The (playoff) case for BCU

/ J Bell / Leave a comment

When Bethune Cookman and Florida A&M faceoff this Saturday at 2:30, the two teams will be playing for more than just in-state bragging rights.  The winner of this year’s Florida Classic will be fighting for the right to be considered for this year’s FCS playoffs. 

Both the Wildcats and Rattlers boast identical 7-3 records and a victory over Division II Fort Valley State.  Saturday’s Florida Classic is essentially a playoff elimination game for the loser since both teams need one more FCS win to qualify for playoff consideration. 

 The Pros for BCU:

Assuming the Wildcats defeat FAMU, BCU can boast of a 6 game winning streak since their midseason quarterback change and a road victory over playoff bound and Top 25 foe Norfolk State.

Brian Jenkins’ club ranks in the Top 25 Nationally in 6 major categories on both sides of the ball:

·         Total Offense-               10th
·         Scoring Offense-           13th    
·         Rushing Offense-            6th
·         Total Defense-              12th
·         Scoring Defense-           25th
·         Passing Defense-            6th.
 

In the “moral victory” category, the Wildcats gave perennial powerhouse, University of Miami, all they could handle for 3 quarters.

BCU has also performed similarly to playoff bound Towson, Old Dominion, and Appalachian State against common opponents;                                                   

  • Towson beat Morgan State 42-3; BCU defeated Morgan 49-23;
  • Old Dominion beat Hampton 45-42 while the Wildcats defeated HU 35-31;
  • Appalachian State defeated Savannah State 41-6; BCU defeated SSU 59-3.

The Cons:

Bethune-Cookman’s loss to North Carolina A&T has not only prevented the Wildcats from competing for the conference’s automatic qualifier, but the loss to the Aggies could also be the difference as to whether or not the Wildcats receive an at-large invite from the FCS playoff committee.

The MEAC’s recent playoff woes (winless since 1999) could also be held against the Wildcats.  The MEAC, however, is a respectable 7-9 this year against out of conference FCS competition. 

Most FCS pundits believe that there are 4 or 5 at-large playoff spots still on the table.  The teams most likely to fill those spots are BCU (MEAC), FAMU (MEAC), Wofford (SoCon), James Madison (CAA), Indiana State (MVC), Youngstown State (MVC), Illinois State (MVC), Eastern Kentucky (OVC), Central Arkansas (Southland), New Hampshire (CAA), and Duquesne (Patriot).  Translation and football cliché of the week—“there is still a lot of football left to be played”.

So tell us, assuming BCU wins the Florida Classic, do you believe that the Wildcats are worthy of a playoff spot?  

Hail Wildcats

Wildcats too much for Tigers

/ J Bell / Leave a comment

For the past two months, coach Brian Jenkins has insisted that the quarterback who practices the best during the week will receive the starting nod on gameday.

Remaining true to his word, Jenkins named David Blackwell as the starting quarterback just minutes before Saturday’s contest against Savannah State.  Blackwell responded by ripping off an 80 yard touchdown run on the Wildcats first offensive play from scrimmage.  He later added two more first half touchdown runs (of 37 yards and 59 yards) as well as two 3rd quarter touchdown passes (46 yarder to Isidore Jackson and 16 yarder to Johnathan Moment).  Blackwell accounted for 350 yards of total offense (203 rushing and 147 passing) in a little over 2 quarters of play.

The Wildcats finished the contest with 625 yards of total offense in route to a 59-3 dismantling of the over-matched Tigers.

Defensively, the Wildcats yielded just 202 yards of total offense and allowed no second half first downs.  Defensive tackle, Harold Love III, led the defensive charge with 12 tackles.

 Team Totals 

SSU 

BCU 
FIRST DOWNS 

9 

23 
   Rushing 

4 

17 
   Passing 

3 

6 
   Penalty 

2 

0 
NET YARDS RUSHING 

149 

431 
   Rushing Attempts 

40 

41 
   Average Per Rush 

3.7 

10.5 
   Rushing Touchdowns 

0 

5 
   Yards Gained Rushing 

191 

461 
   Yards Lost Rushing 

42 

30 
NET YARDS PASSING 

53 

194 
   Completions-Attempts-Int 

6-21-1 

11-17-0 
   Average Per Attempt 

2.5 

11.4 
   Average Per Completion 

8.8 

17.6 
   Passing Touchdowns 

0 

3 
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS 

202 

625 
   Total offense plays 

61 

58 
   Average Gain Per Play 

3.3 

10.8 
Fumbles: Number-Lost 

2-0 

2-1 
Penalties: Number-Yards 

5-30 

10-69 
PUNTS-YARDS 

8-302 

2-78 
   Average Yards Per Punt 

37.8 

39.0 
   Net Yards Per Punt 

30.4 

39.0 
   Inside 20 

2 

1 
   50+ Yards 

1 

0 
   Touchbacks 

1 

0 
   Fair catch 

2 

0 
KICKOFFS-YARDS 

2-119 

10-572 
   Average Yards Per Kickoff 

59.5 

57.2 
   Net Yards Per Kickoff 

28.5 

33.6 
   Touchbacks 

0 

0 
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD 

0-0-0 

5-39-0 
   Average Per Return 

0.0 

7.8 
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD 

10-236-0 

2-62-0 
   Average Per Return 

23.6 

31.0 
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD 

0-0-0 

1-20-0 
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD 

0-0-0 

0-0-0 
Miscellaneous Yards 

0 

0 
Possession Time 

33:52 

26:00 
   1st Quarter 

10:35 

4:25 
   2nd Quarter 

9:32 

5:28 
   3rd Quarter 

7:49 

7:03 
   4th Quarter 

5:56 

9:04 
Third-Down Conversions 

3 of 16 

5 of 9 
Fourth-Down Conversions 

0 of 2 

0 of 1 
Red-Zone Scores-Chances 

1-3 

5-6 
   Touchdowns 

0-3 

4-6 
   Field goals 

1-3 

1-6 
Sacks By: Number-Yards 

1-10 

4-23 
PAT Kicks 

0-0 

8-8 
Field Goals 

1-1 

1-1

 

 

BCU Thumps Morgan 49-23

/ J Bell / 12 Comments

Last Saturday’s 49-23 Homecoming thumping of Morgan State was a near perfect microcosm of The Fighting Wildcats 2011 football season. 

 Much like the first half of this season, the first 2 quarters of Saturday’s contest were filled with both explosive plays –174 yards of total offense and 2 defensive turnovers– and untimely penalties –6 for 54 yards– for the Wildcats.  BCU looked vulnerable as a result and clung to a 14-10 halftime lead.

 The Wildcats seemed to sure up a few things in the halftime locker room and looked completely dominant and playoff worthy in the second half; outscoring MSU 35-13 in the process.

Isidore Jackson had another solid afternoon rushing for 94 yards (1 TD) on 20 carries and catching 2 passes for 22 yards. Senior fullback Johnathan Moment enjoyed his best statistical game of the season accounting for 106 yards of total offense (78 rushing; 28 receiving) and two touchdowns in the contest. 

Jackie Wilson

Sophomore quarterback Jackie Wilson continues to play well.  Wilson completed 67 percent of his passes (10/15 for 186) and rushed for 74 yards and 3 touchdowns on the afternoon.  “The game is starting to slow down to me,” Wilson said after the contest. 

 Although Wilson’s insertion into the starting lineup has seemed to stabilize the Wildcat offense, Coach Brian Jenkins states that there will continue to be an open competition for the starting quarterback spot.  Jenkins went on to state that David Blackwell almost received the starting nod this week instead of Wilson.

 The Wildcat starting defense held the Morgan State offense to 173 yards of total offense and 10 points through 3 quarters.  Senior linebacker Ryan Lewis led the way with 7 tackles including 1.5 tackles for loss.  The Bear offense accumulated 137 yards of offense and 13 points in the final quarter mostly against BCU’s second and third teamers.  Even still, Coach Jenkins was none-too-happy about how his defense finished the contest; and he was particularly upset about yielding a 44-yard touchdown run to Travis Davidson with 58 seconds remaining in the contest.  “No matter the score, I want my guys to execute.”  “We had one guy out of position and a few others who didn’t make the play that was to be made” Jenkins stated.  Davidson finished the afternoon with 133 yards rushing on 17 carries for the Bears.

Bethune hosts upstart Savannah State next Saturday in Daytona Beach at 4:00 p.m.

Florida Classic could see Millionth Fan

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Bethune Band

Orlando, Florida (NOVEMBER 2, 2011) –  Game officials are preparing for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Classic between Florida A&M University and Bethune-Cookman University, and it is possible that a special milestone may be reached at this year’s edition the nation’s top HBCU Classic.

Should the game reach an attendance mark of 63,200, the one-millionth fan of the game since it came to Orlando in 1997 will walk through the gates of Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium. Heading into this year’s 32nd overall edition of the game, 936,800 fans have attended the game in its 14 previous years in Orlando. Game officials expect to hit the 1,000,000 mark this year based on current ticket sales projections combined with an annual attendance average of nearly 67,000.

“Since 1997, FAMU, B-CU and the City of Orlando have truly built something special together,” said Florida Citrus Sports CEO Steve Hogan. “The Classic weekend is one of the great rivalry experiences in college athletics and this year’s game could see fan number 1,000,000 walk through the gates — yet another milestone to celebrate in a series already rich in tradition.

”Should the 1,000,000th fan enter the gates, he/she will receive:· Two free Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Classic tickets in Orlando for life· Instant seat upgrade for two in the Uprights Club for this year’s game· A BCBS Florida Classic merchandise prize pack. 

The 2011 BCBSFL Classic – featuring the McDonald’s halftime show — takes place on Saturday, November 19 at 2:30 p.m. Fans interested in purchasing tickets should go to Ticketmaster.com and for game information, log on to www.FloridaClassic.org.

Jackie Wilson earns MEAC POTW honors

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A Wildcat football player has earned MEAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second consecutive week.  Quarterback Jackie Wilson was selected as this week’s MEAC Offensive Player of the Week.  Also honored this week was Corwin Hammond of Norfolk State (Defensive Player of the Week).

D’Vonte Grant of North Carolina A&T and Tracy Martin of Morgan State was selected as the Co-Rookie’s of the Week while Lawrence Brewer, also of Morgan State, was named the Offensive Lineman of the Week.  Blake Erickson of South Carolina State was selected as the Special Teams Player of the Week, respectively.

Wilson (QB, 6-0, 210, So., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) completed 12 of 15 passes for 183 yards with one touchdown in the Wildcats’ 34-6 win over North Carolina Central. He also carried the ball nine times for 113 yards with another touchdown on the ground. 

Hammond (LB, 6-1, 220, r-Sr., Louisville, Ky.) recorded a season-high 12 tackles, nine solo, in the Spartans’ 14-10 win over North Carolina A&T to remain in first place of the conference standings.  He registered five tackles for a loss of 17 yards including one sack for a nine-yard loss.  He also forced a fumble and broke up a pass in the win.

Grant (LB, 5-11, r-Fr., Charlotte, NC) collected a career-high 17 tackles, 15 solo, in the Aggies loss to Norfolk State.  He tallied 3.5 tackles for a loss of 14 yards and recorded a broken up pass.

Martin (RB, 5-9, 190, r-Fr., Beltsville, Md.) ran for 154 yards on 38 carries with two touchdowns in the Bears’ (12-0) shutout victory over Delaware State. 
Brewer (OL, 6-5, 290, Sr., Ft. Washington, Md.) graded out at 98-percent on his assignments as he paved the way for the Bears to record 314 offensive yards in the win over Delaware State.  He helped the team post 289 yards on the ground and racked up five pancake blocks.

Erickson (PK/P, 5-10, 165, Sr., Cantonment, Fla.) finished a perfect 4-of-4 on PATs and connected on a 22-yard field goal in South Carolina State’s 31-0 win over Howard.  He averaged 38.8 yards on six punts, including a long of 66 yards.  He also handled the kickoff responsibilities, averaging 58.7 yards on six attempts.

Other Top Performer

Jean Fanor (B-CU) posted six tackles, two solo, with one interception and one forced fumble in the Wildcats’ win over North Carolina Central.

Last week’s Contest

The Bethune-Cookman offense racked up 525 yards of Total Offense spoiling the homecoming of 12,516 North Carolina Central fans.  Isidore Jackson and Jackie Wilson both eclipsed the 100 yard rushing mark in Saturday’s contest. 

On the opposite side of the ball, the Wildcat defense held the Eagles scoreless until the 13:17 mark in the 4th quarter.  DJ Howard led the Cats with 8 tackles.

The Wildcats are currently playing as well as anyone in the MEAC and will look to continue their impressive late season push in a homecoming matchup against the surprising Morgan State Bears.  Morgan State and Norfolk State are the only remaining 1-loss conference teams. 

Jekyll-and-Hyde Eagles are a mystery, even to their coach, Henry Frazier

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Associated Press

NCCU QB Michael Johnson

DURHAM — Sounding ominous just days before Halloween, N.C. Central coach

Henry Frazier III said he’s never sure whether the Eagles he sees all week at practice will be the same ones who will show up on game day.

“We’ve been Jekyll-and-Hyde all season. I really don’t know which team is going to show up,” Frazier said.

It’s as if the Eagles looked at the schedule and circled the contests they believed required their “A” games, Frazier said.

If that’s the case, it would seem Saturday’s game against Bethune-Cookman (2 p.m., nccueaglepride.com) is highlighted, because it’s homecoming, and there’s something about putting on a good show for the alums.

The Eagles better come ready to play, because Bethune-Cookman is no joke, Frazier said. The Wildcats can run it, pass it and sure enough will hit, he said.

“That 49 on defense is something else. He’s a grown man out there,” Frazier said about Bethune-Cookman defensive end Ryan Davis. “Their defense is a bunch of grown men running around.”

Last week against Norfolk State, Davis had 3.5 sacks, 11 tackles, forced a fumble and recovered another and was credited with a quarterback hurry, all of which made him not only the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week but also brought in Bethune-Cookman’s first National Football Championship Subdivsion Defensive Player of the Week award from The Sports Network/Fathead.com, given weekly to the top defender in the nation.

It’s not just Bethune-Cookman’s defense that furrows Frazier’s brow.

“Everything is of concern,” Frazier said.

NCCU’s defensive backs will have to make sure Wildcat wide receiver Eddie Poole is accounted for, and Bethune-Cookman doesn’t have just one or two running backs but a stable of them who all see time in the backfield and know what to do when they get their hands on the ball, Frazier said.

“They break tackles,” Frazier said. “We’re talking gang tackling.”

Bethune-Cookman running back Isidore Jackson last week was the MEAC Offensive Player of the Week after averaging 6.5 yards per carry and finishing with 206 yards.

“All of our running backs are capable of doing what Ike did,” Bethune-Cookman coach Brian Jenkins said.

The Wildcats (4-3) have at least five solid running backs, but if one of them particularly is doing his thing out there on the field, then that guy might get most of the carries, Jenkins said.

NCCU (1-6) has yet to win a game in the conference since returning this season as a full MEAC member.

“North Carolina Central is probably the best one-win team that I’ve seen, and I don’t mean that with any disrespect,” Jenkins said. “They’re no slouch, now.”

Jenkins said NCCU probably should have beaten South Carolina. State, a team that for years has set the standard in the MEAC.

“They had South Carolina State on the ropes,” Jenkins said.

He was referring to S.C. State’s 49-38 over the Eagles earlier this season. NCCU has lost five straight, including last week’s 30-27 overtime defeat at Hampton.

“We’re not looking at them lightly or overlooking them,” Jenkins said of the Eagles. “They’re very disciplined and sound.”

Frazier wouldn’t agree about that discipline part. The Eagles committed 133 yards of penalties in each of their last two games. Those flags have been real thorns, Frazier said.

Still, eliminate NCCU’s record and what the Eagles are is a good football team, Jenkins insisted.

“Offensively, their quarterback gets rid of the football pretty fast, and they throw the ball up and down the field on people,” Jenkins said.

NCCU’s offense is efficient and can score, the Eagles play swarming defense and overall that team just plain plays hard, Jenkins said.

Thing is, there’s no telling which NCCU ball club will show up for the game, according to Frazier.

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