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“Can’t Finish Cats”: A Tale of Missed Opportunities for Bethune-Cookman in 14-17 loss to TxSO 

/ J Bell / Leave a comment

“Can’t Finish Cats”: A Tale of Missed Opportunities for Bethune-Cookman 

For the second consecutive week and third time this season, Bethune-Cookman had the ball in the final moments of the contest with a chance to pull off a dramatic win. And for the second consecutive week and third time this season, the Wildcats fell short. Cade Hecter’s 54-yard field goal attempt landed just short in the closing seconds, sealing a narrow 14-17 loss to Texas Southern.

One Wildcat fan on social media called this team the “Can’t Finish Cats” after Saturday’s loss.

The phrase wasn’t coined to be cruel; but instead reflects the angst of the BCU faithful and the sentiments of Head Coach Raymond Woodie, who has emphasized all season long the need for his team to finish plays, finish drives, and finish games. Saturday’s contest against Texas Southern encapsulated that struggle.

A Tale of Two Halves

The first half belonged to Bethune-Cookman. The Wildcats played disciplined defense and completely neutralized Texas Southern’s potent rushing attack. The Wildcats held TSU to only 27 yards on the ground in the opening two quarters. Offensively, BCU struck early in the 2nd quarter when Cam Ransom connected with Maleek Huggins on a 62-yard seam route to take a 7-0 lead.

However, missed opportunities began to creep in soon after. A holding penalty wiped out what would have been a 36-yard touchdown run by Dennis Palmer on BCU’s next possession. Then, as time expired in the second quarter, Hecter uncharacteristically missed a chip-shot 25-yard field goal. Despite dominating the first half, Bethune-Cookman entered halftime with just a slim 7-0 lead.

Old MO-mentum not on BCU’s side

The momentum shifted dramatically after halftime as Texas Southern’s power running back Athean Renfro found his rhythm and led the Tigers to a strong second-half performance. Renfro racked up 129 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including a critical 28-yard scamper in the fourth quarter to give TSU a 17-7 lead.

Fighting to the End

The Wildcats refused to fold as has been the case all season. With just over six minutes remaining, Ransom delivered a perfect 6 yard pass to Lorenzo Jenkins, who made an acrobatic, Sportscenter worthy touchdown grab in the corner of the end zone to cut the lead to 17-14. It was the second time this season Jenkins’ “Mossed” a defender for a score.

The Wildcats’ defense answered the call with a key stop, giving the offense one final opportunity with 2:32 left in the game. Bethune took over possession from their own 19-yard line and methodically moved the ball into Texas Southern territory. However, a little home cooking by the stadium clock operator cost the Wildcats 15-20 critical seconds during the final drive. Despite this, Ransom and the offense managed to set up Hecter for a 54-yard field goal attempt with eight seconds remaining.

Hecter, whose previous career-long was 48 yards, struck the ball cleanly but the kick fell just short, ending the Wildcats’ hopes of forcing overtime.

Final Thoughts

Missed opportunities continue to haunt this team but despite the heartbreak, there are bright spots. Bethune started 4 true freshmen on offense, three offensive linemen (Teko Shoats, Melvin Puckett, Vincent Forney) who held up well against a good TSU defense, and Dennis Palmer at running back. 

Palmer finished the afternoon with 93 yards on the ground on 19 attempts.

Cam Ransom showed poise under pressure, finishing with 219 yards and two touchdowns on 22-of-34 passing. 

Maleek Huggins had arguably his best game in a BCU uniform hauling in 4 receptions for 97 yards including the 62 yarder for a TD. Thomas Nance added 8 receptions for 74 yards from the tight end position.

Kevin Washington Jr and Joshua Thornhill paced BCU defensively with 7 tackles apiece.

The Wildcats end the season next week in Orlando against in-state rival Florida A&M. As always, HailWildcats.com will be there to bring you all the action. 

Bethune Rises Over Valley 20-10: Wildcats Secure First Win of the Season

/ J Bell / Leave a comment

Bethune Rises Over Valley 20-10: Wildcats Secure First Win of the Season

Credits: BCU Athletics

I know we’re a little late with the game summary, but you can blame that on us walking on Cloud 9 for the past few days. After six weeks of heartbreak, frustration, and doubt, Bethune-Cookman found a way to give us that winning feeling again. The Wildcats traveled to Itta Bena and came away with a 20-10 victory over Mississippi Valley State, notching their first win of the 2024 season.

The victory couldn’t have come at a more crucial time being that we are now in homecoming week. This was a win that provided more than just a tally in the win column—it was a much-needed morale boost for a team, fan base, and coaching staff desperate for something to celebrate.

Ground Game Dominates

The Wildcats came into the game with an offensive game plan focused on attacking Valley’s defense on the ground. BCU ended the day with 255 yards rushing, led by true freshman Dennis Palmer, who powered through for 126 yards on 27 carries. Palmer, the true freshman, earned SWAC Newcomer of the Week honors for his efforts.

BCU started slow offensively and failed to score on its first four offensive possessions. Mixed into those possessions were two Cam Ransom turnovers (an interception and a fumble), leading to some early frustration and an early deficit.

Captain Luke to the Rescue

Trailing Valley 3-0 and the offense struggling to sustain drives, Head Coach Raymond Woodie turned to his offensive captain, Luke Sprague, to turn the tide midway through the second quarter. Sprague, despite being voted as the team’s offensive captain, had only seen limited action in mop-up duty versus USF so far this season. Nevertheless, the 6’5”, senior quarterback gave the Wildcats the shot in the arm they needed when he entered the game. The energy shifted across the entire team once “Captain Luke,” “Luke Skywalker,” “Uncle Luke,” or just plain Luke took the helm.

Sprague rewarded the confidence of his teammates and coaches by leading BCU on:

  • a 6 play, 20 yard touchdown drive on his 1st possession;
  • a 5 play, 54 yard touchdown drive capped by an acrobatic Sprague to Lorenzo Jenkins 34 yard TD reception on his 2nd possession;
  • a field goal drive on his 3rd possession; and
  • a 16-play, 88-yard field goal drive to ice the game on his 5th possession.

That’s 4 scoring drives on 5 Sprague led possessions. Talk about getting it done! Salute to you, Captain Luke.

Game Changing plays

Props are due for several other game-changing moments as well. Valley had the ball 1st and goal from the BCU 2-yard line, trailing 17-10 to begin the 4th quarter. But the Wildcat defense stepped up, stopping the Delta Devils on three straight inside runs before Raymond Woodie III deflected a 4th-down pass. That huge defensive stand was followed by the 16-play, 88-yard drive that took 8:50 off the clock—all on running plays.

Punters Are Football Players Too

The run on that drive that took us all by surprise came from redshirt senior punter Anthony Frédérique. On 4th and 6 from their own 22-yard line, with 12:32 remaining the contest, BCU lined up to punt the ball back to Valley—or so we thought. Instead, the rugby-style punter faked the punt and ran 18 yards off the right side to the BCU 40 yardline for a first down. BCU finished the drive with Cade Hechter’s 22-yard field goal, sealing the final score at 20-10.

BCU will look to build on their newfound good vibes as they travel back home for a homecoming matchup against SWAC Eastern Division leader, Jackson State.

BCU Falls to Alabama A&M by “fawty-fo” – Tough Day on The Hill for the Wildcats

/ J Bell / Leave a comment

BCU Falls to Alabama A&M by “fawty-fo”!

Credits: AAMU Athletics

Bethune-Cookman football lost again this past Saturday, and this time it wasn’t even close. Alabama A&M decided they’d use their homecoming to throw themselves a little offensive party against our Wildcats. The final score? 56-12. 

BCU’s defense gave up 701 yards of total offense on the afternoon. You read that right—701 yards. The 56 points were also the most points an Alabama A&M team has ever scored against a BCU squad. These are the kind of numbers that makes you wonder if the players and coaches snuck out a few days early to enjoy AAMU’s homecoming festivities on “The Hill”. Or could there have been other reasons that factored into the good guys not having their best performance on Saturday.

Hurricane Milton 

It would be naive to think Hurricane Milton, which ravaged parts of Florida including parts of the Daytona Beach Area, didn’t play a role in Saturday’s performance. The team left Daytona early in the week as a result of the looming storm. And considering that the campus still has not reopened yet as damage assessments are still underway, you basically  have a team of nomads at this point. So as much as we all love sports and tend to oversimplify what we see on the field of play, this coaching staff is leading a group of 18-23 year olds who are not just wandering around looking for a win, they are also searching for a sense of normalcy at the moment. 

I think you have to consider the human condition when analyzing Saturday’s game but that’s me being rational.  However, judging from reactions on social media, many Cookman fans are not willing to consider the effects of the hurricane on this team’s performance over the weekend. They acknowledge the storm may have knocked the team a little off course, but many fans also point to a pattern of troubling signs that are weeks… heck, years in the making now. 

Did you know that the Wildcats have managed to win just one conference road game since joining the SWAC. One. Uno. That’s it. And if recent performances are any indication, that number may not change when BCU visits Itta Bena to take on winless Mississippi Valley State this weekend. Valley happens to be the only other winless team in the conference right now and they are the lone team BCU has defeated on the road since joining the league. Lose this week against Valley and Bethune quickly goes from a football program that’s struggling at the moment to a program that’s sinking in the storm.

Back to Saturday’s game; Alabama A&M is not some untouchable powerhouse. They are a decent SWAC program with a great offense for certain. But on the other side of the ball, AAMU had been giving up points like Halloween candy all season, yielding 40 points per game heading into Saturday’s matchup. Despite this, Bethune only managed to score one offensive touchdown and were held to just 181 total yards of offense. One hundred and eighty-one. That’s a stat line that’s hard to accept when facing larger FBS squads, but it’s almost unfathomable when playing against a struggling defense in your league. 

Gaining just 181 yards on offense while surrendering 701 yards on defense is a good recipe for getting beat by “fawty”…well 44 actually but you get the point.

As loud as those numbers are, Cookman fans are speaking louder than the final score or stat lines. Fans are tired. They’re frustrated. They’re even becoming apathetic. The once-vibrant BCU football community that rallied around the maroon and gold; and homecoming; and the Florida Classic is starting to make other weekend plans. I mean, when even homecoming and the Classic are met with a shrug, you know that apathy is setting in. There’s a collective “why bother?” spreading through the Wildcat faithful.

So, what can change now? What needs to change to keep this ship from completely capsizing? 

At the top of the list of what needs to change is this team needs to find an identity. Right now, they’re a bunch of guys wearing the same uniform, but there’s no cohesion, no fire, no sense of unified purpose. The frustration that I hear expressed over and over and over again from former Wildcat players, from fans, and even from outside observers is that this just does not look or feel like Bethune-Cookman football.

And it is not just about wins and losses; but a culture of overcoming and making something out of nothing that Bethun-Cookman has always prided  itself on. That’s missing right now. Call me gullible but I still think Coach Raymond Woodie can instill that identity into this squad. It’s just taking far longer than any of us anticipated. 

The offense is broken and currently ranked second to last in the conference in total yards (248.3) and points per game (17.7). The defense has  taken a giant step backwards from last year’s squad and they too are hanging out in embarrassment territory. The defense is last in total defense (516.8 ypg) and second to last in scoring defense (43 ppg). These things are huge problems but how do they fix it over the last half of the season? Is it time to go younger and play more freshmen and sophomores and prepare for next year? Or do they stay the course and just do what they have been doing but just try to be a little better in the execution?

Whether it’s a shift in coaching philosophy, or simply playing with some heart, something’s got to give. Because at this rate, the Wildcats aren’t just losing games—they’re losing their community and their identity. And once that’s gone, it’s a much harder rebuild than just fixing the football team.

StatisticBCUAAM
First Downs
Total1030
Rushing413
Passing614
Penalty03
Rushing
Total (Net)74331
Attempts2550
Avg. Per Rush3.06.6
Rushing TDs17
Yds. Gained110344
Yds. Lost3613
Passing
Total (Net)107370
Comp.-Att.-Int.12-27-018–29–1
Avg. / Att.4.012.8
Avg. / Comp.8.920.6
TDs01
Total Offense
Yards181701
Plays5279
Avg. / Play3.58.9
Fumbles – Lost1-13-0
Penalties – Yds.9–694-27
Punting
Punts – Yds.7–2792-46
Avg. / Punt39.923
Inside 2030
50+ Yds.00
Touchbacks00
Fair Catch60
Kickoffs
Total – Yds.3-1769–299
Avg. Yds. / Kickoff58.733.2
Touchbacks10
Returns
Punt: Total – Yds. – TDs0-0-00-0-0
Punt: Avg. / Return00
Kickoff: Total – Yds. – TDs6–46-02-25-0
Kickoff: Avg. / Return7.712.5
INT: Total – Yds. – TDs1–91–10-0-0
Fumble: Total – Yds. – TDs0-0-01-0-0
Miscellaneous
Misc. Yards080
Poss. Time23:1236:48
3rd. Down Conv.5 of 148 of 12
4th. Down Conversions0 of 21 of 1
Red-Zone: Scores – Chances1-26–7
Sacks: Total – Yds.2-13–29
PAT: Total – Made0-28–8
2PT Conversion: Total – Made0-00-0
Field Goals: Total – Made0-00-1

What the Heck: From 24 Points Up to Crushing Defeat–BCU vs. Clark Atlanta Recap

/ J Bell / 1 Comment
Credits: Nigel Cook/News Journal

What the Heck: From 24 Points Up to Crushing Defeat–BCU vs. Clark Atlanta Recap

Embarrassed. Pissed. Frustrated. Devastated. Apoplectic. 

After three days of processing, grieving, giving and receiving emotional support hugs; I think I am finally ready to talk about this past Saturday’s loss to Clark Atlanta so here goes. I am….

Embarrassed. Pissed. Frustrated. Devastated. Apoplectic. And I ain’t the only one. 

Bethune-Cookman fans have spent the past few days asking “what the heck (WTH)”. Well, I have asked what the heck. Many Wildcat fans have substituted heck with more colorful language when contemplating BCU’s unthinkable collapse this weekend. 

This isn’t the first time Wildcat fans have been stunned by a huge upset loss. In 2009, Coach Alvin “Shine” Wyatt’s squad fell 9-20 to Division II Shaw University. But we knew Coach Wyatt committed to a youth movement at that time and was prepping for the future and providing valuable snaps to future BCU legends like Ryan Davis, Ryan Lewis, and Reggie Sandilands who were all young players at the time. 

The 2016 loss to Savannah State was a WTH moment too but even then, SSU was a FCS program and Terry Sims’ squad was missing 16 starters due to injury when they lost that game.

Saturday’s loss just felt different. BCU blew a 24-point lead to Division II Clark Atlanta and lost 37-38 in a game that can only be described as embarrassing and borderline unforgivable. The Wildcats came into this matchup hoping for a confidence-boosting victory but left with their heads hanging low, and now staring down four straight losses as SWAC play looms.

To give credit where it’s due, Clark Atlanta Head Coach Teddy Keaton and his staff deserve all the praise for their team’s preparation and resilience. Keaton’s men orchestrated an amazing come from behind upset,  and played Bethune-Cookman off the field in the second half. His players, many of whom hail from the State of Florida, and who according to Coach Keaton were grossly overlooked in the recruiting process, proved they belonged on the same field as their FCS counterparts.

Clark Atlanta’s quarterback David Wright III and wide receiver Armone Harris grew up together and were teammates at Tampa Bay Tech. Wide Receiver  Jamal Jones played on the same high school team as BCU quarterback Cam Ransom. By night’s end, Wright finished the game 30/49 for 374 yards passing and  4 touchdowns, Harris hauled in 6 catches for 94 yards and 3 touchdowns, and Jones finished with a game high 10 receptions for 127 yards. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but hats off to Coach Keaton and his players for a remarkable effort.

As for the Wildcats, this loss is hard to sugarcoat. Surrendering a 24-point lead to a lower-tier Division II opponent  is an issue unto itself. That would be enough to make your head spin but it borders on the absurd when you consider the Wildcats:

  • surrendered 3 scoring drives of 98 yards or more in the contest; including a 99 yard scoring drive that ended with a 55 yard Leonardo Cabrera field goal as time expired;
  • the offense had minus 6 yards rushing in the second half and managed to score just three points after halftime;
  • the 12 penalties for 117 yards including a few unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that extended drives. Yes, one of those unsportsmanlike penalties set the Panthers up for the game winner;
  • the two loss fumbles.

As I said earlier…WTH? What kind of strange hoodoo is plaguing our favorite team? 

Fans have overrun social media with questions about the team’s mental toughness, concerns about coaching, discipline, and execution. After four straight losses, including this devastating one, how can you blame them? These are fair questions at this point. Yes, it was an embarrassing loss. Yes, Clark Atlanta made the better coaching adjustments over the course of the games. Yes, the Wildcats were outplayed for the last two and a half quarters. 

But having said all of that, it is far too early  in the season and too soon  in Raymond Woodie Jr,’s head coaching career to dismiss  this team and/or coaching staff. 

Coach Woodie and his staff have a lot to figure out this week. Whether it’s scheming better on defense, getting more consistency from their offense, eliminating self-inflicted mistakes, or simply  instilling some belief in this battered team. What’s clear is that something has to change. That’s for dang sure. I won’t begin to pretend that I have any answers; what I do know is something has to change and change quickly.

The road doesn’t get any easier from here, but the Wildcats still have a chance to make something of their season. Alabama State roll into town this Saturday. If BCU finds a way to win this contest, they exit Saturday sitting  atop the SWAC East Standings and everything is just fine. However, if they lose to the Hornets; they will have to relive the Clark loss all over again. And the Mercer loss. And the 8 losses from last year. And the 9 from the season before. You get the point. Losing begets losing and in many ways, that’s the greatest hurdle for this team right now. 

They just don’t know how to win.

Since Woodie’s arrival, BCU often find themselves in a position to win games. But as coach expressed again on Saturday, “they just have to find a way to finish.”

It’s almost as if the guys can taste victory so they just start pressing a little too hard.  A dropped pass here. A fumble there. Sprinkle in a few blown coverages and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and BAM; you’re staring 0-4 in the face. 

On a positive note, all of these things are correctable and within your control. 

Another positive to take away from Saturday’s contest is BCU’s offense easily had their best game of the season racking up season highs in total yards (477), passing yards (382), and points (37). Most of this production occurred in the first half where BCU scored on all five of its possessions. The offensive production gives you something to build on and feel good about moving forward.

SWAC play begins this week and presents an opportunity for redemption, but only if Bethune-Cookman can find answers quickly. Let’s pray that they do because I want to leave Daytona Stadium with that “Old BC Spirit” and not the WTH spirit if you know what I mean.