You know what’s great about college football? EVERYTHING.
It’s the greatest sport on earth. And part of what makes it so amazing is its unpredictability.
I mean, look at the chaos surrounding the Wacky SWAC over the past two weeks. Or consider the madness in the AP Top 10, where five of the nation’s top seven teams fell yesterday.
Then there are our Wildcats, whom many were ready to write off following last week’s hurricane drenched contest.
But in the immortal words of Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend!”
Bethune-Cookman answered the bell Saturday with a BIG bounce-back win in the Delta, taking down Mississippi Valley State 34–14.
I know. There will be a bunch of folks who dismiss this as merely a game BCU was supposed to win.
But remember, Valley entered Saturday as one of the hottest teams in the conference, fresh off back-to-back victories over reigning SWAC champion Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern. There were plenty of the self-proclaimed, social media prognosticators who even picked the Wildcats to fall.
Instead, Bethune delivered a businesslike performance, controlling the contest from start to finish.
Defense Sets the Tone
First, BCU’s defense was absolutely lights out.
Outside of a handful of plays where you simply tip your cap to quarterback Josh Brown and the Valley offense, the Wildcats smothered the Delta Devils’ rushing attack and extinguished their aerial assault.
By day’s end, BCU had forced 4 turnovers, registered 6 sacks and 11 tackles for loss, and held Valley to just 14 points.
No one had a bigger hand in that than Jaden Davis.
The redshirt junior safety out of Tampa’s Plant High School had an afternoon he will one day tell his grandkids about.
Three interceptions. A scoop and score fumble return touchdown. Nine tackles. A sack. And a tackle for loss.
Yeah, take a bow young king!
But this was hardly a one man show.
Keyontae Byas tied a NCAA record with 9 pass breakups. Joseph Evans added two sacks and three tackles for loss, Steven Sparrow and Isaiah Washburn also got into the backfield for sacks and tackles for loss.
Just a tremendous afternoon for the Wildcat defense.
Jefferson Answers the Call
On the offensive side, you have to give a HUGE shout out to quarterback Tyler Jefferson for his performance in relief of the injured Amari Jones.
Jones moved the football effectively during the opening possessions but appeared to reaggravate the ankle injury that has sidelined him for much of the season.
Enter Jefferson.
The sophomore quarterback stepped in and delivered exactly what the Wildcats needed. He finished the afternoon responsible for four touchdowns; two rushing and two passing.
Both touchdown passes went to Rickie Shaw II, and both covered 23 yards.
Jefferson didn’t need to be Superman. He simply took advantage of the opportunities in front of him, made the right plays, delivered the ball on time, and helped the Wildcats put Valley away.
And considering the criticism and struggles surrounding BCU’s quarterback play this season, you have to be happy for Jefferson.
Great job, TJ. Here’s hoping for more of the same in the weeks ahead.
Right Back in the Hunt
Speaking of the weeks ahead, here’s where things get interesting.
BCU finds itself tied atop the SWAC East standings, with Jackson State preparing to come to town.
And in a league as unpredictable as the Wacky SWAC, that’s exactly where you want to be.
I’m not sure what the social media experts will predict about the JSU game.
What I do suspect is that when Bethune plays the kind of football we witnessed Saturday… opportunistic on defense, timely offensive execution, and disciplined, complementary football, the Wildcats can compete with and beat anybody in this conference.
Last week, we asked, “What’s next for BCU?”
We got that answer: a Big Bounce Back!
Now let’s keep it going!
Hail Wildcats!
