Big Bama State Bullies Bethune: A Tough Lesson in the Gump

For about 12 glorious seconds, it looked like Bethune-Cookman was about to ruin Alabama State’s homecoming.

On the Wildcats’ first play from scrimmage, Cam Ransom dropped back, spotted Maleek Huggins on a deep crosser, and hit him in stride for an 85-yard touchdown. One play. Twelve seconds. Six points.

The Wildcats scored on their first offensive play of the game for the second week in a row. Things were looking up. The vibe of pulling an upset had the guys from the Church School on Da Beach feeling pretty good.

But then… the Big Bama Bullies showed up.

Alabama State answered with four straight scoring drives and never looked back, bullying Bethune 52–35 in a game that reminded everyone just how good this Hornets team is.

The Reality Check

This one stung for sure. However, it also came with a clear message. This Alabama State program is where Bethune-Cookman aspires to be. It is among the elite in HBCU football.

The Hornets are averaging 40.6 points per game on offense including dropping 42 on FBS foe UAB this season. They are without question one of the best teams in HBCU football right now.

So losing to ASU is nothing to be ashamed of. You just have to tip your cap and realize that the guys from “The Gump” have dudes on scholarship too. They are a little further along in their building process than BCU.

Speaking of dudes, there are not very many playing better than quarterback Andrew Body through the midpoint of the season. Body had another brilliant game going 11 for 17 for 171 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday. He added 95 yards rushing. He was a type of “get out of jail free card” anytime the Wildcats put ASU under any sort of duress.

Too many miscues

It’s hard to win games against good teams with players like Body when you play perfectly. It is nearly impossible to beat these kind of teams when you don’t help yourself by executing cleanly. BCU had too many miscues to position themselves for an upset.

-A missed 4th-down throw early in the contest.

-A careless fumble in the second quarter.

-A missed field goal later that quarter.

-An ill-advised interception in the third.

-And tackling? Let’s just say it was very poor all game.

Defensive coordinator Robert Wimberly’s unit never quite found an answer for Body and the ASU offense. The Hornets’ exploded for 560-yards. Of those, 389 came on the ground for a whopping 10 yards per carry.

Ouch. That is not a typo. BCU gave up almost 400 yards rushing and 10 yards per carry.

Nothing in football stings worse than watching another team run the ball down your throat. And you better believe every SWAC offensive coordinator took notes.

The Bright Side

Now, before you stop reading and start yelling… breathe.

There were still plenty of positives.

BCU’s offense continues to ball out. The Wildcats posted 569 total yards and 35 points against one of the best defenses in the conference. That’s the 4th straight game the offense has scored at least 35 points. And for anyone ready to slap the “garbage time” label on those stats, consider this: BCU piled up 309 yards in the first half alone.

Maleek Huggins (7 catches, 132 yards, 2 TDs) and Javon Ross (9 catches, 137 yards, 1 TD) had over 130 receiving yards each.

Running back Ali Scott added 100 “grown man” yards on the ground running over about six Hornet defenders in the process.

When Cam Ransom went down with a leg injury in the second quarter, Timmy McClain stepped in and handled business completing 73.5% of his passes for 266 yards. The senior from Sanford accounted for 4 touchdowns (2 passing and 2 rushing). McClain’s performance should give fans confidence in the depth of BCU’s QB room.

Perspective and Progress

The Wildcats exited the game with their egos bruised but this game was part of the process. The growing pains are real, but it is still growth.

BCU’s offense is electric and can hang with anybody in the HBCU landscape. The defense, though, is still learning what it takes to go toe-to-toe with the upper echelon programs like Alabama State and South Carolina State.

These are the games that teach you about where your program is and what needs to improve. They highlight your strengths, expose your weaknesses, and prepare you for the next step.

And that next step?

It comes this weekend when Southern University visits Daytona Beach for the first time ever. Our Wildcats will be looking for the first win in program history over the Jaguars. Southern leads the series 7 games to none but escaped last year’s matchup by just 2 points in five overtimes. A BCU win would keep them undefeated on home soil this season. It would also eclipse last year’s win total with 5 games remaining.

So, Wildcat Nation, lick your wounds but keep your heads high. The Maroon and Gold look to bounce back and keep the rebuild on track.

Statistic	BCU	ASU
First Downs
Total	33	25
Rushing	12	16
Passing	17	8
Penalty	4	1
Rushing
Total (Net)	207	388
Attempts	42	40
Avg. Per Rush	4.9	9.7
Rushing TDs	2	5
Yds. Gained	242	392
Yds. Lost	35	4
Passing
Total (Net)	362	171
Comp.-Att.-Int.	27–41–1	11-16-0
Avg. / Att.	8.8	10.7
Avg. / Comp.	13.4	15.5
TDs	3	2
Total Offense
Yards	569	559
Plays	83	56
Avg. / Play	6.9	10
Fumbles – Lost	2–1	0-0
Penalties – Yds.	4-37	7–73
Punting
Punts – Yds.	2-78	3–112
Avg. / Punt	39	37.3
Inside 20	0	1
50+ Yds.	0	0
Touchbacks	0	0
Fair Catch	0	2
Kickoffs
Total – Yds.	6-324	9–561
Avg. Yds. / Kickoff	54.0	62.3
Touchbacks	0	2
Returns
Punt: Total – Yds. – TDs	0-0-0	0-0-0
Punt: Avg. / Return	0	0
Kickoff: Total – Yds. – TDs	7–137-0	5-43-0
Kickoff: Avg. / Return	19.6	8.6
INT: Total – Yds. – TDs	0-0-0	1–18-0
Fumble: Total – Yds. – TDs	0-0-0	0-0-0
Miscellaneous
Misc. Yards	0	0
Poss. Time	33:59	26:01
3rd. Down Conv.	5 of 10	2 of 6
4th. Down Conversions	1 of 2	0 of 0
Red-Zone: Scores – Chances	4-4	5–5
Sacks: Total – Yds.	1-2	2–13
PAT: Total – Made	5-5	7–7
2PT Conversion: Total – Made	0-0	0-0
Field Goals: Total – Made	0-1	1-1

Qtr	Time	Scoring Play	BCU	ASU
1st	14:44	BCU – Huggins,Maleek 85 yd pass from Ransom,Cam’Ron (Dominguez,Juan kick) 1 plays, 85 yards, TOP 00:12	7	0
1st	09:39	ASU – Harden,Derick 13 yd pass from Body,Andrew (Abu-Akel,Andrew kick) 9 plays, 79 yards, TOP 04:59	7	7
1st	03:49	ASU – Abu-Akel,Andrew 40 yd field goal 7 plays, 29 yards, TOP 03:08	7	10
1st	01:11	ASU – Hostzclaw,Jamarie 10 yd run (Abu-Akel,Andrew kick), 4 plays, 70 yards, TOP 01:33	7	17
2nd	13:08	ASU – Ligon,Karl 2 yd run (Abu-Akel,Andrew kick), 3 plays, 35 yards, TOP 01:00	7	24
2nd	01:56	BCU – Huggins,Maleek 4 yd pass from McClain,Timmy (Dominguez,Juan kick) 10 plays, 88 yards, TOP 04:21	14	24
2nd	01:36	ASU – Jones,Jalen 30 yd pass from Body,Andrew (Abu-Akel,Andrew kick) 2 plays, 65 yards, TOP 00:20	14	31
3rd	12:13	ASU – Ligon,Karl 2 yd run (Abu-Akel,Andrew kick), 6 plays, 81 yards, TOP 02:42	14	38
3rd	06:20	ASU – Kuykendall,Jahbari 48 yd run (Abu-Akel,Andrew kick), 5 plays, 89 yards, TOP 01:58	14	45
3rd	02:16	BCU – McClain,Timmy 1 yd run (Dominguez,Juan kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:04	21	45
4th	13:31	ASU – Harris II,Marcus 1 yd run (Gilliam,Brandon kick), 7 plays, 77 yards, TOP 03:36	21	52
4th	06:26	BCU – McClain,Timmy 1 yd run (Dominguez,Juan kick), 14 plays, 74 yards, TOP 06:57	28	52
4th	01:19	BCU – Ross,Javon 20 yd pass from McClain,Timmy (Dominguez,Juan kick) 8 plays, 68 yards, TOP 02:44	35	52
			35	52