCU world that the Wildcats were indeed back after a subpar season the year prior. BCU finished that season with a share of the conference crown.
Will history repeat itself? We will find out on Saturday night at 7:00pm EST. Tune in to ESPN+ to catch the contest. You can also follow along with HailWildcats.com on the app formerly known as Twitter as we will be in the house, as always, rooting on the Wildcats.
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