Wildcats Kicked Around by Southern in the Boot — 45-17 Final

Saturday’s visit to Baton Rouge began with the Wildcats fighting for first place in the SWAC East. It ended with another disappointing chapter in what has become a recurring nightmare on the road.

Southern ran through BCU, handing the Wildcats a 45-17 defeat at A.W. Mumford Stadium and sending them home with more questions than answers.

The Jaguars rushed for 381 yards, averaged nearly nine yards per carry and found the end zone with little resistance for much of the afternoon.

It was another lopsided result, but perhaps the most concerning aspect of the loss isn’t necessarily what happened Saturday; it’s what these road performances continue to reveal about the football program.

The Wildcats are running out of healthy bodies, their passing game has struggled to provide a consistent alternative to the running game, and their lack of depth is becoming increasingly difficult to conceal.

The road isn’t creating these problems. It’s exposing them.

Injuries Are Taking Their Toll. Depth Is Becoming the Bigger Story.

There is a temptation to look at Saturday’s result and conclude that BCU simply wasn’t ready to compete. But that’s not the whole story.

The Wildcats are running out of healthy bodies.

Five offensive linemen who have started games for Bethune were unavailable. The defensive front has also been depleted, with multiple guys unavailable to the coaching staff. Quarterback Tyler Jefferson returned to the lineup, but clearly wasn’t operating at full strength.

None of this is an excuse for the results. Every team is dealing with injuries this time of year. But the ability to absorb those injuries is what’s proving to be difficult for BCU.

The Road Keeps Exposing the Warts

At some point, you run out of different ways to describe BCU’s road problem.

Different opponents. Different stadiums. Same disappointing result.

And this isn’t simply about winning and losing. It’s about the manner in which some of these defeats have occurred.

In their three SWAC road losses, Bethune has given up 163 points while scoring just 55. That’s an average game score of about 54-18. Ouch!

Opponents Have Figured Out the Formula

Bethune has been pretty good running the ball and ranks 3rd in the conference in rushing. The Wildcats have been less dynamic through the air ranking last in the conference passing.

The old adage is points come from the passing game. And this seems to be the case for Cookman. They average just 21.5 points per game against SWAC opponents, including three performances of 17 points or fewer.

The passing game has struggled to provide the kind of consistent production necessary to keep defenses honest.

That’s particularly problematic when the running game is the foundation of the offense. If opponents can commit numbers to stopping the run without consistently paying a price through the air, the offensive playbook becomes increasingly predictable.

The situation has only become more difficult with the injuries along the offensive line and with Jefferson’s injury limitations.

Against Southern, Jefferson finished with 144 passing yards, one touchdown and an interception. He added 20 yards rushing, but the Wildcats managed only 290 yards of total offense.

It’s a difficult combination to overcome. The Wildcats need the running game to establish their offensive identity, but they also need a passing attack capable of punishing defenses that sell out to stop it.

Right now, they haven’t shown enough consistency with this balance.

The Defense Has Its Own Problems

Southern rushed for 381 yards Saturday, led by Trey Holly’s 206 yards and two touchdowns. Macario Dade added another 104 yards on just four carries, including a 70-yard touchdown run.

This comes a week after UAPB rushed for over 300 yards on the Wildcats.

Those numbers are difficult to explain away. But they clearly point to why this team has fallen on tough times the past two weeks