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MEAC, Ohio Valley trust change is in the air

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Credits: TSU Athletics

Credits: TSU Athletics

By Craig Haley, FCS Executive Director

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Is this finally the year? That’s what teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Ohio Valley Conference have been asking themselves for too long.

They’re hoping the first half of the season suggests the FCS playoffs will be different – for whomever comes out of their respective conference.

But they might have an idea already the way OVC front-runners Eastern Illinois and Tennessee State and MEAC leaders Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State are playing this season. All four could be postseason-bound.

Both conferences are steeped in tradition, but, incredibly, a MEAC team has not won an FCS playoff game since 1999 and the OVC has been shut out since 2000.

UT Martin coach Jason Simpson said at OVC media day that the lack of playoff success is the “thorn in our (the conference’s) side right now.” South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough says success in the playoffs “is at a real, real high level. Until as a (MEAC) league we all get there, I don’t know if any individual can rise above it enough to hang in the league with the CAA and with the Southern Conference and those kinds of leagues.”

Coaches in both conferences point to difficult first-round matchups as the main reason for the playoff failure. When the playoffs were 16 teams deep, the MEAC sometimes ran into a regional road block against the CAA or SoCon, and the OVC champ sometimes ran into a Missouri Valley Football Conference team, and, in three different years from 2001-10, the eventual national champion, in an early round game.

This year’s results can’t be denied, however. The playoffs will expand from 20 to 24 teams, and both conferences could have two playoff qualifiers each.

In the OVC, No. 5-ranked Eastern Illinois (5-1) has basically had the best results of any team in the FCS, starting with a three-touchdown win at San Diego State and victories over Southern Illinois, Illinois State and Eastern Kentucky, losing only to Northern Illinois. The Jimmy Garoppolo express is on another level this season and the Panthers could be headed toward being a seeded team.

Tennessee State (6-1) might have the type of stingy defense to stop EIU, and the road-tested the Tigers hope to win the OVC’s automatic bid. The Tigers have only lost by a field goal to Bethune-Cookman

Speaking of whom, Bethune-Cookman (5-1) could enter the picture as the MEAC’s best hope to the playoff drought. Like Eastern Illinois, the Wildcats have a win over an FBS team (FIU) and their only loss was to another FBS opponent (Florida State).

They hosted playoff games in 2010 and last year, and have no intention of coughing up another home game if they have one this season.

But Bethune-Cookman may not even be the MEAC’s top club. South Carolina State (5-2) has reeled off five straight wins, including a sweep of North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central in a five-day span, to make a statement after having a rare subpar season under coach Buddy Pough. Their losses are only to Clemson and unbeaten Coastal Carolina.

South Carolina State hosts Bethune-Cookman on Oct. 26, which is also the date of the Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State showdown.

Veterans at quarterback and playmakers on defenses link the four teams. Victories in the playoffs may link them by season’s end.

Read on: http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/news/news.aspx?id=4631160

MEAC Roundup 10/12/13 – Seperation Saturday ???

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Alvin Hollins Jr.

Alvin Hollins Jr.

By ALVIN HOLLINS JR.
Alvinhollins833@yahoo.com – Most teams are at the halfway point of their seasons, and some things are becoming clear:

THE BEST OF THE BEST: Bethune-Cookman, South Carolina State. These two are headed for a classic Showcase Showdown: DOGS vs. CATS ON THE BEACH, October 26….

TEAMS ON THE RISE?: Parity has reared its head in this league with only two remaining unbeaten teams (See Best of the Best), leaving a nine-team mass of humanity in their wake…. Delaware State (2-1) seems to be the best of the crowd, although Norfolk State (2-1) is tied with them for third (DSU owns a head-to-head edge from Saturday’s 14-7 win over NSU)….

IMPOSTERS OR HOPEFULS: After that, there is a four-team pack of 1-1 teams who still have hopes to have a say in the conference race: North Carolina Central, FAMU, Morgan State and Hampton… Hampton pulled a huge upset of North Carolina A&T ending a winless streak,,, FAMU snapped a four-game slide with a win at Savannah State, ending for the moment a mystifying slump that had the Rattler faithful shaking their heads… NCCU was bombed at home Thursday by South Carolina State, raising questions about the program’s stability with the drama surrounding their deposed coach… Morgan State was off Saturday, but they too have been too inconsistent to be a contender…

FLAT OUT OF IT: North Carolina A&T (1-2) was riding the wave of a 3-0 start including two OOC wins, but back-to-back conference losses have all but eliminated them from the race, but perhaps the program is showing fatigue being shorthanded scholarship wise, and from some problematic issues with personnel…. Howard (0-3) is clearly a team of potential perhaps missing their head coach (on leave), but the Bison seem to be in fade mode now…. Savannah State (0-3) may be the most dangerous 0-3 team in the league with their Air Raid spread offense under first year coach Earnest Wilson, and may yet scratch out a win or two before the year ends…

NOTES: The league will hit the halfway point in conference play this week, and it appears that B-CU and SCSU (remember those preseason predictions??? Starting to look like Nostradumus those folks) are a cut above, but while SCSU seems to be on a mission to dominate and destroy, B-CU seems content to get the lead and protect it…. Should make for an interesting bout in two weeks…

What will be interesting will be how the other nine squads shake out…. Delaware State has just one team left on its’ schedule with a .500 overall record, this week at North Carolina A&T, so the pesky Hornets might still have a title shot if the frontrunners find an oil slick or two on the road ahead…. DSU arguably had the strongest schedule with #1 North Dakota State, #4 Towson, #16 Bethune-Cookman and Delaware…

Norfolk State has a rugged closing schedule with ODU (Oct. 26), then B-CU, SCSU and NCCU in the last three games in November…

Everyone else, we’ll just have to wait and see….

 

2013 MEAC FOOTBALL STANDINGS
Through October 12
Team …………………… Conference …….. Overall
South Carolina State …. 3-0 1.000 ….. 5-2 .714
Bethune-Cookman ……. 2-0 1.000 ….. 5-1 .857
Delaware State …………2-1 .667 ….. 2-4 .333
Norfolk State ………….. 2-1 .667 ….. 2-4 .333
North Carolina Central .. 1-1 .500 ….. 3-3 .500
Florida A&M ……………. 1-1 .500 ….. 2-4 .333
Hampton …………………1-1 .500 ….. 1-5 .167
Morgan State ……………1-1 .500 ….. 1-5 .167
North Carolina A&T …… 1-2 .333 ….. 3-2 .600
Howard …………………. 0-3 .000 ….. 1-6 .142
Savannah State ……….. 0-3 .000 ….. 1-6 .142

MEAC WEEK SEVEN SCORECARD (October 10-12)
Thursday
South Carolina State 44, North Carolina Central 3, ESPNU

Saturday
Bethune-Cookman 27, Howard 6
Hampton 31, North Carolina A&T 26
Delaware State 14, Norfolk State 7
Florida A&M 27, Savannah State 14

NEXT WEEK’S SCHEDULE (October 19)
Savannah State at Bethune-Cookman, 4:00
Hampton at Norfolk State, 1:00
Delaware State at North Carolina A&T, 1:00
Morgan State at North Carolina Central, 2:00
Howard University at Florida A&M, 2:00
South Carolina State is idle.

MEAC Power Rankings Week 6

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Here’s how the 11 MEAC teams stack up based  on records, rankings and their remaining schedules as the Hunt For November begins.

Howard QB Greg McGhee (Courtesy Photo/Howard Sports)

Howard QB Greg McGhee (Courtesy Photo/Howard Sports)

 

By ALVIN HOLLINS  JR.
Alvinhollins833@yahoo.com

Now that the 2013 Mid-Eastern  Athletic Conference Football’s “Hunt For November” is in full swing with league  play headed into its’ third week, the time has come for ranking the boyz from  top to bottom, along with their remaining schedules.

The rankings below  are based on the Jeff Sagarin College Football Ratings, and any positions in  various national polls will be included.


Bethune-Cookman (4-1, 1-0 * #16 FCS/#1 SBN/#2 HSRN * 118  Sagarin)
@ With wins over #145 Sagarin/#1 HSRN/#2 SBN Tennessee  State (5-1) and FBS member Florida International, the defending champs are the  team to beat…. And with North Carolina A&T’s 29-24 conference loss to South  Carolina State last week, the Wildcats are in full control of their own destiny,  as they for now have avoided a potential tie with A&T for the title since  the two teams don’t play this season… The ‘Cats do have three key games in the  next four weeks: Saturday at Howard; Oct. 26 vs. SCSU; Nov. 2 at NCCU.

REMAINING SCHEDULE: Saturday @ Howard; 10-19 SSU; 10-26 SCSU; 11-2 @  NCCU; 11-9 NSU; 11-16 HAMP; 11-23 FAMU (Orlando).


South Carolina State (4-2, 2-0 * #3 SBN/#4 HRSN * 162  Sagarin)
@ The Bulldogs appear to be on the rebound from last  year’s sub .500 overall finish, owning a slice of the league lead and a huge win  over North Carolina A&T, puts them on track towards a possible 13th MEAC  title… But the next three weeks will likely tell the tale of the Bulldogs’  season as they are at NCCU Thursday, then trek to Bethune-Cookman after a bye  week, on Oct. 26.

REMAINING GAMES: Thursday at NCCU; 10-19 BYE; 10-26  @ B-CU; 11-2 @ SSU; 11-9 FAMU; 11-16 MORG; 11-23 @ NSU

North  Carolina A&T (3-1, 1-1 * #5 SBN/#7 HSRN * 176 Sagarin)
@the  Aggies scored big out-of-conference wins over Appalachian State and Elon to open  a few eyes, but their march toward the MEAC title was derailed a bit by their  heartbreaking 29-24 loss to resurgent South Carolina State in Atlanta last  Saturday.
A&T will need help to win the title as they will be chasing  B-CU, SCSU, NCCU and Norfolk the rest of the way, with only NCCU on their  schedule at season’s end.

REMAINING GAMES: Saturday @ Hampton; 10-19  DSU; 10-26 @ FAMU; 11-2 VA-LYNCHBURG; 11-9 @ MORG; 11-16 SSU; 11-23  NCCU

North Carolina Central (3-2, 1-0 * #9 HSRN/#10  SBN * 192 Sagarin)
@despite the off-field drama surrounding  deposed head coach Henry Frazier, the Eagles remain focused on chasing their  first MEAC title in 40 years… Very competitive in a 35-17 home setback to #4 FCS  Towson on Sept. 21, the Eags outslugged Howard, 37-28 on the road last week in  their league opener… NCCU has the other four title contenders on tap (SCSU, NSU,  B-CU and A&T), beginning their attack run at home Thursday against first  place SCSU.

REMAINING GAMES: Thursday SCSU; 10-19 MORG; 10-26 @ SSU;  11-2 B-CU; 11-9 @ HAM; 11-16 NSU; 11-23 @ NCA&T

DSC_0184Norfolk State (2-3, 2-0 * #10 HSRN * 225 Sagarin)
@ Two  conference wins have softened the disappointment of an 0-3 start, which included  relatively close bouts against Charleston Southern and Maine, plus a money game  at Rutgers… The Spartans’ league wins were no walks in the park though, as they  eased past Morgan State (27-21) and needed a blocked field goal to eke past  suddenly dangerous Savannah State (26-24) last week…. The Spartans, who are  spared a matchup with A&T, will have the trio of Bethune-Cookman and NCCU  back-to-back on the road before closing at home against SCSU… Oh, and they duel  ODU in two weeks (Oct. 26) too.

REMAINING GAMES: Saturday at DSU;  10-19 HAMP; 10-26 ODU; 11-2 FAMU; 11-9 @b-CU; 11-16 @ NCCU; 11-23  SCSU.

Howard University (1-5, 0-2 * 221  Sagarin)
@ The Bison started strong in their first two games,  holding a fourth quarter lead before fading at Eastern Michigan, 34-24, then  rebounding for a 27-16 against Morehouse, but have since dropped three straight  including back-to-back conference games which have all but snuffed out their  title hopes for 2013… Their Saturday home bout with defending champion  Bethune-Cookman could either eliminate them from title contention, or keep them  in the mix, as their remaining schedule after Saturday features six teams with  losing records.

REMAINING GAMES: Saturday vs. B-CU; 10-19 @ FAMU;  10-26 MORG; 11-2 @ DSU; 11-9 SSU; 11-16 @tex. SOUTH; 11-23 @  HAMP

Delaware State (1-4, 1-1 * 229 Sagarin) 
@ The Hornets have been a tough out despite being in rebuilding  mode, escaping Savannah State with a 24-22 win, before going toe-to-toe with  #21st ranked Bethune-Cookman for three quarters before bowing out 21-7… The  Hornets have played a rugged schedule so far which features three FCS Top 25  teams – #1 North Dakota State; #4 Towson and the #21 Wildcats, along with  perennial power Delaware…. DSU has two remaining contenders on their schedule,  Norfolk State at home Saturday and North Carolina A&T on the road (Oct.  19).

REMAINING GAMES: Saturday vs. Norfolk State; 10-19 @ NCA&T;  10-26 @ HAMP; 11-2 HOWARD; 11-9 BYE; 11-16 @ FAMU; 11-23  MORG.

Morgan State (1-5, 1-1 * 234  Sagarin)
@ The Bears snapped a five-game skid last Saturday with a  34-21 home win over slumping Florida A&M, on the heels of a narrow 27-21  conference-opening loss at Norfolk State two weeks ago… Morgan has a bye  Saturday before a closing six-game stretch that includes contenders NCCU, SCSU,  A&T and DSU.

REMAINING GAMES: 10-12 BYE; 10-19 @ NCCU;  10-26 @  HOW; 11-2 HAMP; 11-9 NCA&T; 11-16 @ SCSU; 11-23 @ DSU

Florida A&M (1-4, 0-1 * 223 Sagarin)
@ The Rattlers  are the leading candidates for the league’s Most Disappointing Award right now,  having lost four straight games, including two winnable non-conference home  bouts against Tennessee State (27-7) and Samford (27-20), and last Saturday’s  34-21 loss in their conference opener at Morgan State… The FAMU Offense, has  tailed off dramatically so far, ranking last in the MEAC and 120th (of 122) in  FCS, managing a paltry 211 yards per game… The Rattlers are still alive for the  title, but face four of the leading contenders – A&T, NSU, SCSU and B-CU in  their closing seven game stretch.

REMAINING GAMES: 10-12 @ Savannah  State; 10-19 HOWARD; 10-26 NCA&T; 11-2 @ NSU; 11-9 @ SCSU; 11-16; DSU; 11-23  B-CU (Orlando).

Hampton (0-5, 0-1 * 233  Sagarin)
@ The Pirates are on the verge of being marched off the  plank of their own ship as they continue their recent struggles on the gridiron  under beleaguered coach Don Rose… Although they are just 0-1 and mathematically  still in the hunt for the league title, they have a formidable final seven games  that includes Saturday’s home bout with North Carolina A&T, next week’s road  game at Norfolk, plus a November home date with NCCU followed by a road tilt at  Bethune-Cookman.

REMAINING GAMES: Saturday vs. North Carolina A&T;  10-19 @ NSU; 10-26 DSU; 11-2 @ MORG; 11-9 NCCU; 11-16 @ B-CU; 11-23  HOWARD.

Savannah State (1-5, 0-2 * 242  Sagarin)
@ Under new management, the Tigers are no longer playful  tabby cats but have shown a renewed growl since the hiring of head coach Earnest  Wilson this summer… SSU is six points away from being 2-0 in league play, with a  24-22 home loss to Delaware State, followed by a 26-24 road heartbreaker at  Norfolk State last week… The Tigers host struggling FAMU Saturday, then tackle  B-CU, NCCU, SCSU, Howard and A&T to close the regular  season.

REMAINING GAMES: Saturday vs. FAMU; 10-19 @ B-CU; 10-26 NCCU;  11-2 SCSU; 11-9 @ HOW; 11-16 @ NCA&T

Wildcats shake off lackluster start; defeat DSU 21-7

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New look helmetsDover- #21 Bethune-Cookman (4-1, 10) shook off a lackluster first half of football and used a balanced offensive attack and 3 defensive interceptions to secure a 21-7 win over Delaware State (1-4, 1-1) in Alumni Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Delaware State opened the game’s scoring when Cory Murphy hooked up with Malik Golson for a 7 yard touchdown pass midway through the 1st quarter.

The Wildcats tied the game at 7 on a 3 yard touchdown run by Anthony Jordan.  The 10 play, 75 yard scoring drive was aided by a 30 yard Jackie Wilson to Eddie Poole strike and an Isidore Jackson 4th down conversion on 4th and 4 from the DSU 24.

BCU took the lead for good midway through the 3rd when quarterback Quentin Williams kept the ball on an option read and raced 31 yards off tackle for the score.

Poole hauled in a 15 yard touchdown pass from Williams with 4:40 remaining to seal the contest 21-7 for the Cats. The 15 yard catch and run provided Poole with his first TD reception of the season and it pushed him over the 100 yard receiving mark for the first time this year as well.

Bethune-Cookman finished the afternoon with 409 yards of Total Offense (241 rushing, 168 passing) while holding DSU to 223 yards (only 10 yards rushing).

Defensive backs Dion Hanks and Thomas Finnie finished with 7 tackles apiece while Joshua Richardson, Nick Addison and Erik Williams all registered interceptions.

BCU travels to D.C. to take on the Howard Bison next week at 1:00.

Game stats
BCU at DSU Video Highlights

Marching Wildcats Score Big with FSU Fans

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Florida State fans, who were more than gracious hosts might I add, set social media ablaze both during and after “The Pride’s” performance at Bobby Bowden Field on Saturday night.  Here is a sampling of the reactions of the FSU faithful.

(Special thanks to our man and former Marching Wildcat Jimmy Jay Hernandez {@JimmyToTheJay} for capturing some of these reactions on Twitter).

Hail Pride and Hail Wildcats!!!!

https://twitter.com/FSURich/status/381581788004749312

https://twitter.com/JonathanBTSY/status/381570004216709120

From Warchant.com

bcu band fsu

bcu ban fsu 2

Wildcats ranked 18th/20th in latest FCS polls

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Cary White rushes for a score against FIU

Cary White rushes for a score against FIU

Bethune-Cookman head into its bye-week losing one spot in both the FCS Coaches and SportsNetwork media polls.  The Wildcats currently sit 18th and 20th respectively in the each poll.

BCU registered an impressive 3-1 mark in the month of September with out-of-conference victories over Tennessee State of the Ohio Valley Conference and Florida International from FBS’ Conference USA.  The #8 ranked Florida State Seminoles handed BCU their lone defeat.

The Wildcats have won 14 straight MEAC contests and begin conference play after the bye-week when they head to Dover to take on Delaware State on October 5th.

Coaches Poll

TEAM SCHOOL (FIRST-PLACE VOTES) RECORD POINTS PREV- IOUS
1. North Dakota State (26) 3-0 650 1
2. Towson 4-0 616 3
3. Eastern Washington 2-1 598 4
4. Sam Houston State 3-1 573 5
5. Northern Iowa 3-0 531 7
6. South Dakota State 3-1 465 6
T-7. New Hampshire 2-1 460 9
T-7. Montana 3-0 460 11
9. McNeese State 4-0 409 13
10. Montana State 2-2 402 2
11. Coastal Carolina 4-0 372 15
12. Eastern Illinois 3-1 354 10
13. Central Arkansas 2-2 326 14
14. James Madison 3-1 283 16
15. Wofford 2-2 278 8
16. Fordham 4-0 217 21
17. Lehigh 3-0 214 18
18. Bethune-Cookman 3-1 179 17
19. Cal Poly 1-2 169 19
20. Richmond 2-2 156 20
21. Villanova 1-2 155 23
22. Northern Arizona 2-1 117 22
23. Stony Brook 1-2 107 12
24. Illinois State 1-2 80 24
25. Youngstown State 3-1 47 NR

Dropped out: No. 25 Maine.

Others receiving votes: Maine 46, Tennessee-Martin 44, Gardner-Webb 35, William & Mary 27, Jacksonville State 21, Portland State 15, Southern Utah 8, Delaware 7, Tennessee State 6, Harvard 5, Chattanooga 4, Stephen F. Austin 4, Indiana State 2, North Carolina A&T 1, Sacred Heart 1.

 

Noles Scalp Wildcats

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Despite a 48-point win, Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher saw lots of room for improvement.

Quarterback Jameis Winston completed 10 of 19 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns, Devonta Freeman ran for 112 yards and a touchdown to lead the No. 8 Seminoles to a 54-6 win over Bethune-Cookman on Saturday night.

The defending ACC champions (3-0, 1-0) will want to clean up their offense before starting a seven-game stretch against conference foes next week.

“Had three or four dropped balls. Had two dropped touchdowns. We have a lot of room to grow,” Fisher said. “We have to clean a lot of things up. I just think it was a lack of focus. It was lack of concentration. It can happen to anybody, you have to stay focused.”

Winston entered the game with more touchdown passes (6) than incompletions (5). His highlight moment came when he scrambled from the B-C 11-yard line, spun out of a LeBrandon Richardson sack, kept his eyes downfield and connected with Benjamin for a touchdown.

Freeman had his second consecutive 100-yard game. Karlos Williams finished with 83 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and James Wilder, Jr. added 56 yards and a touchdown. Kenny Shaw tied Rashad Greene with a game-high four receptions. Shaw led all pass-catchers with 89 yards receiving.

The Wildcats (3-1) scored their lone touchdown off a seven-yard run from quarterback Jackie Wilson with 8:21 left in the third quarter.

“I feel as good as I can feel about a game like this,” Bethune-Cookman coach Brian Jenkins said. “We finished the game fighting, we finished the game strong.

“For me it’s some good and some bad too that we’ve got to get corrected.”

Florida State ran away in the second quarter and took a 33-0 lead into halftime, but all three starting receivers had dropped passes, including two for touchdowns. The defense also missed several tackles.

Both teams committed their share of unforced errors in an odd first half. Bethune-Cookman returner Darian Baker muffed two kickoffs that left the offense starting from the 2 and the 6. Tackle Alex Monroe was flagged for holding in the end zone to give the Seminoles a safety. Quarterback Quentin Williams stared down and pointed to receiver Eddie Poole just before Telvin Smith picked off the pass and returned it 68 yards for a touchdown.

Florida State receivers entered the game without a single drop this season, but that quickly changed. The usually sure-handed Greene dropped a pass in the first quarter. Kelvin Benjamin dropped a ball just outside of the end zone that would have been a score. Shaw also muffed one as he turned the corner towards the end zone just before halftime. Replay ruled it a drop instead of a fumble.

“It was a catch and I thought I was going to score,” Shaw said. “My eyes got big and I got excited. That happens in football, but we’re going to pick it up from here on out.”

Wilder, Jr. lost a fumble at the Bethune-Cookman 3. The defense even had its issues as missed tackles plagued the Seminoles.

Florida State held its opponent to a single score for the second consecutive game and was responsible for scoring nine points. The unit was down three starters as linebacker Christian Jones and defensive end Eddie Goldman were held out due to a violation of team rules. Defensive end Mario Edwards, Jr. sat out with a hand injury.

“We have to tackle in space better,” Fisher said. “I wasn’t happy with the way we tackled in space at times tonight. We have to do a better job.”

Telvin Smith posted a game-high 12 tackles and had his first sack of the season. The Seminoles’ three sacks matched their total from the first three games. Redshirt freshman defensive end Chris Casher finished with 10 tackles, including two for loss.

Team Stat Comparison

COOK

FSU
1st Downs 18 26
Total Yards 242 492
Passing 60 226
Rushing 182 266
Penalties 8-59 3-25
3rd Down Conversions 9-18 2-6
4th Down Conversions 0-0 0-0
Turnovers 1 1
Possession 35:59 24:01

Passing Leaders

Bethune-Cookman C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT
Wilson 5/10 37 3.7 0 0
Florida State C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT
Winston 10/19 148 7.8 2 0

Rushing Leaders

Bethune-Cookman CAR YDS AVG TD LG
Jordan 15 81 5.4 0 16
Wilson 12 41 3.4 1 10
Florida State CAR YDS AVG TD LG
Freeman 10 112 11.2 1 33
Williams 9 83 9.2 2 35

Receiving Leaders

Bethune-Cookman REC YDS AVG TD LG
Poole 3 46 15.3 0 23
Murphy 2 9 4.5 0 8
Florida State REC YDS AVG TD LG
Shaw 4 89 22.3 0 29
Greene 4 44 11.0 1 19

 

Wildcats secure historic 34-14 win over FBS foe Florida International

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SONY DSC

Wildcats defeat FIU 34-13 – Credits HailWildcats.com

MIAMI — Anthony Jordan ran for 150 yards and a touchdown to lead Bethune-Cookman to its first victory ever over an FBS opponent, defeating Florida International 34-13.

Bethune-Cookman (3-0) improved to 3-0 all-time against Florida International (0-3) and the win extends the Wildcats’ regular season win streak to 10 games over the past two seasons.

Florida International had no answer for Bethune-Cookman’s rushing attack. The Wildcats rolled up 311 yards on the ground while dominating the time of possession. Three different backs each ran for at least 65 yards and a touchdown, including quarterback Quentin Williams.

Adding insult to injury, Bethune-Cookman’s Tim Burke intercepted a Jake Medlock pass in the fourth quarter and returned it from on his own 8-yard line for a touchdown.

FIU’s T.J. Lowder caught six passes for 125 yards and a touchdown in the loss.

More to come shortly.  Be sure to check in with us soon.

BCU leads FIU 14-7 at the half

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Bethune-Cookman takes a 14-7 lead to the half over Florida International in Miami.  The Wildcats are controlling both lines of scrimmage rushing for 182 yards on offense on 25 carries.  That is a whopping 7.3 yards per carry.  Defensively BCU is holding the FIU offense to 2.3 yards per rushing attempt.

Anthony Jordan scored on a 58 yard TD run on BCU’s first offensive series capping off a 4 play, 91 yard drive that covered 1:28.  FIU evened the score at 7 apiece on an 8 yard pass from Jake Medlock to T.J. Lowder at the 6:51 mark in the 2nd.

Cary White’s 5 yard TD run pushed BCU’s lead back to 7 and capped a 66 yard scoring drive.

Anthony Jordan is averaging 12.6 yards per rush.

BCU takes over possession when we resume play after half.

Team Stats COOK   FIU
First Downs 11 5
Total Plays 36 29
Total Yards 207 171
Passing 25 128
Rushing 182 43
Penalties 2 / 25 3 / 19
Possession 14:55 14:12
Turnovers 0 0

Who Will Ascend (Week Three) at FIU

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bethune-cookman    at    florida-international-11

Sat., Sept. 14, 2013

Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium

 

The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (2-0) travel south this weekend to take on the Florida International Panthers (0-2) in Miami on Saturday night at 6:00 p.m.  The Wildcats will look to improve to 3-0 on the season, 3-0 all-time against FIU, and secure its first ever win over a FBS opponent (FIU had not yet made the jump to the FBS level when the teams last meet in 2003).

Vegas Wild about the Cats

The Vegas sports betting odds opened on Monday with FIU favored by 3 points. The betting line moved 5.5 points in BCU’s favor within an hour of the spread being posted and another .5 point within 2 hours.  By 3:45 p.m. on Monday afternoon, BCU had gone from 3 point underdogs to 3 point road favorites. You heard right; that is not a misprint.   Vegas has a road FCS squad (BCU) favored by 3 points over a FBS team (FIU) in their home stadium.  OUCH!!! 

Vegas sports betting trends suggests the “wise guys” otherwise known as professional gamblers saw value in BCU and bet the line in BCU’s favor.  The line has remained the same for most of the week.

The Matchup

Florida International is ranked dead last in the nation in scoring offense averaging a mere 5 points per game.  Defensively the Panthers are allowing 483 yards per game and rank 108th out of 123 FBS teams.  Ron Turner started 11 new players when FIU took on Maryland in week one. The team has dealt with a rash of injuries in their first 2 games of the year.  The injuries are compounded by the already heavy attrition issues resulting from a tumultuous offseason in which FIU’s leading receiver, Glenn Coleman; starting running back, Kedrick Rhodes, and cornerback Richard Leonard were all ruled ineligible for academic reasons.  Transfer running back Jakhari Gore was kicked off the team for off the field issues.

Meanwhile Bethune-Cookman is averaging 362 yards and 39 points per game on offense while yielding just 215 yards and 8 points per game on defense.

BCU is unbeaten in their two prior meetings with FIU defeating the Panthers 31-0 in 2002 and 24-14 in 2003.  Like this season, BCU was ranked in the FCS Top 25 at the time of their prior clashes with the Panthers (#21 in 2002 and #7 in 2003).

A win on Saturday will mark the first time in the history of the BCU football program and only the 2nd time in MEAC history that a conference school has defeated a current FBS foe.  Florida A&M defeated the University of Miami 16-13 in 1979.

Road Warriors

The Marching Wildcats will join the football team at Alfonso Field on Saturday.  “The Pride” has performed in Nashville, Daytona, Jacksonville, and now Miami in less than 14 days.  The band is also expected to travel to Tallahassee for the Florida State contest on the 21st and will soon make an appearance at Raymond James Stadium for a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game according to what we are being told.  Give it up for the band.

The game will be streamed live at FIUSports.com. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.