Jamarr Robinson

After Further Review

/ J Bell / Leave a comment

BCU Fans looking for a short-term investment opportunity this week may want to consider the following: 7-3-6. According to the Florida Lottery’s website, Cash 3 players short-term investors using these numbers have a 1:1000 chance of winning the daily grand prize. For those that receive no return on their investment, consider yours 1 of the more than $22 billion donated to education; or perhaps you should consider your investment an honorarium on behalf of NCAA Approving Rule (A.R.) 7-3-6, that is to say 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. BCU survived with a 35-31 victory over Hampton. Wildcat fans can take consolation in the fact that the game officials got the call right. The rule (specifically subsections IX, XII, and XIII) states that an airborne receiver must maintain control of the ball while going to the ground, when he hits the ground, and after hitting the ground. http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/FR12.pdf (page 164). Here’s an excerpt:

IX. “Airborne receiver A85 grasps a forward pass and in the process of going to the ground, first contacts the ground with his left foot as he falls to the ground inbounds. Immediately upon A85 hitting the ground, the ball comes loose and touches the ground. RULING: Incomplete pass. An airborne receiver must maintain control of the ball while going to the ground in the process of completing a catch”.

XII. “Receiver A85 stretches out at the Team B two-yard line and grasps a forward pass and is going to the ground on his own as he is attempting to complete the catch. As A85 falls to the ground in the end zone, the ball immediately comes loose and falls to the ground. RULING: Incomplete pass. Any receiver going to the ground on his own in the process of making a catch must maintain control of the ball when he hits the ground”.

XIII. “Receiver A85 is airborne in the end zone and grasps a forward pass, but while airborne he is hit by a defender, which causes A85 to fall to the ground. Immediately upon A85 hitting the ground, the ball comes loose and strikes the ground. RULING: Incomplete pass. An airborne receiver contacted before completing all the requirements of a catch must still maintain control of the ball after hitting the ground”.

The video evidence clearly shows that the Hampton receiver was airborne and that he did not maintain possession after hitting the ground. The ruling of incomplete pass was absolutely correct. It is a tough way to lose if you are a Pirate fan, but kudos to the officials for getting the call right.

Sweet Relief

Jackie Wilson replaced Jamarr Robinson at quarterback with just over 3:00 remaining in the 3rd quarter. He ended the night completing 5 of his 6 pass attempts with 2 touchdowns. Eddie Poole –who muscled the ball away from Hampton corner back Kambrell McGee in the corner of the endzone- was the recipient of Wilson’s 2nd td toss. The play capped an 80-yard touchdown drive that proved to be the game winner. The Wildcat offense outscored Hampton’s offense 21-0 in the second half.

Rodney Scott had his best statistical game as a BCU football player. Scott racked up 176 yards of total offense (126 rushing and 30 receiving) including a spectacular 33 yard td catch and run in which he broke three tackles in route to the endzone.

Other Memorable finishes at Municipal Stadium

  • 1998- BCU set an NCAA record defeating Virginia State (VSU) 63-57 in the 8th overtime session. The most memorable moment in that game occurred in the 7th overtime when Wildcat defensive tackle Damion Cook returned a blocked field goal attempt 60 plus yards for a certain game winning touchdown. However, Cook’s attempted celebratory dive in to the endzone fell just short. Cook landed at the VSU 1 yard line and earned the nickname “Big-Dive” as a result of the play. Cook went on to enjoy 5 seasons as an NFL player.
  • 2001- A controversial clipping call on a Rashean Mathis 4th quarter punt return  touchdown negated a Wildcat go ahead score against eventual MEAC champion NC A&T. The homecoming jubilation of 16,725 Wildcat fans was spoiled as the Aggies went on to win the contest 16-14.

Team Stat Comparison

  Hampton Bethune-Cook.
1st Downs

19

21
3rd down efficiency

7-18

6-12
4th down efficiency

2-3

1-2
Total Yards

417

414
Passing

225

154
Comp-Att

14-29

13-21
Yards per pass

7.8

7.3
Rushing

192

260
Rushing Attempts

46

48
Yards per rush

4.2

5.4
Penalties

12-107

10-69
Turnovers

0

3
Fumbles lost

0

2
Interceptions thrown

0

1
Possession

28:36

31:24

 

Scoring Summary

FIRST QUARTER

HAMP

COOK
  TD 09:27 David Allen 8 Yd Run (Sven Hurd Kick)

0

7
 p FG 05:38 Taurean Durham 20 Yd

3

7
  TD 04:59 David Allen 1 Yd Run (Sven Hurd Kick)

3

14
 p TD 01:50 Isaiah Thomas 50 Yd Pass From David Legree (Taurean Durham Kick)

10

14
SECOND QUARTER

HAMP

COOK
 p TD 03:47 David Legree 3 Yd Run (Taurean Durham Kick)

17

14
 p TD 01:26 David Legree 37 Yd Run (Taurean Durham Kick)

24

14
THIRD QUARTER

HAMP

COOK
  TD 11:28 Eddie Poole 6 Yd Pass From David Allen (Sven Hurd Kick)

24

21
  TD 00:37 Rodney Scott 33 Yd Pass From Jackie Wilson (Sven Hurd Kick)

24

28
FOURTH QUARTER

HAMP

COOK
 p TD 09:15 Jeremy Jermin 20 Yd Interception Return (Taurean Durham Kick)

31

28
  TD 02:50 Eddie Poole 13 Yd Pass From Jackie Wilson (Sven Hurd Kick)

31

35

 

 

 

 

Cats and Dogs

/ J Bell / 2 Comments

Frazier versus Ali; that’s the way Coach Brian Jenkins described this weekend’s conference showdown with powerhouse South Carolina State. The two squads enter the contest as the #1 and #2 ranked teams in the Sheridan Broadcasting Network’s Black College Football Poll. The winner of this heavyweight matchup will emerge as the clear frontrunner to this year’s MEAC crown. The loser will find themselves “scoreboard watching” and wishing for help over the weeks to come.

Brian Jenkins’ club ended SCSU’s 21-game conference win streak last year and was the first MEAC squad to blank the Bulldogs at home in over 30 years.

Previewing the Dogs

Buddy Pough’s Bulldogs have grown unaccustomed with losing over recent years. Take last week’s defeat against Central Michigan (CMU) as an example. SCSU lost by 15 points, on the road against an FBS opponent. Most FCS schools would consider that a good showing; but not Bulldog fans. Many members of the “Dog pound” believe South Carolina State was good enough to win that game and Brian Jenkins tends to agree. In his weekly teleconference, Coach Jenkins stated that SCSU was three makeable plays away from pulling off the upset against CMU.

SCSU boasts one of the best defenses in FCS football (2nd in total defense in 2010). The Bulldog defense held CMU to 256 yards of total offense and 21 points last week. By comparison, BCU’s offense produced nearly double the yardage output (500 yards) and triple the points scored (63) against Prairie View in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge. South Carolina State has at least one all-conference performer at all three levels of their defense (Patrick Washington-DL, Donovan Richard-LB, Dominique Ellis-DB). Washington is an extremely athletic, havoc causing defensive lineman. His style of play is very similar to that of BCU defensive end, Ryan Davis. The Wildcat offense must account for Washington in both the running and passing game. Donovan Richard is an above average linebacker who possess great range and speed. He recorded 10 tackles (1 tackle for a loss) in last week’s defeat at CMU.

SCSU QB Derrick Wiley

On the offensive side of the ball, Derrick Wiley is a mobile quarterback who struggled with his accuracy a week ago. Wiley and the Bulldogs are without the services of wide receiver Lennel Elmore who is ineligible due to grades. Elmore led the Bulldogs in receiving and was an All-MEAC performer a year ago. The Dogs will depend upon Asheton Jordan (RB) and the running game to carry the load until the passing game gets on track. Jordan is a physical runner with decent speed. He’ll lineup behind an offensive line that featured four new starters and struggled to establish the line of scrimmage last week against CMU.

Blake Erickson is the place kicker and he gives the Bulldogs a decided advantage in the kicking game.

A Closer Look at the Wildcats

In spite BCU’s 49 point victory to open the season, there is still much room for improvement. QB, Jamarr Robinson racked up 281 yards of offense (251 passing and 30 rushing) and earned MVP honors at last week’s MEAC/SWAC Challenge. However, Robinson appeared to miss on a few reads in the passing game and was errant on several throws. The Wildcats also committed far too many penalties last week (12 penalties for 132 yards).

On a positive note, BCU’s offensive and defensive fronts dominated the line of scrimmage. Particularly impressive was the play of defensive tackles Harold Love, Jameil Farrington, and Lavon McCoy. Another impressive sight from last week’s contest was the quality of depth displayed by the Wildcats. Coach Jenkins seemingly rotated 3 or 4 players on every play, yet there was no noticeable drop off in talent.

Fighting like Cats and Dogs

Bethune’s offense versus South Carolina State’s defense is strength against strength. The outcome of this game will likely depend upon the play of the other units. Can the Bulldog offense effectively run the ball and limit the possessions of BCU’s high-powered offense? Will the Wildcat’s opportunistic defense force turnovers (6 takeaways last week) and short field situations? Which squad will ascend as the top team in black college football? We’ll have our answers to these questions when this highly anticipated matchup kickoff at 4:00, Saturday, September 10th at Municipal Stadium.

Can’t Wait!!!!

___________________________________________________________

 Interesting Notes

  • BCU ranked 1st in Total Offense and Scoring Offense in the MEAC last year.
  • SCSU ranked 1st in Total Defense and Scoring Defense in the conference.

Last 10 contests in the series—

  • BCU and SCSU are 5-5 in their last 10 meetings.

Recent Memorable Matchups —

  • 2005—SCSU QB Cleveland McCoy led the Bulldogs on a game winning 17 play, 80 yard 4th quarter touchdown drive to defeat the Wildcats 27-24 in Jacksonville.
  • 2006—After trailing by 14 points, Coach Alvin Wyatt scrapped the Wyatt-Bone offense in favor of a 4 wide receiver set. BCU scored 45 unanswered points and defeated the Bulldogs 45-21. BCU QB, Jarrod Rucker threw 5 touchdowns in that contest.
  • 2010—BCU defeated 14-0 in Orangeburg ending the Bulldog’s 21-game conference winning streak.

DJ Howard named MEAC defensive player of the week

/ J Bell / Leave a comment

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

bDJ Howard (S, 6-0, 185, r-So., Daytona Beach, Fla.) made five tackles in the secondary, three solo, as the Wildcats defeated Prairie View A&M 63-14 in the annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney.  He scooped up a fumble early in the second quarter and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown.  Howard also halted a time expiring score in the second quarter for PVAMU by capturing his first interception on the season. 

Norfolk State QB Chris Walley was named offensive player of the week.  Other top performers includes BCU’s:

Nick Addison–blocked a punt and collected three tackles, two solo, in his collegiate debut against Prairie View A&M.  

Corey Mason–anchored the Wildcats offensive line that accounted for 500 yards of total offense against Prairie View A&M.

Jamarr Robinson–accounted for 281 total offensive yards with three touchdowns in the Wildcats’ 63-14 rout of Prairie View A&M in the annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney.

Click the above link to read the full story.