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

Who Will Ascend….at Delaware State

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????????Thank God it’s Friday.  Not only has the busy workweek ended but we can finally get back to some good ol’ fashion Bethune-Cookman football after what seems like a forever-break.  The 3-1 Wildcats are fresh off a bye week and will travel to Dover this Saturday for a 2:00 kickoff against Delaware State (1-3).

DSU secured its first victory of the season a week ago slipping past Savannah State 24-22 on the road.  Senior quarterback Cory Murphy completed 8-19 passes for 190 yards and 2 touchdowns in the contest.  Murphy and the DSU offense sit atop the conference rankings in passing offense averaging 232.2 yards per game.  Despite their relative success through the air, the Hornets have managed to score a pedestrian 13 points per game through their first four contests.  They haven’t fared much better defensively in the scoring department where they are yielding an eye-popping 41 points per game.

To DSU’s credit, their schedule has been a brutal one and all 3 of the Hornet’s losses have come at the hands of Top 25 opponents (#1-North Dakota State (51-0), #3-Towson (49-7), and #24-Delaware (42-21)).  The not-so-good news for DSU is that BCU enters the contest ranked #21 in the Sports Network poll, #16 in the FCS Coaches poll, and undefeated in their last 13 MEAC matchups.  To make things worse for the Hornets, Preseason MEAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year, Isidore Jackson, is scheduled to return to the BCU backfield after missing the last two games due to what coach Brian Jenkins called in-house issues.  Jackson’s presence is sure to boost BCU’s already MEAC best rushing attack (234 ypg).  During Jackson’s absence, Anthony Jordan filled in more than adequately and now leads the MEAC in rushing yards (302 yards) and yards per carry (6.0).

De-fense

LeBrandon Richardson -HailWildcats.com

LeBrandon Richardson -HailWildcats.com

The BCU defense has become known for taking the ball away and pressuring the opposing quarterback under coordinator Yogi Jones’s guidance.  The Cats will look to turn up the heat on a Del State offense that has already turned the ball over 10 times (5 fumbles, 5 interceptions) and allowed 14 sacks this season.  BCU currently leads the conference in Total Defense (287.8 ypg), interceptions, and interception returns for scores.  Look for the Wildcat defense to have a big afternoon against the Delaware State attack if they perform up to their usual standards.

In the end, Bethune should have little problems taking care of business against Delaware State on Saturday.

Yes, we know that on any given Saturday upsets can occur and yes you must respect your opponent; but BCU is flat-out the better team, they are more physical in the trenches and they have superior athletes and depth across the board.  Vegas odds makers list the Wildcats as 20 point favorites.  We have no reason to believe that the Wildcats won’t match Vegas’ 3 touchdown prediction.

Marching Wildcats Score Big with FSU Fans

/ J Bell / 1 Comment

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

 

Who Will Ascend BCU at FSU

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Bethune-Cookman is off to a hot start and the programs first ever win over a FBS opponent (a 34-13 victory over FIU).  BCU will try to carry some of that early season momentum in to Tallahassee when they square off against one of the most storied programs in NCAA history on Saturday night in Doak Campbell Stadium.

????????Florida State overwhelmed its first two opponents (Pittsburg and Nevada) offensively outscoring them 103-20 racking up 1150 yards of offense in the process. Quarterback Jameis Winston is on everyone’s Heisman watchlist and has thrown more touchdown passes (6) than incompletions (40-45 passing with only 5 incompletions) this season.

Winston has the luxury of passing to one of the nation’s best receiving corps and/or handing the ball off to what some argue is the best running back tandem in the country in James Wilder Jr. and Devonta Freeman.  Karlos Williams, recently converted from defensive back to running back, rushed for over 100 yards last week and adds even more  firepower to the Seminoles already crowded backfield.

Defensively, Florida State is yielding an ungenerous 10 points and 255.5 yards per contest so to say BCU will have their hands full keeping this game respectable is an understatement.

The Wildcats have played 12 quarters of football against FBS competition in their program history.  If you take out the 4th quarters of the two Miami games in 2011/12, the aggregate score of BCU vs. the FBS is 55-61.  That’s less than a touchdown difference in 10 of the 12 quarters of play.

If BCU can find a way to keep this game competitive for three quarters and avoid any major injuries, I think this trip can be considered a successful one.  If…and I mean a HUGE IF…by some celestial stroke of divine serendipity BCU pulls off one of the biggest upsets in college football history…nah we won’t even allow ourselves to think that way.  Let’s just say that thought was going to end with the talk of gold speedos, a maroon cape, and a Zorro mask.

Perhaps the best matchup of tonight will be ‘Let’s Go Wildcats’ vs. the ‘Seminole War Chant’.  These are easily two of the best anthems in college football.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 EST.  The game can be viewed live on ESPN3.com

Final Rant (Week 3) at FIU

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Drexler Dixon

Drexler Dixon

Shortly after Bethune-Cookman’s historic 34-13 win over Florida International on Saturday night, Golden Panthers head coach Ron Turner told his team “we got beat by a better football team because they’re more of a team than we are.” Turner neglected to mention to his guys that BCU fielded a squad just as athletic as his, they were equal if not superior in overall team speed, and the Wildcats were much more physical at the point of attack than were his Panthers. In essence, Turner should have said Bethune-Cookman was simply the better football team; no qualifiers needed.

This is our house

The Wildcats set the tone for the night in the parking lot before kickoff. No, there was no pregame dust-up between the two sides; I am referring to the deluxe-size BCU tailgate taking place in the parking lot. South Florida alumni chapters put together a homecoming worthy tailgate that covered the East parking lot with an abundance of Maroon and Gold supporters. The eyeball test suggests the stands inside the stadium were filled with an equal number of BCU and FIU fans.

A collective echo of ooohhhhhhhhs rang loudly on the first play of regulation when backup running back and special teams ace Drexler Dixon leveled FIU return man De’Andre Jasper on the game’s opening kickoff. Jasper left the field under his own power but the tone was established; BCU was dead set on playing fast, playing aggressive, and they were up for the challenge of proving they could compete with any team in the nation regardless of classification. For the next 59 and half minutes, it was BCU from the NCAA’s lower tiered Division One Football Championship Subdivision who dominated play.
The Wildcats kept the momentum rolling on their first offensive possession needing only 4 plays to drive 91 yards. Junior running back Anthony Jordan capped the drive with a 58 yard TD scamper and the Wildcats never looked back.

Around the same time as Jordan’s opening score, the slightly late arriving Marching Wildcats found their seats and begin to fill Alfonso Field with that rich, dark sound for which they have become known and FIU Stadium was unofficially rebranded as “The Wildcat Den” for the next 3 hours.

big men

Big men getting it done

Sports cliché number #117 states games are won and loss in the trenches and Saturday’s performance did nothing to dissuade this popular perception. The Wildcat offensive line paved the way for three Wildcat rushers to accumulate at least 60 yards each on the ground and a team average of 6.0 yards per attempt. My calculator tells me that’s good enough for a first down every two rushing tries. The defensive line was equally impressive limiting FIU to a pedestrian 2.2 yards per carry and just 73 yards rushing on the night. Coach Brian Jenkins stated after the game he challenged his offensive and defensive lines and based on the above-mentioned statistics, they answered the challenge pretty well.

FBS teams often enjoy their greatest level of superiority in the trenches when facing FCS opponents; so to see Bethune-Cookman’s big men not just hold up well but dominate the lines of scrimmage was a welcoming sign. Line play has been a tiresome point of criticism of HBCU squads for the better part of the last decade. Let’s hope BCU has solved this riddle as we get deeper into the season.

Take me away

Despite leading the nation in takeaways last season, BCU failed to register a turnover in week one versus Tennessee State. However, the Wildcat defense has seemed to regain their ball-hawking ways and have produced 5 takeaways in the past two games. Tim Burke’s 92 yard pick-six with 14:38 remaining in the contest ended any FIU hopes of a comeback attempt. It was BCU’s third pick-six of the season (Erik Williams and Nick Addison both returned interceptions for touchdowns in the Virginia Union game).

The Wildcats step WAY up in competition when they take on the #8 ranked Florida State Seminoles in Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday night. This will be the first ever match up with the Noles.

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.