The University of Miami defeated Bethune-Cookman soundly (38-10) after a breakout performance by highly touted freshman running back, Duke Johnson.  Johnson, who was playing in just his third collegiate contest, scored 4 times (1 kick return td, 1 receiving td, and 2 rushing tds).

BCU took an early 7-0 lead in the contest on Isidore Jackson’s 1 yard touchdown run.  The drive started at the Miami 20 yard line after Jazz Moss forced a fumble from Hurricane return man Phillip Dorsett.

Johnson made his first impact play of the game when he returned BCU’s ensuing kickoff 95 yards to tie the score at 7-7.  The Canes took a 17-7  lead into halftime behind Johnson’s 1 yard td run with 5:48 remaining in the 2^nd quarter and a Jake Wieclaw 20 yard field goal with :35 seconds left in the half.

The Duke Johnson show continued in the second half.  The Wildcats trailed by just 10 points midway through the third quarter but Duke Johnson struck again.  This time on a receiving touchdown after taking a Stephen Morris screen pass 50 yards for his 3^rd touchdown of the afternoon pushing the margin to 24-7 in the process.

Sven Hurd’s 31 yard field goal cut the lead to 24-10 and represented BCU’s only points of the 2^nd half.  But Johnson’s final score of the contest, a 28 yard touchdown run, put the game out of reach at 31-10.  The Canes tacked on another touchdown late for a 38-10 victory.

Coach Brian Jenkins was in no mood to celebrate Johnson’s 4 touchdown afternoon in his postgame press conference.  “He exploded because we missed tackles”.  “Any running back can be good when you miss as many tackles as we did today. We did not execute”.  “It wasn’t what Miami did…it was what we didn’t do. That is no disrespect to Miami.”  “I don’t care who we would have played today.  We could have played the (Pop Warner) Mighty Midgets; with the execution errors we had today they would have beat us”.

Quentin Williams makes debut

After trailing 24-7 in the 3^rd quarter, BCU redshirt freshman quarterback, Quentin Williams, made his college football debut.  Williams completed his first three passes and drove the Wildcats on a 13 play, 69 yard drive which cut the deficit to 14 points midway through the 4^th quarter.

Williams looked poised in his first performance and finished the afternoon going 5-9 passing for 69 yards.

The Wildcats return to FCS play in next week’s home opener against Tennessee State.  Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00.

Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER COOK MIA

TD 02:37 Isidore Jackson 1 Yd Run (Sven Hurd Kick)  7 0

TD 02:25 Duke Johnson 95 Yd Kickoff Return (Jake Wieclaw Kick)  7 7

SECOND QUARTER COOK MIA

TD 05:48 Duke Johnson 1 Yd Run (Jake Wieclaw Kick)  7 14

FG 00:35 Jake Wieclaw 20 Yd  7 17

THIRD QUARTER COOK MIA

TD 04:26 Duke Johnson 50 Yd Pass From Stephen Morris (Jake Wieclaw Kick)  7 24

FOURTH QUARTER COOK MIA

FG 09:49 Sven Hurd 31 Yd  10 24

TD 08:25 Duke Johnson 28 Yd Run (Jake Wieclaw Kick)  10 31

TD 03:56 Eduardo Clements 10 Yd Run (Jake Wieclaw Kick)  10 38

The good folks at the University of Miami’s SB Nation site, The Seventh Floor, asked for a Bethune-Cookman fan’s perspective of this Saturday’s matchup between the two schools.  I was tempted to refuse and inform the writer, who goes by the moniker of Avendittelli,  that I rather “Stay in the Moment” and not get too far ahead of myself, but I relented. 

The questions and answers of our conversation are posted below and can also be found on the Miami Sports blog available here: Q&A with Hail Wildcats. 

7th Floor: What are the expectations this year for Bethune-Cookman? MEAC conference title? 1-AA playoffs or bust?

Hail Wildcats: The expectations in Daytona Beach are extremely high this season. Head Coach Brian Jenkins has repeatedly and emphatically declared that his goal is to win a National Championship at Bethune-Cookman. In fact, Coach Jenkins has unrelentingly declared that anything less than a National Championship is a failure; so the bar has been raised pretty high for the Wildcats. I believe most Wildcat fans will be disappointed with anything less than at least one playoff win this season.

Heading into the season, BCU was picked to finish 3rd in the MEAC behind defending champion Norfolk State, who the Cats beat last season, and South Carolina State, a team that Bethune-Cookman defeated just last week by a pretty healthy margin.

7th Floor: Are the Wildcats taking anything from last year’s game in Miami? A lot of returning starters, so should be very experienced. They played great for the first 3 quarters, then things got out of hand late.

Hail Wildcats: Last year BCU out rushed the Canes on the ground 219 yards to 126 yards and racked up almost 100 more yards of total offense (422 to 335). 9 offensive starters return to this year’s team so I am sure that they will not be intimidated by “The U”. My guess is that BCU will feel confident in their ability to move the ball against Miami’s young defense. Defensively, the Wildcats blew several assignments in the secondary in last year’s contest and the Canes made them pay for it. They can ill afford to do that this year if they hope to keep this game close. They have more depth in the defensive front seven this season and the coaching staff will have them believing that they can compete on Saturday just as they did for the first 3 quarters last year.

7th Floor: How did your defense look against Georgia transfer Isaiah Crowell? He left the game early for cramps, but after Alabama State’s first drive, it looked like the B-CU defense shut him down.

Hail Wildcats: Crowell was the SEC Freshmen of the Year in 2011 for Georgia, yet he was only able to muster 18 yards rushing on 9 attempts against BCU’s defense. Crowell’s struggles were partly due to cramping and partly due to the poor play of his offensive line, but you have to give BCU’s defense credit for the job they did on him. It’s hard to hold anyone to just 2 yards per carry and the Wildcats pulled that off against one of the best backs in the SEC last season.

7th Floor: Coach Brian Jenkins has hit the ground rolling, with an 18-5 record in his first two seasons. Is he not long for the office at Daytona Beach? Or would he stick around to potentially build a 1-AA powerhouse?

Hail Wildcats: Former Miami Assistant and new Tampa Bay Head Coach Greg Schiano is Brian Jenkins’s coaching mentor. From my understanding, Jenkins had an opportunity to join Coach Schiano’s staff in Tampa but elected to stay at Bethune to (quote) “finish what he started”. He has stated that he did not take the BCU job to be a stepping stone or launching pad into another coaching position. I take him at his word. I think he likes it in Daytona Beach. It is a great place to live and a great place to raise a family. I think he as a great working relationship with BCU athletic director Lynn Thompson and I think he has developed several other close and personal relationships both at the university and in the city. I personally do not believe that he is looking for the first decent opportunity to leave Bethune-Cookman for another more high profile head coaching job. But let’s not kid ourselves, if the right job comes along then he simply cannot say no. There are bigger, more high profile programs out there and it would be foolish to believe that he will coach at Bethune for the duration of his head coaching career if he continues to have this type of success. But for now, he’s committed to building BCU into a perennial FCS power and I think he wants to finish the work that he started.

7th Floor: Prediction for Saturday’s game? Can Bethune-Cookman shock the nation?

Hail Wildcats: I believe the odds makers have the University of Miami as a 3 touchdown favorite. That is probably where the line should be. I expect this game to remain competitive for all 4 quarters this year. Miami is the deeper, more talented team and they should win. BCU is the more experienced team and they have legitimate Division 1 talent at nearly every position on the field. I do not have a prediction but I will say if the Wildcats catch a break here or there (i.e. a defensive score, a special teams score, a couple of turnovers, etc,) then who knows. Things could get real interesting.

Oliver C. Dawson Stadium was glowing with fans garbed in white anticipating a South Carolina State football victory Saturday night.

As the final seconds clicked away, the setting was literally gray from the emptied bleachers, to the arriving rainfall to the dismal mood of the Bulldog coaches, players and fans.

Bethune-Cookman defeated S.C. State 27-14 before 15,491 fans in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener for both teams. In winning for the fifth time in six visits to Orangeburg, the Wildcats (2-0, 1-0) rebounded from a double-digit deficit for the second straight week with 27 unanswered points.

Click here to read the South Carolina State’s Beat Writer full story: http://thetandd.com/sports/s-c-state-loses-to-bethune-cookman/article_e63e7576-fa25-11e1-9700-0019bb2963f4.html

The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s game article is located at: http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20120908/SPORTS/120909724/1001/SPORTS?Title=Bethune-Cookman-rallies-past-South-Carolina-State-for-big-MEAC-win

Game Stats:

HailWildcats.com will be hosting a live game chat for today’s BCU vs SCSU football showdown. Mark your calendars.

BCU vs SCSU Live Chat

Broderick Waters of Bethune-Cookman was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s (MEAC) Football Offensive Player of the Week, the conference announced on Monday. Joe Rankin of Morgan State was named Defensive Player of the Week.

Jamie Cunningham of Howard was selected as the Rookie of the Week.   North Carolina Central’s Darius James and Earvin Gonzalez of Morgan State were named Offensive Lineman and Special Teams Player of the Week, respectively.

Waters (QB, 5-11, 196m Sr., Sarasota, Fla.) led Bethune-Cookman to a comeback win over Alabama State in the eighth annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney.  Waters, who entered the game as the backup QB with the Wildcats trailing 21-7, completed 6-of-9 passes for 110 yards and two TDs.  He also carried the ball 11 times for 100 yards with one TD.  His performance earned him MEAC/SWAC Challenge MVP honors. 

BCU linebacker Jarkevis Fields, linemen Terrance Hackney, and punter Kory Kowalski were also recognized as Top Performers in Week One.

MEAC ANNOUNCES WEEKLY FOOTBALL HONORS – MEACsports.com – The Official Site of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

The kickoff to the 2012 football season is less than a week away and with it comes high expectations for the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats.  The Cats ended last season on a 6 game win streak and was as hot as any FCS team in the country.  Even still, BCU was overlooked and failed to receive an at-large invite to participate in the FCS playoffs.

This season Brian Jenkins’ squad looks to control its own destiny by winning the conference’s automatic playoff berth outright.   The journey begins on Sunday, September 2nd at noon when the Wildcats faceoff against Alabama State in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Orlando.  To help get you ready for the season, we previewed the BCU defense, offense, special teams and schedule.

DEFENSIVE OUTLOOK—The Wildcats lose six regular starters and a ton of experience on the defensive side of the ball.  Preseason All-MEAC selectees Harold Love III (defensive line), Jarkevis Fields (linebacker), and DJ Howard (secondary) will need to provide leadership and stability to the defensive unit while some of the newer starters round into form.  Last season the Cats ranked 3^rd in the conference in Scoring Defense (20.2 points per game) and 2nd in Red Zone Defensive Efficiency (yielding 22 scores on 32 chances). 

Linebackers–Middle linebacker Jarkevis Fields led the team in tackles (76 total tackles) and returns for his junior campaign.  Fields will likely be flanked by true sophomore Tavarus Dantzler and redshirt senior Dawud Lane in the linebacker corp.  What the two new projected starters lack in experience, they make up for in speed and athleticism.  Nesly Marcellon and Markeil Floyd are also likely to see time in the regular LB rotation. 

Secondary–The defensive secondary is stocked with experienced players.  DJ Howard, Tim Burke, Dion Hanks and CJ Wilson have all played a ton of snaps in their college careers.  We expect Burke and Hanks to get the starting nods at cornerback and ultra-talented sophomore Nick Addison to join DJ Howard in the safety roles.  Call it a hunch, but we would not be surprised if true Freshmen Terry Harden found his way on the field as a backup to either Addison or Howard at safety.

Defensive Line–Tevin Toney and Anthony Woodard join Harold Love as highly productive returners along the defensive front from a year ago.  Rakeem Knight and Jerome Culp also saw their share of action last season and look to factor into the defensive line rotation again this year.  UCF transfers Brandon Bryant and LeBrandon Richardson are two of the newcomers that we expect to contribute to this unit right away.  Defensive line coach Earl Lane joined Brian Jenkins’ staff last season.  Under his watch, Ryan Davis progressed from a good football player to the best defensive player in the conference.  Wildcat fans are hoping that this trend continues and that another diamond along the defensive front is unearth in 2012.

Spotlight Performers 
Jarkevis Fields (Jr.,Middle Linebacker)
76 Total Tackles
6 Tackle for Loss
2012 Preseason All-MEAC 1^st Team Selectee

DJ Howard (Jr.,Safety)
45 Total Tackles
3 Interceptions, 4 Pass Break-Ups
2012 Preseason All-MEAC 1^st Team Selectee

Harold Love III (Sr.,Defensive Tackle)
37 Total Tackles
6 Tackles for Loss
2012 Preseason All-MEAC 2^nd Team Selectee

Keep your eye on Newcomers:
Tavarus Dantzler (So., Linebacker)
Nick Addison (So., Defensive Back)
Brandon Bryant (Jr., Defensive End)

OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK-Seven regular starters return to an offensive unit that led the conference in Scoring Offense (33.6 points per game), Total Offense (435.3 yards per game) and Rushing Offense (259.3 yards per game) a year ago.  Jim Pry debuts as the third offensive coordinator for the Wildcats in as many years, but don’t expect big changes to the offense.  The Wildcats are expected to run the same brand of high-octane offense we have witnessed over the past two seasons. 

Offensive Line–If the old football adage “it all starts up front” holds true, the BCU offense should be in great shape in 2012.  The offensive line features 3 players that have won All-MEAC honors in their careers (Terrence Hackney, Marquell Rozier, and Alex Monroe).  Blake Pritchard and R.C. Mullins are also experienced players along the offensive front and will look to compete for starting roles and/or provide solid depth in the trenches.  Lavon McCoy is down to 380 pounds according to BCU’s online roster and will convert from defensive tackle to offensive guard this year.  Based on our projections, BCU’s starting offensive line averages 6’5”, 325 pounds this season.

Running Back–BCU’s potent rushing attack will be led by 5’10”, 195 pound junior running back Isidore Jackson.  Jackson had a breakout season a year ago averaging 103.7 All-Purpose yards per game (86.6 rushing and 17.1 receiving) earning All-MEAC 1^st team honors in the process.  He racked up 206 yards rushing in an ESPN nationally televised contest against eventual conference champion Norfolk State last season.  Jackson has an opportunity to amass over 1,000 yards rushing this season but states that it is more important to him that the running backs gain over 2,000 yards rushing as a unit.  Old Miss transfer Rodney Scott is expected to play a significant role in the rushing attack this year as well.  Andronicus Lovette will have a chance to play significant minutes at fullback, while speedsters David Allen, Angelo Cabrera, and Tyree Smallwood will vie to find playing time in the talent crowded backfield.

Wide Receiver–Eddie Poole returns as the Cats top threat on the outside.  The senior from Glades Central High caught 41 balls last season and added 4 receiving touchdowns.  David Blackwell converts from quarterback to wide receiver this season and offers the Cats another dynamic playmaker at the receiver position.  KJ Stroud, Patrick Harris, and Preston Cleckley all have big play potential and will look to contribute in the passing game.  True Freshmen Ray Martin is an electric player who has a chance to contribute in the receiving and return game right away.

Quarter Back–Jackie Wilson emerged from spring drills atop the depth chart at quarterback. Wilson completed over 66% of his pass attempts last year and was undefeated as a starter against FCS competition. The 6’0”, 215 pound junior from Ft Lauderdale is expected to be pushed for the starting nod by Louisiana Tech transfer, Brock Waters and 2010 Florida Mr. Football, Quentin Williams.  Waters seems to be the best of the three with his legs, Williams with his arm, and Wilson the best dual threat. 

Spotlight Performers 
Isidore Jackson (Jr., Running Back)
103.7 All Purpose yards per game (86.6 rushing; 17.1 receiving)
2011 and 2012 1^st Team All-MEAC Selectee

Terrence Hackney (Jr., Offensive Line)
6’6”, 310
All-MEAC Selectee in 2011 and 2012

Eddie Poole (Sr., Wide Receiver)
41 Receptions, 4 TDs
2^nd Team All-MEAC Selectee

Keep your eye on Newcomers:
Brock Waters (Sr., Offensive Weapon)
Ray Martin (Fr., Wide Receiver/Return Specialist)
David Blackwell (Jr., Wide Receiver)

SPEACIAL TEAMS OUTLOOK—Sven Hurd and Kory Kowalski return as the placekicker and punter respectively.  Last year, Hurd set a BCU single-game scoring record for kickers when he recorded 7 PATS and 3 field goals (16 total points) against Fort Valley State.  For the season, Hurd went 46 for 47 on point after attempts but struggled with his field goal accuracy (7 for 13).  Newcomer Austin Stewart adds depth to the Wildcat kicking unit and provides Coach Jenkins with an alternative at placekicker.  The Wildcats will be looking to improve upon their pedestrian 7.3 yard punt return average and 20.9 yard kick return average from last season.  Angelo Cabrera, Preston Cleckley, Courtney Keith, and Patrick Harris shared the bulk of the return duties last season.  All four players return this year; however, they can expect to be pushed by newcomers Brock Waters and Ray Martin who could factor into the return game. 

The Schedule

Alabama State (MEAC/SWAC)—The Hornets are loaded with talent and have a ton of momentum in their program.  ASU debuts a brand new stadium this year and have been rumored to be considering a move to the FBS level.  Coach Reggie Barlow’s team features good balance on both sides of the ball and finished 2^nd in the SWAC in both Scoring Offense (26.7 points per game) and Scoring Defense (17.5 points per game).  University of Georgia Transfer Isaiah Crowell (RB) and Greg Jenkins (quarterback transfer from Troy) will present challenges for the Wildcat defense.

South Carolina State (Away)— This early season matchup with the Bulldogs will likely have significant conference championship implications.  The Bulldogs are led on defense by safety Darious Drummond.  Offensively the Bulldogs return most of their starters from a year ago.  Standout receiver Lennel Elmore returns after sitting out last season (academics).  BCU defeated SCSU 14-0 in their last visit to Orangeburg but fell to the Bulldogs 18-26 at home in 2011.

Miami (Away)—Al Golden is in rebuilding mode in Coral Gables.  But let’s not kid ourselves; it is still “The U”.  BCU gave the Hurricanes all that they could handle for 3 quarters last year.  With a lucky bounce here or there and if one or two other things go our way this year who knows how this year’s contest will turn out.  I would not bet Aunt Bessie’s social security check on it but it’s the preseason and we’re allowed to dream a little aren’t we?

Tennessee State (Home)—Head Coach Rod Reed is quietly stock piling talent in Nashville.  Reed, a one-time BCU assistant, seems to be capitalizing on his Florida connections as the Blue Tigers have seemed to established a recruiting pipeline in the Sunshine State.  Tennessee State is one of the most storied HBCU football programs.  This rare meeting between TSU and BCU should bring a lot of excitement to Municipal Stadium on September 22^nd.

Hampton (Away)—7-3-6, as in NCAA football Rule 7, Section 3, Article 6, subsections IX, XII, XIII.  A.R. 7-3-6 is the Rule that was cited and allowed replay officials to overturn Hampton receiver Isiah Thomas’ apparent game-winning touchdown catch as time expired against the Wildcats in Daytona last season. BCU survived with a 35-31 victory over Hampton.  Junior running back Antwon Chisholm leads a talent laden offensive unit while linebackers Lyndell Gibson and Delbert Tyler anchor the defensive units.  The Pirates will be looking for revenge while BCU will be looking to extend their four game winning over HU.

North Carolina A&T (Home)—Last year Brian Jenkins stated that North Carolina A&T lined up and whipped his team’s tail.  The statistics agree.  The Aggie defense held BCU to 5 yards rushing and 108 yards of total offense.  OUCH!  Offensively the Aggies boast the league’s leading rusher from last year in Mike Mayhew.  Two years ago Mayhew ran for over 200 yards against The Wildcats in a one-sided contest that went in BCU’s favor (remember the blackout game).

Norfolk State (Home)—The Spartans won their first ever MEAC title last season. NSU’s lone conference defeat was suffered at the hands of BCU.  Head Coach Pete Adrian and his Spartans will be looking for their first ever conference win over BCU in Daytona Beach when they visit on October 20^th.  Jamal Giddens (LB) and Xavier Boyce (WR) lead the Spartans on the defensive and offensive sides of the ball.

North Carolina Central (Home)—The Wildcats defeated NCCU in a tightly contested contest two seasons ago.  Last year the game was more one-sided.  The Eagles visit Daytona this year for the first time since rejoining the MEAC.  NCCU may not have the same level of across the board talent as BCU, but you can be certain that a Henry Frazier led team will be well-prepared and well-coached.

Morgan State (Away)—The Bears have a great nucleus of offensive skill players.  Travis Davidson is one of the best 2 or 3 running backs in the conference; Seth Higgins is a play making quarterback; and Tyrone Hendrix is a productive wide receiver and return specialist.  MSU’s struggles last year occurred in the trenches.  If coach Donald Hill-Eley’s team can improve along the offensive and defensive lines, the Bears may be this year’s sleeper.

Savannah State (Away)—Steve Davenport’s team is still a few years away from competing consistently with the MEAC’s elite but there is seemingly a renewed interest in Savannah State football.  SSU is definitely a program on the rise.  We look for great things to come from SSU; but not this year.  The Tigers open the season against Oklahoma State and Florida State.  I’m not sure how much they will have left in them after those two contests in back to back weeks.  Good luck!  

FAMU (Florida Classic)—See you in November!