Karsceal Turner – I Got NEXT!
Bethune-Cookman University Homecoming 2013 provided everything you ever wanted with regards to Home – Coming. Alumni came back, saw changes to their old stomping grounds around campus, hopefully visited Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune’s gravesite, met up with old classmates, ate good grub, drank alcohol to their limit and beyond, and braved traffic jams getting to and from the stadium. The icing on the cake was the defeat of South Carolina State University 14-3 in front of a record crowd of 10,421 at Municipal Stadium.
If you’ve never taken in the atmosphere at a Black College homecoming, the first paragraph was a simple visual. On the scholarly side of things were trustee and associate trustee meetings, a Graduate School Forum and Fair, School of business Forum, School of Nursing Alumni Day, and the inception of a new Lecture series. This is the best example of working hard and playing hard I can offer within the confines of this piece.
With regards to football, this particular game was unofficially the MEAC Championship tween the league’s top teams. The victory gave the Wildcats (7-1 overall, 4-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) sole possession of first place in the league standings, It also marked the Wildcats’ first Homecoming victory over the Bulldogs (5-3,3-1 MEAC) after South Carolina State took previous contests against the Cats in 1968, 1986, 1995 and 1997. How sweet it was if you happen to be a Bethune-Cookman Alum!
Quentin Williams threw one touchdown pass and rushed for another, and the Bethune-Cookman defense contained the Bulldogs offense to just 143 total yards (65 yards rushing and 78 passing), while nearly doubling that total with 305 total offense (220 passing and 85 rushing).
The Wildcats struck early on a 4-yard toss from Quentin Williams to senior running back Isidore Jackson to give the Cats an early 7-0 lead at the 5:19 mark in the first quarter. William’s 6-yard touchdown scamper put Bethune-Cookman ahead 14-0 with 8:40 remaining in the first-half. Williams finished 12-of-16 for a career-high 220 yards. Eddie Poole had five catches for 130 yards. Jackson rushed for 46 yards and Cary White added 43.Back to that later, let us move to halftime.
The nerve of the Marching 101
In case you didn’t know, there is sort of unspoken code amongst Black College bands. If you’re the visiting band, don’t. DON’T play your fight song as the home team is taking to the field. It is frowned upon and is simply NOT in good taste. From my spot near the Marching Wildcats, I was able to experience how that is perceived. My love for the band and its director prevents me from going in to detail here. Suffice it to say that there was some extra Ummph placed on each note of each song they played for the rest of the game.
At halftime, they gave an old school marching style reminiscent of what one might see on the streets of Nawlins (New Orleans) known as Dixieland jazz. The marching was slow and methodical, compared to the high-stepping presentation put on by the “Pride” Once they spelled out “B-CU on the field it was over.
The battle of wills and defenses ensues
The Bulldogs finally got in the scoring column after three-quarters without a score, when senior kicker Nick Belcher connected on a 30-yard field goal to cut the lead to eleven, 14-3.
In addition to giving up just 143 total yards of offense, the Wildcats defense denied South Carolina State a touchdown in five penetrations of the B-CU 25 and came up with a defining fourth down stop at the start of the second half.
SCSU Head Coach Buddy Pough stated, “We had our chances but we just couldn’t get it done. It seem as though we couldn’t get them blocked effectively. We had our chances we just couldn’t get it done.”
Any MEAC fan worth their salt realizes it isn’t wise to schedule SCSU for Homecoming. I heard it from fans as I made my way from tailgate to tailgate. Folks were scratching their heads questioning why B-CU scheduled such a formidable opponent. Hell, I remember when B-CC was always scheduled for other team’s homecomings and earned the name “dream killers” as a result. Clearly those days of being scheduled to serve as a sacrifice for an easy win are ended, ask Florida International University.
Brian Jenkins: “To us, this wasn’t the MEAC Championship, simply another game.”
B-CU head coach Brian Jenkins said his team was up to the challenge no matter what anyone thinks.
“Everyone else pictured this as the MEAC championship but we didn’t. Our players took on the challenge we didn’t consider it pressure, they understood what was needed, we prepared for this game the way we always do, Jenkins said. “There are still some holes to plug; we still haven’t put a complete ball game together. Our kids were prepared. They (SCSU) were a mirror of us in a sense but they simply played a good Wildcat football game. Our kids made up in their minds that they want to win and they have the will to win. It is our time now.”
There are things more important than football
Prior to the game I was able to speak with my good friend, Florida State Representative Dwayne Taylor, who gave me some insightful words for this piece. He asked me to remain objective although he knows I am alum of B-CU. I told him I would take that into account Rep. Taylor, this piece practically wrote itself, all I did was put it in print. Hopefully I was objective enough.
Also prior to the game and before many of my classmates awakened from partying Friday night, I was able to participate in a Breast Cancer walk with the brothers of Abraham Lodge #587 and the brothers of Boaz Lodge #212. The march began at 0900 hours, was 3.7 miles long, and attended by hundreds of people adorned in pink. Truly, it was the most important thing I did that day.
As a Cancer survivor, I could do no less than to march for others. It was even better to march alongside other survivors such as Mike Jackson, my lodge brother…we marched for one another and in memory of our fallen brother Jontae, a member of Abraham #587. I shout out my cousin Adrenna, who is ascended, Sharon who is winning the battle, and Randy who has already engaged in and won the battle Cancer. As a family we are 3-1, but the fight continues. Please take note that this is all within the second generation of my family. I am certain many of my readers can relate. Get a check-up folks.
Bethune-Cookman continues on its trek to remain undefeated when they travel to North Carolina Central on Saturday, Nov. 2, for a game to be televised on ESPNU at noon.
Very informative. Hail Wildcats!!!
Go cats