BCU secure MEAC title and Playoff berth with 29-10 FL Classic win

November 24, 2013 / J Bell / 3 Comments

Dyron Dye

Quentin Williams and Isidore Jakson rushed for two touchdowns each in Saturday’s Florida Classic but it was the Wildcat defense that paved the way for a comfortable 29-10 win for Bethune-Cookman over arch-rival Florida A&M.

The announced crowd of 45,321 watched BCU’s defense stymie the Rattlers and hold them to just 89 yards of total offense and forcing two turnovers on the afternoon.

Dyron Dye led the defensive charge and emerged from the contest with 7 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. 7 other Wildcat defenders finished the day with 4 or more tackles.

FAMU struck first in the contest on a 41 yard Chase Varnadore field goal with 9:58 remaining in the 1^st.

BCU responded quickly going 79 yards on 7 plays on the ensuing drive. Williams hit Jontavious Carter on a 43 yard catch and run to set the Wildcats up in good field position. 6 plays later Williams walked into the endzone to provide BCU with a 7-3 lead.

After a FAMU 3 and out, BCU travelled 66 yards on 10 plays and eventually found the endzone on Williams’ second rushing touchdown of the game, this time from 17 yards out.

Ike Jackson

The Wildcats capped the 1^st half scoring on a 3 yard Isidore Jackson touchdown run. Senior quarterback Brodrick Waters hit Brandon Bryant in the back of the endzone on the 2 point conversion attempt to push the halftime lead to 21-3.

Florida A&M’s only points of the second half came on a 45 yard fumble return by Jonathan Pillow midway through the 3^rd quarter.

Isidore Jackson’s second 3 yard touchdown run of the afternoon followed by Waters 2 point conversion run wrapped up the scoring at 29-10.

With the win, BCU locked up their 3^rd conference crown and playoff appearance in the past 4 years. The win also pushed BCU’s active win streak over FAMU to 3 games. Only one time prior, 2002, 2003, and 2004, had BCU won 3 straight games over Florida A&M.

The pairings for the 2013 FCS Playoffs will be announced Sunday morning at 11:30 A.M. on ESPNU.

Memorable Florida Classic Moments

November 22, 2013 / J Bell / 2 Comments

The 34^th installment of the Florida Blue Florida Classic between in-state rivals Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M is upon us. The contest has grown into one of the premier HBCU showcases attracting over one and half million fans since its inception in 1978. The two teams have combined for twelve (12) conference titles during that same timeframe and have created many memorable moments in this annual showdown.

Players and coaches from both teams will look to create their own signature Florida Classic moment when the two teams square off Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in the Citrus Bowl.

Here is a look back at some of the more memorable games played in Florida Classic history.

Memorable Florida Classic Moments

1978 – Florida A&M trailed BCU 17-0 at halftime in the first ever Florida Classic played in Tampa Stadium. The Rattlers scored 27 unanswered points in the second half en route to a 27-17 victory. Rudy Hubbard’s squad went on to win the first 1-AA (now FCS) National Championship later that season. A year later (1979) BCU won their first Florida Classic 25-20.

1994 – BCU QB Tony Kerrin connected with Morris Nobles on a 2 yard TD reception in the corner of the endzone to give the Wildcats a 27-24 lead with :47 remaining in the contest. BCU went on to win by the same margin and Coach Cy McClairen earned his first victory over the Rattlers as a head coach.

2003 – Daytona Beach native and current Chicago Bear, Eric Weems, scored 3 touchdowns and helped the Wildcats rally from a 28-10 halftime deficit. The final touchdown was set up by a fake punt attempt on 4^th and 17 with less than 2:00 remaining in the contest. A FAMU player was flagged for pass interference on the fake punt and BCU was awarded an automatic first down.

Later in the drive quarterback Allen Suber avoided a sack, rolled to his right, and hit Weems who beat triple coverage just beyond the pylon with 9 seconds remaining in the game. BCU prevailed 39-35 in front of the largest crowd (73,358) in Florida Classic history.

2004 – Florida Classic fans were treated to the first overtime in the history of the series. The Wildcats eventually prevailed 58-52.

FAMU’s Ben Dougherty (QB) and Roosevelt Kiser (WR) had career days in that contest. Midway through the third quarter, Dougherty connected with Kiser on a 66 yard TD reception and extended FAMU’s lead to 45-24.

Head coach Alvin Wyatt then made the decision to move eventual three-time All-Pro defensive back Nick Collins from safety to cornerback with the assignment of blanketing Kiser. The move proved to be very effective for the maroon and gold. The FAMU passing game was severely limited as a result of the coaching decision and the Wildcats outscored FAMU 34-7 from that point forward. Rodney Johnson’s 15 yard touchdown run in overtime sealed the victory for BCU.

Coach Wyatt, who was overcome with emotion after the win, fainted and had to be carted off the field by medical personnel. Wyatt was eventually treated for dehydration but was no worse for the wear.

Not only was the 2004 victory the first overtime fame in Florida Classic history, it was also the first time that BCU won three consecutive victories over the FAMU.

2005 – Like the year prior, this game was also decided in overtime; only this time FAMU would emerge as the victor. The Rattlers entered the contest as underdogs and quickly fell behind to the Wildcats 17-0. But A&M slowly climbed back into the contest and forced the game into overtime on the strength of a Wesley Taylor 43-yard field goal with less than 3 minutes remaining in the 4^th quarter. Taylor’s 26-yarder in overtime vaulted the Rattlers to a 26-23 win.

2010 – BCU entered the 2010 FC (Brian Jenkins’ first year) with an unblemished 10-0 record. However, a 3^rd quarter injury to eventual MEAC Offensive Player of the Year, quarterback Matt Johnson, derailed BCU’s high-octane “Speedway Offense.” FAMU capitalized on the opportunity and secured a 38-27 win in one of the biggest upsets in FC history. Phillip Sylvester scored 3 times for the Rattlers and rushed for 146 yards on 26 carries in the process.

#18 Wildcats bounce back with 42-12 drubbing of Hampton

November 16, 2013November 17, 2013 / J Bell / Leave a comment

Dion Hanks

A week after losing its first MEAC contest in over two seasons, 18^th ranked Bethune-Cookman bounced back in impressive fashion thrashing the Hampton Pirates 42-12 on Senior Day in Daytona Beach.

The Wildcats racked up 557 yards of total offense including 475 rushing yards in the contest.

BCU opened the game’s scoring on an 11 play, 87 yard touchdown drive on its second possession of the contest. The Wildcats ran the ball 10 straight times on the drive with the only pass attempt resulting in a 6 yard touchdown reception from Jackie Wilson to Cary White.

The Wildcats doubled their lead on their next possession but needed just 4 plays this time to hit pay dirt. Isidore Jackson, who finished the contest with 102 yards rushing on 9 attempts, scampered down the right sideline for 53 yards to set the Cats up with 1^st and goal at the 6. Two plays later, Wilson twisted his way into the endzone on a quarterback keeper.

“We came out focused and ready to play” coach Brian Jenkins stated after the contest. “We are a good football team. A lot of people doubted us after last week and that’s okay.” “We had a talk as a team. There was no panic; it was just (about) cleaning up our act and we did that. The approach we took is we’re not going to let it go to the score cards.”

Anthony Prevost successfully converted a 34 yard field goal to give Hampton their only points of the first half. But the Wildcats would respond immediately needing to travel just 15 yards for their third touchdown of the half. Darian Baker took the ensuing kickoff 82 yards to the Hampton 15 yard line. 3 plays later, Quentin Williams finished the drive on a 1 yard option keeper.

Brodrick Waters scored on a 2 point conversion attempt and put BCU ahead 22-3 at the half.

Hampton had several chances to get back into the contest early in the 3rd but the Wildcat’s tenacious defense kept the Pirates at bay. After HU trimmed the lead to 22-6, the BCU offense fumbled on its first two possessions of the 3^rd quarter but the defense held firm and prevented the Pirates from capitalizing on either of the turnovers holding them to a missed FG attempt and stopping them on a 4^th and 1 respectively.

Freshman running back Michael Jones pushed the BCU lead to 28-6 midway through the 3^rdquarter on a nifty 30 yard run. Jones made a couple of HU defenders miss and outran a few others on his way to the endzone. “I stretched the play to the right, the defense was over-pursuing, I found a cutback lane and hit it” Jones remarked in the postgame presser.

Quentin Williams and Drexler Dixon added rushing touchdowns in the 4^th quarter for the Wildcats while the Pirates’ Marcus Hampton recorded HU’s only touchdown of the game in the final frame.

“It was good to end my last regular season home game with a (convincing) win ” senior defensive end Tevin Toney stated. He went on to state, “it goes to show you that the hard work that we put in pays off in games.”

Toney and his defensive mates forced 2 Hampton interceptions and limited the Pirate offense to just 216 yards.

BCU takes on archrival Florida A&M next week in the Florida Blue Florida Classic in Orlando. A Florida Classic win would grant the Wildcats at least a share of the MEAC crown for the third time in four years. A win would also secure BCU’s 3rd trip to the playoffs in 4 years as the Cats would be awarded the conference’s automatic bid.

Miscues doom Wildcats in 24-27 loss to Norfolk State

November 10, 2013 / J Bell / Leave a comment

One word summarizes Bethune-Cookman’s 24-27 loss to Norfolk State on Saturday; MISCUES!

The Wildcats got off to an uninspiring start and committed 5 turnovers (including 4 in the first half) in Saturday’s defeat. On the other side of the ball, Norfolk State started the game redhot and scored on its first 3 possessions.

The Spartans took the game’s opening possession 81 yards on 10 plays and scored on a 2 yard touchdown run by Rolandan Finch early in the 1^st quarter. After a BCU three-and-out, the Spartans stretched their lead to 10-0 on a 43 yard Cameron Marouf field goal.

Bethune-Cookman’s offense showed some life on its second possession and easily sliced through the NSU defense needing only 2:48 to travel 72 yards to cut into the Spartan lead. Isidore Jackson scored on a 35 yard touchdown run up the right sideline after receiving an option pitch from quarterback Quentin Williams to reduce the deficit to 10-7. Jackson’s TD run pushes him to 3^rd on BCU’s all-time rushing TD list

NSU’s offense seemed to stall inside the BCU redzone on the ensuing possession; however, 2 redzone penalties on 3 down extended the Spartan drive. Senior defensive end, Dyron Dye, was flagged for a roughing the passer call after the Wildcats stopped NSU on 3^rd and 4 from the 12. 3 plays later Tim Burke was flagged for defensive pass interference after what would have been a 3^rd and goal stop from the 5.

The drive finally ended with a 2 yard TD pass from Tyler Clark to University of Florida transfer and Miami native Lynden Trail.

Trail made his second impact play of the evening 3 plays later but this time while playing defense. The All-MEAC performer forced a fumble on an option pitch. Natturner Harris scooped the deflected pitch up and raced 31 yards to put ahead NSU 24-7 halfway through the 2^nd quarter.

Trails was all smiles after the game. “We felt like they (BCU) kind of overlooked us and we felt disrespected. They were probably thinking about next week’s game or maybe even the playoffs. But we came in here tonight, got the victory, and proved that we are a good football team.”

“It’s a blessing that this game is on our schedule. My mother is here watching. I am 6 foot 7; I weigh 260 pounds but I am still my mother’s baby. She doesn’t like the contact part of the game because I am her baby but I am sure that she appreciated the touchdown.”

“I don’t even know how many family and friends I had here tonight watching (me) but it was a lot. I am just so proud of my teammates and my coaches. They (the coaches) gave us a good gameplan and we executed.”

While NSU’s offensivie execution may have been crisp in the opening half, BCU’s execution was anything but. The Wildcats turned the ball over on four of six first half possessions.

The Wildcats were able to put together a feverish fourth quarter rally but the comeback attempt fell just short. Nick Addison made what would have been the play of the game had the outcome turned out differently when he stopped Derrick Demps just shy of the first down marker, wrestled the ball away, and scampered 14 yards to make it a two possession game (27-13).

The Wildcats took over their next possession at the NSU 44 yard line. 4 plays later the Cats had it 1^st and goal from the 1 but an illegal procedure penalty negated a touchdown and backed the Cats up to the 6. BCU was unable to punch it in on that drive and instead settled for a 23 yard Jonathan Cagle field goal to make it 27-16.

After forcing a NSU punt, Jontavious Carter hauled in a 61 yard pass from Jackie Wilson and Isidore Jackson’s 11 yard TD run capped a 2 play 72 yard scoring drive that took only 31 seconds on BCU’s ensuing possession. Brodrick Waters hit Justin Henderson on a short pass to complete the 2 point conversion attempt and cut the lead to 27-24.

BCU’s defense held the Spartans to what would have been a 3 and out and the Cats were set to take over possession at the NSU 44 yardline trailing 27-24 with over 3 minutes remaining and all the momentum. However, the Wildcats’ special teams unit was flagged 15 yards for a bizarre “snapper interference” call.

Norfolk State was able to essentially run out the clock after that call.

The Wildcats ended the contest with a dismal 15 penalties for 138 yards.

Jarkevis Fields registered 21 tackles while LeBrandon Richardson pitched in 15 of his own.

Norfolk State’s victory was the first for the Spartans in Daytona in 10 tries.

Jenkins fined by MEAC for Critizing Officials

November 6, 2013 / J Bell / Leave a comment

Bethune-Cookman head football coach Brian Jenkins has received a letter of reprimand and has been fined by the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference for his public comments concerning officiating following the Bethune-Cookman/North Carolina Central football game on Saturday, November 2, Commissioner Dennis Thomas announced today.

Coach Jenkins violated the MEAC’s Bylaw on criticizing officials which states that members of the coaching staffs, student-athletes, or other representatives of participating institutions shall not make public statements critical of officiating in any MEAC contests or events.

“It is unfortunate that Coach Jenkins decided to violate the conference’s policy on criticizing officials,” Thomas said. “I hope that in the future that he will be in compliance with the policy.”

MEAC Roundup – 11/2/2013

November 3, 2013 / J Bell / Leave a comment

Credits: DSUHornets

MEAC ROUNDUP: Defending champion Bethune-Cookman (8-1, 5-0) continued their dominant play Saturday, bowling over North Carolina Central (4-5, 2-3), 38-14 in a nationally-televised 12 noon bout at Durham, N.C.

The ‘Cats win kept them one game ahead of South Carolina State (6-3, 4-1) in the standings. SCSU rebounded from last week’s head-to-head loss at Daytona Beach, with a 45-9 romp over Savannah State (1-9, 0-6) at Savannah, Georgia.

Clearly the game of the day had to be Delaware State’s last gasp 22-20 win over visiting Howard at Dover, as Mitchell Ward booted a 26-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Hornets (4-5, 4-2) into sole possession of third place, while Howard (2-4, 3-7) had its’ two-game winning streak snapped, to drop into 10th place.

In other MEAC action, Morgan State (3-6, 3-2) bolted to a big lead, then withstood a Hampton University comeback to sink the Pirates (3-6, 3-2), 30-27 at Baltimore, leaving the two squads tied for fourth place in the standings.

North Carolina A&T (5-3, 2-3) crushed visiting Virginia University at Lynchburg, 59-12 at homecoming in Greensboro, N.C., while another homecoming didn’t go so well, as visiting Florida A&M (3-6, 2-3) scored a fourth quarter touchdown to spoil the day for Norfolk State (2-7, 2-3), 16-6 in Dick Price Stadium at Norfolk, Va.

How Things Stack Up Now
Bethune-Cookman (5-0), South Carolina State (4-1) and Delaware State (4-2) make up the top three in the MEAC standings…. Hampton (3-2) and Morgan State (3-2) are tied for fourth place, just ahead of a four-team, sixth place logjam featuring North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, Florida A&M and Norfolk State at 2-3….. Howard (2-6) and Savannah State (0-6) round out the group after the first week of November.

Next Week’s slate features 10 of the 11 schools in action in five conference bouts: Norfolk State at Bethune-Cookman (4:00); Florida A&M at South Carolina State (1:30); North Carolina Central at Hampton (1:00); North Carolina A&T at Morgan State (1:00), and Savannah State at Howard (1:00).

2013 MEAC FOOTBALL STANDINGS
Through November 2
Team …………………… Conference …….. Overall
Bethune-Cookman ……. 5-0 1.000 ….. 8-1 .888
South Carolina State …. 4-1 .800 ….. 6-3 .667
Delaware State ………… 4-2 .667 ….. 4-5 .444
Hampton ………………… 3-2 .600 ….. 3-6 .333
Morgan State …………… 3-2 .600 ….. 3-6 .333
North Carolina A&T …… 2-3 .400 ….. 5-3 .625
North Carolina Central .. 2-3 .400 ….. 4-5 .444
Florida A&M ……………. 2-3 .400 ….. 3-6 .333
Norfolk State ………….. 2-3 .400 ….. 2-7 .222
Howard …………………. 2-4 .333 ….. 3-7 .300
Savannah State ……….. 0-6 .000 ….. 1-9 .100

MEAC WEEK 10 SCORECARD (November 2)
Bethune-Cookman 38, North Carolina Central 14
North Carolina A&T 59, Virginia-Lynchburg 12
Morgan State 30, Hampton 27
Florida A&M 16, Norfolk State 6
Delaware State 22, Howard 20
South Carolina State 45, Savannah State 9

NEXT WEEK’S SCHEDULE (November 7-9)
North Carolina Central at Hampton, 1:00
North Carolina A&T at Morgan State, 1:00
Savannah State at Howard, 1:00
Florida A&M at South Carolina State, 1:30
Norfolk State at Bethune-Cookman, 4:00
Delaware State, bye

GAMES OF NOVEMBER 14-16
Delaware State at Florida A&M
Norfolk State at North Carolina Central
Morgan State at South Carolina State
Savannah State at North Carolina A&T
Hampton at Bethune-Cookman
Howard at Texas Southern

GAMES OF NOVEMBER 21-23
Bethune-Cookman vs. Florida A&M (Orlando)
North Carolina Central at North Carolina A&T
South Carolina State at Norfolk State
Morgan State at Delaware State
Howard at Hampton
Savannah State, bye

BCU runs past NCCU 38-14

November 2, 2013 / J Bell / Leave a comment

150 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The 12^th ranked Bethune-Cookman Wildcats piled up 594 yards of offense and raced to a 38-14 win over North Carolina Central.

Heading into the game, senior running back Isidore Jackson needed just 129 yards on the ground to surpass Allen Suber as BCU’s all-time career rushing yardage leader. Jackson racked up 125 of the 129 yards needed in the first half, finished the contest with 182 yards rushing on 20 attempts, and now sits in first place on the career rushing yardage list.

Jackson seemed likely to open the game’s scoring midway through the 1^st quarter but fumbled while attempting to stretch the ball across the pylon. The Wildcats would, however, get on the scoreboard later in the opening frame on a 3 yard run by Cary White with 1:17 remaining in the 1^st quarter.

Quarterback Quentin Williams hooked up with Eddie Poole for a 31 yard touchdown strike on the Wildcats’ next possession. Williams broke a tackle and extended the play with his legs before finding a wide open Poole in the middle of the field. The pass and catch put BCU up 14-0 early in the 2^nd quarter.

Jonathan Cagle pushed the BCU lead to 17-0 with a 31 yard field goal conversion for the final score of the 1^st half.

Jackson added a 9 yard TD scamper for the lone points in the 3^rdquarter.

The game action heated up early in the 4^th with 21 points being scored in a 26 second span.

Freshman running back Michael D. Jones scored on a 3 yard run to the push the Wildcat lead to 31-0. On the ensuing kickoff, NCCU return man Thomas Dixon spoiled the Wildcats’ hopes of a shutout and raced 100 yards to give the Eagles their first points of the afternoon.

True freshman Dre’Sean Nelson supplied an immediate response taking a handoff up the middle and outran the NCCU defense 75 yards for the score.

Kevin Thompson ended the game’s scoring on a 6 yard jolt off-tackle for Central.

Quentin Williams finished the contest 12/20 for 147 yards and 1 touchdown through the air.

Eddie Poole extended his pass catching streak to 44 games and supplanted James Adderley as tops on BCU’s consecutive game with a reception list.

Defensively the Wildcats limited NCCU to -1 yard rushing, 137 total yards, and forced 2 turnovers on the afternoon. Nick Addison and Rony Barrow each recorded interceptions in the contest.

Team Stats	COOK		NCCU
First Downs	27	14
Total Plays	86	56
Total Yards	594	137
Passing	158	138
Rushing	436	-1
Penalties	24/ 232	9 / 110

Top 5 B-CU/SCSU games in history

October 28, 2013October 28, 2013 / J Bell / Leave a comment

Allen Suber – Onnidan.com

Bradford Gillens-Bethune-Cookman Wildcats Examiner

Following 13th ranked (SportsNetwork) Bethune-Cookman’s pivotal 14-3 win over South Carolina State Saturday at Municipal Stadium, I started thinking about the intense battles this matchup has produced in recent history.

Although the Bulldogs lead the series 28-19-1, the Wildcats have won three of the last four meetings and have had some of their most memorable wins in school history versus their conference foes from Orangeburg, SC.

Listed below are the top five games between the Wildcats and Bulldogs.

View 5 photos

Read on: http://www.examiner.com/list/top-5-b-cu-scsu-games-history/5-suberman-runs-wild

Bethune-Cookman solidifies position atop the MEAC with 14-3 win over SCSU

October 27, 2013October 27, 2013 / J Bell / Leave a comment

Credits: BCU Athletics

The final transition in the MEAC’s changing of the guard was solidified on Saturday afternoon with #14 Bethune-Cookman’s 14-3 Homecoming victory over South Carolina State in Daytona Beach.

The Wildcat defense limited the Bulldogs to just 143 yards of total offense and forced 3 SCSU turnovers including 2 in the red zone during Saturday’s contest. Marquis Drayton undercut a Richard Cue pass intended for Temarrick Hemingway to provide BCU with their first impactful defensive play of the afternoon.

On the subsequent drive, quarterback Quentin Williams guided the “good guys” on a 9 play, 81 yard touchdown drive. Williams went 5-5 on the drive with the biggest play, a 47 yard strike to Eddie Poole, requiring a little divine intervention.

“When I tell you God is good, God is good. I lost the ball in the sun for like 3 seconds but somehow it landed softly in my hands” Eddie Poole stated when commenting on the reception that gave BCU 1^st and goal from the 1.

The drive culminated with a 4 yard pass from Williams to Isidore Jackson giving the Wildcats a 7-0 lead 10 minutes into the contest.

Two possessions later, BCU pushed its lead to 14-0 this time scoring on a 6 yard quarterback keeper by Williams.

Williams, who played the entire game at quarterback, finished the contest 12-16 for 220 yards and 1 touchdown. Eddie Poole caught 5 passes for 130 yards and moved up to 5^th place all-time on the BCU receptions list.

Jarkevis Fields paced the Wildcats with 14 tackles; none bigger than his 4^th quarter stop at the 1 yard line forcing a Justin Taylor fumble and BCU recovery in the endzone. “I saw (Taylor) coming downhill. I went down low and my helmet hit the ball. The next thing I knew the crowd was screaming so I knew it was a turnover. I looked up and thankfully Donald Smith reacted the way our coaches taught us and fell on the ball in the endzone.”

After the game, a consolatory Buddy Pough stated: “I’m going to be honest; I thought Cookman just outplayed us today.” “I have to take my hat off to Coach Jenkins and his staff. They found a couple little things that gave them a chance to get ahead early. The guy (Coach Jenkins) is a good football coach. They put together a great program. They have a great following. They have probably the most fertile group of (recruiting) talent there is in this part of the country. You put all those things together along with his connections and the great job he’s doing coaching and you win football games.”

BCU’s win over SCSU stretches their MEAC win streak to 17 games.

GAME STATS: http://www.bcuathletics.com/fls/23910/pdf/Football/BCUFB13_Gamebook_08SCSU.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=23910

Bethune-Cookman vs. South Carolina State–The best non-traditional rivalry in HBCU football???

October 23, 2013October 24, 2013 / J Bell / 2 Comments

What a great time to be in the World’s Most Famous Beach. The days are sunny, the nights are pleasant, and there is a tangible sensation of excitement permeating the air. It is homecoming week at Bethune-Cookman University and the Wildcats are preparing to take on perennial MEAC power South Carolina State.

This matchup is special any time it’s played. Adding the pageantry, expectations, and atmosphere of a homecoming event to it as well as the stakes of first place in the league standings makes it epic.

Non-Traditional Rivalry

The BCU vs. SCSU annual showdown has become one of the best on-the-field rivalries (albeit a non-traditional one) in all of HBCU football. There is no disdain for or hatred of the opposing team’s fan base. There are no geographical wars over disputed lands of which to speak. To the best of our knowledge, no grandkids have been written out of the Will for choosing the wrong side and no giant oak trees have been poisoned (sorry Auburn fans). Instead, this rivalry evolved from intense, hard-hitting action on the field and the primal desire of 2 clans of alpha males slugging it out to prove that they are the MEAC’s top dog (or top cat if you prefer).

SCSU standout defensive lineman Javon Hargrave stated he thinks about Bethune-Cookman a lot. “The coaches keep saying how they’ve got us set up for homecoming,” Hargrave said. “We just don’t get along with Bethune-Cookman very well. South Carolina State and Bethune-Cookman is a rivalry.”

Even Brian Jenkins ventured from his normal tight-lipped postgame rhetoric and repeatedly exclaimed his excitement about this weekend’s matchup after his team’s 48-21 dismantling of Savannah State. Jenkins used the word “excited nine times in a 24 second span and stated the game would be a “star-studded event.”

These Games Matter

Tradional HBCU rivalries like Jackson State vs. Tennessee State; Alabama State vs. Alabama A&M; and FAMU vs. Southern all draw much larger crowds, but when BCU and SCSU tangle the outcomes have an impact on the college football landscape.

The winner of this game has gone on to win 4 of the last 5 MEAC championships. They share 5 playoff appearances between themselves since 2008 and they have won 2 Black College National Championships in that same timeframe. BCU and SCSU were predicted to finish 1^st and 2^nd respectively by the league’s coaches and sports information directors at this year’s MEAC Media Luncheon. They rank first and second in the league in Scoring Offense, Total Offense, Scoring Defense, and Total Defense.

SCSU head coach Buddy Pough has won four MEAC crowns in 11 seasons and guided the Bulldogs to an all-time MEAC best 21 consecutive game conference win streak from 2007-2010. In a twist of irony, BCU can match that mark this season if they win out and it was the Jenkins-led Wildcats who ended the Bulldogs win streak in Oliver Dawson Stadium in October of 2010.

The Wildcats have won 2 MEAC titles in Brian Jenkins’ first 3 seasons. Jenkins owns a 2-1 head-to-head advantage over Pough and BCU has won 9 of the past 15 matchups with SCSU. The Wildcats are the only MEAC school to boast a winning record in Orangeburg during Pough’s tenure (3-1). However, this game isn’t being played in South Cackalacky and the homefield has proven to be somewhat of a disadvantage in this matchup as of late. The road team has inexplicably won 6 of the last 8 meetings in this contest. In SCSU’s last visit to Municipal Stadium two years ago, they left with a 26-18 victory.

The 2011 loss suffered at the hands of the Bulldogs is the only MEAC home defeat on Jenkins’ record and it is all that separates coach Jenkins from earning 3 MEAC crowns in 3 years. Saturday’s winner will earn sole possession of 1^st place in the conference and gain a stronghold on the league’s automatic qualifier bid for postseason play.

It’s Buddy vs. Brian; the 101 vs. the Pride; the old guard vs. the new; Big Dogs vs. Big Cats; South Carolina State vs. Bethune-Cookman. It’s HBCU football at its best.

So tell us what you think. Has the BCU vs. SCSU matchup become the best non-traditional rivalry in HBCU football?