Joe Taylor resigns immediately

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Florida A&M head coach Joe Taylor has coached his final game for the Rattlers.  Taylor originally announced he would retire at the end of the season, but after meeting with FAMU athletic director Derek Horne on Wednesday, the legendary head coach decided to retire from the coaching ranks effective immediately.

Former FAMU standout and current defensive coordinator, Earl Homes, will serve as the interim head coach when the Rattlers face North Carolina Central for homecoming this week and in next week’s end of the season showdown against Bethune-Cookman in the Florida Classic.

Joe Taylor’s 233 career wins ranks him third all-time amongst HBCU coaches.  His .648 winning percentage during his FAMU tenure ranks him ahead of noteworthy FAMU coaches Rudy Hubbard (.630) and Ken Riley (.561); and virtually ties him with Billy Joe (.651).   Under his leadership, FAMU shared the 2010 MEAC conference crown with Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State; the Rattlers received recognition in 2009 for having the MEAC’s most significant APR improvement; the football program was stabilized after coming off of NCAA probation; and ESPN College Gameday broadcasted their first ever telecast from an HBCU campus.

Despite his on the field and off the field accomplishments in Tallahassee, Taylor never seemed to live up to the expectations of the Rattler faithful.  Taylor is 0-5 against FAMU’s historical rivals Howard, Southern, Tennessee State, and Bethune-Cookman since the middle of last season.  

I have no insight on the inner-workings of the FAMU athletic department, nor am I suggesting that coach Taylor was the best man to advance FAMU football.  Having said that, Joe Taylor is by all accounts a genuinely great man and he is a legendary HBCU football coach.  He earned the right to receive a more dignified ending to his illustrious career.  Unfortunately for him, he was not giving the honor to bow out gracefully.

Godspeed Coach Taylor.  Thank you for your contribution to HBCU football and for shaping the lives of hundreds of young men.

Wildcats Coach Jenkins Reprimanded for Unsportsmanlike Conduct – MEACsports.com – The Official Site of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

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NORFOLK, Virginia – Bethune-Cookman head football coach Brian Jenkins has been formally reprimanded by Commissioner Dennis Thomas for displaying unsportsmanlike conduct during the Wildcats football game against Morgan State on Saturday, November 3.

Commissioner Thomas said in a statement on Monday that “the conference expects all student-athletes, coaches, and athletic staff to demonstrate good sportsmanship before, during and after all athletic events.”

In addition to the reprimand, Coach Jenkins will be fined an undisclosed amount.  No additional penalties will be issued on this matter.

Cats hold on for a 24-13 win over Morgan State

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Baltimore–Bethune-Cookman survived the cold weather and a feisty Morgan State squad to improve to 6-0 in MEAC play.

BCU’s defense limited the Bears to 197 yards of total offense and held the conference’s leading rusher, Travis Davidson, to 46 yards on the ground on 17 carries.

MSU opened the game’s scoring on a 1 play, 4 yard touchdown drive 6 minutes into the contest.  The drive started after Quentin Williams was stripped from behind and fumbled inside the Wildcat s 5 yard line.

The Wildcats responded with a 13 play, 71 yard drive that ended with a 24 yard Sven Hurd field goal. 

BCU took their first lead of the game (10-7) when Quentin Williams hit Eddie Poole in the back of the endzone for a 5 yard TD reception.  The Cats did not have to travel far for the go-ahead score.  Dawud Lane intercepted a Robert Council pass and returned it to the Bear’s 8-yard line.  Williams hit Poole 5 plays later for the score.  Lane’s interception extended BCU’s consecutive game with an interception streak to 16.

On Morgan State’s next possession, BCU defensive back Dion Hanks was ejected for striking a Morgan State player.  Coach Brian Jenkins vehemently disagreed with the official’s ruling, received 2 consecutive unsportsmanlike penalties for excessively protesting and was subsequently ejected from the game himself.

The NCAA does not officially track ejections, but NCAA representatives said Jenkins could be the first head football coach ever ejected from a college football game.

Morgan State tied the contest at 10-10 on a 32 yard Earvin Gonzalez field goal just before halftime.

The Wildcats took advantage of a Morgan State special teams miscue to begin the second half.  MSU fumbled the 3rd quarter kickoff and 5 plays later, quarterback Brock Waters scored on a 6 yard TD run to give the Wildcats a 17-10 lead.

Gonzalez kicked his 2nd field goal of the contest, this time a 38 yarder, which cut the BCU lead to 17-13 early in the 4th quarter.  However, the Bears could get no closer. 

Junior running back Isidore Jackson, who finished the contest with 111 yards rushing on 19 attempts, quelled any lingering thoughts of a Morgan State upset when he raced 19 yards for the game’s final score with just over 2:00 left in the contest. 

Dawud Lane led the BCU defense with 6 tackles, an interception, and a blocked field goal. 

The Wildcats travel to Savannah, Georgia next week to take on Savannah State Tigers.  Kickoff is scheduled for  5:00 p.m.

BCU set to take on Morgan State

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Bethune-Cookman will put their 10 game conference win streak on the line when they face Morgan State in Baltimore on Saturday.  The Wildcats are in sole-possession of first place in the MEAC and they boast the league’s top offense (380.5 yards per game).  BCU is playing their best football of the season and have won their last three games by a combined score of 118-32.

Morgan State will be looking to play the role of spoiler and seeking to salvage what’s left of a hard-luck season.  MSU’s 3 conference losses this year are by a total of 10 points.  Senior running back Travis Davidson is the conference’s top rusher (805 yards, 11 TDs).  Davidson gained 138 yards rushing on 17 carries in last year’s contest against BCU.  Tyrone Hendrix is a gifted wide receiver and return man and both Robert Council and Seth Higgins are capable signal callers. 

Defensively, MSU has struggled this year.  The Bears are giving up a whopping 440 yards per game. 

Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m..  The game can be viewed live at: http://t.co/oU3bXAXc; or you can listen to the coverage at http://goliathradio.com/.

What we learned from BCU’s Week 9 victory over NCCU

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Courtesy of BCU Athletics

1.  BCU can run the ball

This past Saturday’s matchup pitted Bethune-Cookman’s #1 ranked rushing offense, against North Carolina Central’s #1 ranked rushing defense.  In the end, the Wildcats simply overwhelmed the Eagles on the ground rushing for 274 yards and 5 touchdowns.

On BCU’s 1st drive of the second half, the Wildcats drove the ball 63 yards on 5 plays to pull ahead 21-17.  All 5 plays were runs.  That drive shifted momentum and highlighted BCU’s physicality advantage over the Eagles.  The Cats seized control of the game at that point and never looked back.  Junior running back Isidore Jackson carried the ball 14 times for 158 yards and 2 touchdowns in the contest.  The performance was good enough to earn Jackson College Football Performance Awards National Running Back of the Week recognition.  Speaking of Jackson, we learned that …

2.  Ike is fast enough

During BCU’s preseason media day event, Jackson stated that he had decent but not great speed.  However, Jackson’s speed was good enough to help him record the 4th longest touchdown run in BCU history.  Jackson took a pitch off the left side of the line, broke a tackle, made a few guys miss, and raced 93 yards to give BCU a 28-17 lead.

3.  Marching Wildcats do yo’ thang

In the last three home games, The Pride’s halftime ballads were: ‘In my Bed’ – Dru Hill; ‘If I Had My Way’ – Chrisette Michelle; and ‘Stairway to Heaven’ – The O’Jays.  All three pieces were simply amazing.  The band could have scrambled on to the field, played those ballads and walked off and I would have been perfectly fine with their performance.  They really did sound that good.  Hail Wildcats and Hail Pride! 

(Okay, now back to football.)

4.  Coach Jenkins really does have a rotating quarterback system

Heading into last week’s game, it seemed that Quentin Williams had gained sole ownership of the starting quarterback position.  Williams started the three prior games during which he threw 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions and completed nearly 70% of his passes. 

Coach Jenkins stated that Quentin did not take care of some of his responsibilities off the field and that Brodrick Waters had a better week of practice on the field.  As a result, it was Waters who started the contest for BCU.  Waters led BCU on their first scoring drive and rushed for 53 yards on the afternoon. 

Although not the starter, Williams saw significant action during Saturday’s game.  Included in Williams’ highlights was a 76 yard touchdown pass thrown to Preston Cleckley in the 2nd quarter.

Courtesy of BCU Athletics

5.  De-fense, De-fense

Here is a number for you; “9”.  That’s the number of snaps, NCCU took inside the BCU 10 yard line on their first possession of the second half.  The Eagles got the ball as close as the 1 yard line, but an illegal procedure penalty backed NCCU up to the 6 yard line. 

A Bethune-Cookman player said ‘Hut,’ and that’s why we jumped offside,” Frazier said. “It wasn’t our quarterback, I’ll just say that”.  BCU safety, D.J. Howard, and linebacker, Dawud Lane, claimed ignorance to the coaches claim during postgame interviews.

The Wildcats limited the Eagles to a field goal on that possession and those would be Central’s last points of the contest.  BCU’s defense has now surrendered 7, 0, 0, 16, 3, 0, and 3 points in the second half of games against FCS opponents this season.  That equates to 4.1 points per game in the second half.  Not bad…not bad at all!

BCU ranked in FCS Coaches Poll Top 25

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SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Previously unranked Bethune-Cookman (No.24)  entered this week’s Top 25 Coaches Poll after picking up a win over North Carolina Central on Saturday.   

Georgia Southern moved to No. 1  this week after claiming a 39-31 triple-overtime win at Chattanooga Saturday.  The Eagles received 17 first-place votes and tallied 635 total points.

Georgia Southern forced overtime with a fourth-quarter field goal and the Eagles’ defense came up with a stop on fourth-down in the third overtime to hold off Chattanooga.

North Dakota State received five first-place votes (619 points) and rose one spot to No.2 after defeating Southern Illinois, 23-17. Montana State and Sam Houston State each climbed one spot to No.3 and No.4, respectively, as well. Sam Houston State also received two first-place votes. Old Dominion moved up two spots to No.5, while Lehigh, which was idle last week, received one first-place vote and maintained their No.6 ranking.

Wofford rose one spot to No.7 after defeating The Citadel (24-21).  Last week’s No.1, Eastern Washington, dropped to No.8 after falling to unranked Southern Utah. Stony Brook (No.9) and James Madison (No.10) maintain their rankings from last week and round out the top ten.

Eleven conferences are represented in the poll. The Colonial Athletic Association has the most teams in the top-25 with five. The Big Sky and Missouri Valley are represented by four teams each, while the Southern Conference has three teams in this week’s poll. The Ohio Valley and Southland conferences are represented by two teams, and the Big South, Ivy League, Mid-Eastern Athletic, Northeast, and Patriot League have one team in the top-25.

The FCS Coaches Poll is based exclusively on a voting panel of head coaches in the FCS under the cooperation of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and is administered by the Southern Conference.

Week Nine Poll – October 29, 2012

Team (No. 1 Votes) 2012 Record Points Previous Ranking
1. Georgia Southern (17) 7-1 635 2
2. North Dakota State (5) 7-1 619 3
3. Montana State 7-1 586 4
4. Sam Houston State (2) 6-2 561 5
5. Old Dominion 7-1 528 7
6. Lehigh (1) 8-0 517 6
7. Wofford 7-1 486 8
8. Eastern Washington (1) 6-2 471 1
9. Stony Brook 8-1 450 9
10. James Madison 6-2 429 10
11. New Hampshire 7-2 396 12
12. Northern Arizona 7-1 363 13
13. Central Arkansas 7-2 326 14
14. Appalachian State 6-3 275 15
15. Illinois State 7-2 264 17
16. Cal Poly 7-1 256 11
17. Indiana State 7-2 249 T-18
18. Albany 7-1 188 20
19. Tennessee State 8-1 173 T-21
20. Delaware 5-3 122 16
21. Harvard 6-1 96 24
22. Towson 4-4 87 25
23. Eastern Kentucky 6-3 68 T-18
24. Bethune-Cookman 6-2 54 NR
25. South Dakota State 6-2 51 NR

Others Receiving Votes: Sacramento State (44), Richmond (27), Villanova (27), UT Martin (26), McNeese State (23), Jacksonville State (16), Youngstown State (10), Eastern Illinois (8), The Citadel (5), Samford (5), Southern Illinois (4), Northern Iowa (4), Alabama A&M (1).

MEAC Football Week 9 Recap–Cats on Top

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MEAC SATURDAY NIGHT FINAL
Bethune-Cookman takes over sole possession of first place; Howard’s loss allows Delaware State to leap into second place tie with NCCU 

Alvin Hollins Jr.

By ALVIN HOLLINS JR.
Rockstat7376@aol.com

OCTOBER 27 – The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (5-0, 6-2) flexed their muscles against upstart North Carolina Central Saturday, subduing the visiting Eagles, 42-17 to seize the high ground in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings with three regular season weeks left.

The loss dropped the visiting Eagles (4-1, 5-3) into a second place tie with Delaware State (4-1, 5-3), which won 28-23 on Thursday night against Morgan State (2-3, 3-5).

Delaware State had their path to second cleared by South Carolina State (3-3, 4-5), which bashed Howard University (4-2, 5-3), 41-23 at Orangeburg Saturday afternoon.

In the other afternoon games, North Carolina A&T (2-3, 4-4) rebounded from a shutout loss at Delaware State a week ago, with a 30-9 home win over Norfolk State (0-6, 2-7) at Greensboro, N.C., keeping the Spartans winless in MEAC play; Hampton (2-3, 2-5) rallied to edge past visiting Savannah State (0-5, 1-7), 21-13 at Hampton, Va.

Enjoying a bye Saturday was Florida A&M (3-2, 3-5).

The New Pecking Order…
Bethune-Cookman (5-0) is in sole possession of the top spot in the league, followed now by Delaware State (4-1) and North Carolina Central (4-1) tied for second, with Howard (4-2), in fourth, and Florida A&M (3-2), still on the fringe, in fifth.

Next Weekend’s Schedule
Next Saturday’s schedule features a full slate of conference games headlined by first place Bethune-Cookman at Morgan State (1:00), and Delaware State at North Carolina Central (2:00), with the winner to lay claim to sole possession of second place.

Hampton is at Howard (1:00), with the Bison now in desperation mode to stay alive for the title; Florida A&M, whose faint title hopes are flickering, are at North Carolina A&T (1:30), while Savannah State visits Norfolk State (2:00), in a battle of the two remaining MEAC squads without a conference win.

South Carolina State (3-3, 4-5) will have a bye, Nov. 3

The Contenders’ Update:
@ Bethune-Cookman (5-0, 6-2) * rolled past North Carolina Central, 42-17 Saturday, to seize sole possession of the high ground in the MEAC… The Wildcats get their next two games on the road: at Morgan State (Nov. 3) and Savannah State (Nov. 10), before closing the regular season against FAMU, November 17.

@ North Carolina Central (4-1, 5-3) had its’ four-game winning streak snapped at Bethune-Cookman Saturday, but will have a shot at staying in the mix next weekend when they host Delaware State (2:00)…. Their remaining games feature a road tilt at FAMU (Nov. 10), and a home game against rival North Carolina A&T (Nov. 17) to close the season.

@ Delaware State (4-1, 5-3), has won four straight games to barge their way into the 2012 MEAC title conversation…. Their 28-23 win Thursday at Morgan State, on the heels of their impressive 24-0 shutout of North Carolina A&T last Saturday, has earned them the third spot in the standings into the last three weeks of the regular season…. The surging Hornets will close with two of their final three games on the road: at NCCU (Nov. 3) and Howard (Nov. 17), with a home game against Hampton (Nov. 10) in between.

On The Outside Looking In:
@ Howard (4-2, 5-3)[/b] saw its’ title hopes take a serious blow with Saturday’s road loss at SCSU, and its’ NCAA at-large hopes probably evaporated as well…. IF THE BISON FINISH 6-2 (8-3) AND BEAT GEORGIA SOUTHERN (Nov. 10), IT COULD KEEP THEM IN POSTSEASON CONVERSATION… In November, HU has Hampton (this week) and DSU at home (Nov. 17), with Georgia Southern (Nov. 10) on the road.

@ FAMU (3-2, 3-5)must WIN OUT and hope for a lot of help.. The Rattlers will have a much-needed bye weekend October 27, then close at North Carolina A&T, host NCCU for Homecoming, then tangle with B-CU in Orlando…

MEAC Random Shots
@ Defending champion Norfolk State (0-6) was 5-1 a year ago en route to their first-ever MEAC crown, but things have gone badly for the Spartans, who close at home with Savannah State (Saturday) and Morgan State (Nov. 10)….

@ Bethune-Cookman (5-0) can win their second MEAC title in three years if they can close out their final three games at Morgan State and at Savannah State, followed by that regular season finale in Orlando against archrival FAMU… The Wildcats are tops in the MEAC in the Sagarin Ratings (51.59 at #154), and also have four (4) points for their win against Alabama State in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in the Out of Conference tiebreaker points chase.

@ With Howard (4-2) losing at South Carolina State, only Delaware State (4-1) could pose a possible co-championship threat to Bethune-Cookman, should the Wildcats drop one of their final three games, and both squads finish 7-1 in the league, since the two teams do not play this season.

@ The Game of the Week next weekend will be the Delaware State-North Carolina Central showdown in Durham (2:00), as the second place co-holders duel to remain on deck in case B-CU slips up…

@ Howard University (4-2, 5-3) has to win two of its’ final three games to clinch its’ first winning season since 2002, when they finished 6-5… They face Hampton, Georgia Southern and Delaware State in their final three games.

@ Florida A&M (3-2, 3-5) has a tough final three games facing them too, beginning next Saturday at North Carolina A&T (2-3), followed by a homecoming clash against North Carolina Central (4-1, Nov. 10) and the Florida Classic finale against first place Bethune-Cookman (5-0, Nov. 17)… The Rattlers would need a clean sweep and a whole lot of divine intervention to lay claim to even a share of the 2012 title.

MEAC FOOTBALL STANDINGS
Thru Saturday, October 27, 2012

School ………………………….. Conference / Overall
Bethune-Cookman ……….……… 5-0 1.000 / 6-2 .750
Delaware State ……………………. 4-1 .800 / 5-3 .625
North Carolina Central …………. 4-1 .800 / 5-3 .625
Howard University ………………… 4-2 .667 / 5-3 .625
Florida A&M …………………..……… 3-2 .600 / 3-5 .375
South Carolina State ………….… 3-3 .500 / 4-5 .444
^North Carolina A&T ……..……… 2-3 .400 / 4-4 .500
Morgan State ………………………… 2-3 .400 / 3-5 .375
^Hampton ………………..………….. 2-3 .400 / 2-5 .285
Norfolk State ………….……..……… 0-6 .000 / 2-7 .222
Savannah State ………..…………… 0-5 .000 / 1-7 .125
^-Ineligible for 2012 title

This Week’s Schedule
Game of Thursday, October 25
*Delaware State 28, Morgan State 23
(*)-Conference Games

Games of October 27
*Bethune-Cookman 42, North Carolina Central 17
*South Carolina State 41, Howard 23
*North Carolina A&T 30, Norfolk State 9
*Hampton 21, Savannah State 13
BYE: Florida A&M
(*)-Conference Games

Remaining Regular Season Schedule
Games of November 3*Hampton at Howard, 1:00
*Bethune-Cookman at Morgan State, 1:00
*Florida A&M at North Carolina A&T, 1:30
*Delaware State at North Carolina Central, 2:00
*Savannah State at Norfolk State, 2:00
BYE: South Carolina State
(*)-Conference Games

Games of November 10
*Hampton at Delaware State, 1:00
*Morgan State at Norfolk State, 1:00
*South Carolina State at North Carolina A&T, 1:30
#Howard at Georgia Southern, 2:00
*North Carolina Central at Florida A&M, 3:00
*Bethune-Cookman at Savannah State, 5:00
(*)-Conference Games

Games of November 17
*Hampton at Morgan State, 1:00
*Delaware State at Howard, 1:00
*Savannah State at South Carolina State, 1:30
*North Carolina A&T at North Carolina Central, 2:00
*Bethune-Cookman vs. Florida A&M (Orlando), 2:30 (ESPN Classic)
BYE: Norfolk State
(*)-Conference Games

BCU Ground Eagles

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Photo Courtesy BCU Athletics

The North Carolina Central Eagles entered Saturday’s contest with a perfect record in MEAC play and looked to shock the HBCU football world by upsetting conference power Bethune-Cookman.  The Eagles played BCU evenly for two and a half quarters and grabbed their first lead (17-14) of the afternoon on an Oleg Parent 23 yard field goal with just over 7 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.  But the Wildcats scored 28 unanswered points from that point forward and emerged from Saturday’s ‘Battle of conference unbeatens’ with a 42-17 victory and sole possession of first place in the conference.

The Wildcats opened the game’s scoring on Andronicus Lovette’s 1 yard plunge into the endzone in the first quarter.  The scoring drive was kept alive after quarterback Brock Waters hit KJ Stroud on an 11 yard reception to move the sticks on 4th and long.

The Eagles went three and out on their next possession, but BCU return man, Courtney Keith, fumbled the ensuing punt and set NCCU up inside the red zone.  Central drew even 2 plays later when Jordan Reid connected with Detwan Robinson on a 15 yard touchdown pass.

BCU extended the lead to 14-7 when Quentin Williams and Preston Cleckley hooked up for a 76 yard TD reception.  Cleckley ran a stop and go route and was wide open on the play. “Sometimes you get anxious on balls like that (when you’re so wide open) and those can be the hardest passes to catch” Cleckley stated after the contest.

Central tied the score at 14 on another Jordan Reid touchdown throw.  This time a 28 yard TD reception to Decona Roberts.  

NCCU’s first lead of the contest came after Oleg Parent kicked a 23 yard field goal midway through the 3rd quarter.

From that point forward, it was all BCU.  The Wildcats rattled off 28 unanswered points to end the contest.  Included amongst those scores was a 93 yard touchdown run by Isidore Jackson.  Jackson ended the contest with 158 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns.  BCU rushed for 274 yards on the afternoon and racked up over 200 more yards of total offense than NCCU (443-234).

Quentin Williams did not start the contest, but lead the team in passing going 6-15 for126 yards (1 touchdown, 1 interception).

Jarkevis Fields and Dawud Lane each had 10 tackles on defense while DJ Howard and Rashad Payne both added interceptions.  The BCU defense now has at least one interception in each of the past 15 games.

The Wildcats now have sole-possession of the first place in the conference.  BCU faces Morgan State next week in Baltimore, Maryland at 1:00 P.M.

BCU vs NCCU Preview

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A quick show of hands, how many of you thought North Carolina Central would be in a battle for conference supremacy nine weeks into the season? 

If you raised your hand you can put it down now.  You can also consider yourself among the few that actually saw this coming.  NCCU finished 4-7 in 2008 and 2009; in 2010 they finished 3-8 and Head Coach Mose Rison was fired midway through the season; and last season NC Central finished with a 2-9 overall record.  The Eagles were predicted to finish in the bottom third of the conference in the MEAC’s preseason poll.  Yet, the Eagles find themselves tied atop the conference standings and playing for sole possession of first place at the end of October.  Go figure!

The uninformed may classify the Eagles’ 2012 campaign as the “F” word (i.e. fluke), but that would be disingenuous to Head Coach Henry Frazier, his staff, and the North Carolina Central football team. 

At 5-2, the Eagles have already accumulated their highest win total (5) since 2007.  NCCU is ranked:  

*1st in the MEAC in Scoring Offense (33.0 points per game),
*1st in the MEAC in Run Defense (109 yards per game),
*1st in the MEAC and 2nd in the nation is punt return average (23.5 yards per return), and
*1st in the nation and MEAC in special teams touchdowns (3 punt return TDs and 1 kickoff return TD).
Also (as SOAR from MEACFans Zone pointed out), in comparisons to BCU, NCCU has a greater margin of victory against common opponents this season:

NCCU 40 vs SCSU 10   (NCCU +30)
BCU 27 vs SCSU 14    (BCU  +13)

NCCU 37 vs Hampton 20  (NCCU +17)
BCU 36 vs Hampton 26   (BCU  +10).

The bottom line is North Carolina Central is a legitimate contender for the conference crown and they have earned their success this year.

“I am not surprised by (NCCU’s) success” coach Brian Jenkins stated.  “I knew a change would take place”.  “No disrespect to anyone else but look at Coach Frazier’s prior record.  He is proven by the results that he got at Prairie View”.

No Easy Win

Henry Frazier’s team will need to put on their best performance of the year if they hope to pull off the upset in Daytona Beach.  Bethune-Cookman enters the contest riding a league best 9 game conference win streak.  The last time the two teams met, BCU racked up 525 yards of offense in a 34-6 thumping of the Eagles.

The Wildcats have seemed to stabilize their offense under the guidance of redshirt freshman quarterback Quentin Williams.  Williams has started the past three games for BCU and has yet to throw an interception this season.  Last week Williams threw for a career high 157 yards passing completing 9 of 11 attempts with 2 touchdowns in the process.  Fellow quarterback, Brock Waters, finished the contest with a team high 103 yards rushing.  It was Waters second time eclipsing the 100 yard rushing mark this season.  Waters also hooked up with Jhomo Gordon on a 13 yard touchdown strike. 

The Wildcat defense will look to slow down the conference’s #1 ranked scoring offense in NC Central.  Yogi Jones’ defensive unit looked dominant in their performance last week against Norfolk State forcing the Spartans into 3 turnovers and limiting them to just 3 points.  

BCU’s special teams, particularly the kickoff and punt coverage units, will need to pay close attention to detail in this contest.  NCCU’s Arthur Goforth and Geovoine Irvine are two of the best return men in the country.  The Eagles have returned 3 punts and 1 kickoff return for a touchdown this season.  NCCU is also averaging over 23 yards per punt return.  YIKES!

Hurricane Sandy   

Kickoff is still slated for a 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27 at Municipal Stadium. The latest projections have the storm moving out of the region by late Friday night, leading into the early hours of Saturday morning. 

“The university has been in contact with the emergency management agencies in Volusia County and continues to monitor the track of Hurricane Sandy,” said Lynn Thompson, B-CU Director of Athletics. “At present, our plans remain firm to kick off our regularly scheduled football game against North Carolina Central University tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Municipal Stadium. The reports indicate that weather conditions will be suitable for us to play the game at its stated time.”
 
Live video will be available through the CatEye Network on BCUathletics.com.

An Ode to Rev. Williams

Weather permitting and in my best BCU public address announcer, Rev. Isidore Williams’ voice, 

“In a few short hours the question will be answered;
who will ascend to the top of the mountain.
Will it be the Eagles of North Carolina Central University of Durham North Carolina?
Or will it be the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman University of Daytona Beach Florida”?