Oct. 20, 2011
Final Stats
By Michael Stambaugh
B-CUAthletics.com
NORFOLK, Va. - The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats won out a gritty defensive struggle Thursday night with a 14-6 victory over Norfolk State before 10,053 at Dick Price Stadium in an ESPNU matchup.
The crucial MEAC win keeps the Wildcats (4-3, 2-2 MEAC) in the conference race after defeating the 24th ranked Spartans (6-2, 4-1 MEAC) for the first time in Norfolk since 2005. In addition to its first conference loss, the setback was Norfolk State's first against an FCS opponent this season as the Wildcats held the Spartans without an offensive touchdown for the first time in 70 games against an FCS opponent. The last time came in 2004 when B-CU posted a 43-3 victory.
"Words really can't describe how we feel right now," senior defensive end Ryan Davis said following the win in which B-CU stepped up to the challenge in all facets of the game.
Head Coach Brian Jenkins summed it up succinctly after he got from the Wildcats what he's been looking for all year.
"It was great to see our team have a complete effort and complete game," said Jenkins. "We've been off-track and unable to put it all together for some reason. Well, our team did that tonight. I keep telling everybody this is a special team, a winning team, and they went out tonight and played the level of football they are capable of playing."
Offensively, the Wildcats went right at the Spartans. After stopping the Spartans' opening drive, B-CU went churning down the field on an 88-yard drive over 14 plays, ending in a 2-yard touchdown run by Anthony Jordan with 4:08 remaining in the first quarter.
"Like we told our guys, `you're going to have to line up, fire off the ball, and punch them in the mouth, or you're going to get punched in the mouth,'" said Jenkins. "It's as simple as that, our guys lined up and punched them in the mouth."
The Wildcat defense, paced by Davis' pressure, forced NSU punts on the first four Spartan possessions and kept NSU off the scoreboard until the closing moments of the first half.
Norfolk State got on the scoreboard with 2:18 remaining in the first half on a 50-yard Everett Goldberg field goal.
The Spartans worked a multiple quarterback approach, interchanging Nico Flores with starter Chris Walley, using a no-huddle approach to take advantage of a short field. The B-CU defense held, thanks to a tackle for loss from Davis and timely breakup by safety Jean Fanor that stopped the drive.
Given the success of the strong ground game plan, B-CU came out running early in the second half, with Isidore Jackson making three straight rushes before breaking tackles on the fourth for a 49-yard burst to the Spartan 2-yard-line. The heavy running series set up KJ Stroud's first touchdown reception of the season on a seven-yard pass from Jackie Wilson to make it 14-3 with 11:56 remaining in the third quarter.
On the ensuing NSU drive, the Spartans used quick screens to drive 41 yards before the Wildcat defense locked down, wrapping with a Davis sack on third down to force a 47-yard Goldberg field goal that kept the margin at a single possession game at 14-6 with 7:27 left in the third.
With both defenses performing at a high level, the score remained through the final whistle, but the Spartans didn't go away quietly, making a long drive in the final four minutes of regulation.
NSU drove 78 yards, 45 coming on Walley to Xavier Boyce strike, to the B-CU 4, where B-CU would lose its first video review of the year to set up the first and goal.
On the first down, Walley went to one of his favorite targets in Boyce, but cornerback Dion Hanks played the ball perfectly in one of the biggest plays of the year, picking off the pass in the endzone to securing the victory.
The Wildcat defense held Norfolk State, the MEAC's top passing offense to just 97 yards in the air and 249 yards total. offense. Walley, one of the FCS' top rated passers, was held to a season-low 88.
Though NSU had given up just seven sacks in the first seven games, B-CU collected five on the night off the Spartans.
Davis had a monster night, notching 11 tackles, including 3.5 sacks and six tackles for loss. The senior also forced one fumble and recovered another caused by Jarkevis Fields, who led the team with 12 tackles.
"You talk about a guy that's a leader who bought in from day one," Jenkins says of Davis, "He practices like he plays, and he plays like he practices. It's not anything new to us that he performed at that level he played. No limit, no holds barred, he just keeps going and going."
Offensively, the Wildcats tallied 333 yards, including 245 rushing. It was the fifth time in seven games B-CU has rushed for over 200 yards.
Jackson led the Wildcats on the ground, recording B-CU's ninth program 200-yard rushing game with 206 yards -- the eighth highest single total in school history. His 34 carries set a school record, eclipsing the previous high of 32 of both Charles White against Florida A&M in 1975 and Wayne Allen at Jackson State in 1973.
"A tremendous effort by him," Jenkins said of Jackson. "He did what he was coached to do, now that he's back to true form with what we know he can do."
Wilson completed 8-of-16 passes for 88 yards and rushed for 14 more, while Maurice Francois extended his reception streak to 11 games while leading the team with 56 yards on three catches whille Eddie Poole's streak is now 19 games after catching two passes for 20 yards.
"Right now, I'm proud of my guys, they did a great job in executing the game plan," said Jenkins after the game, already preparing for the next test.
The Wildcats travel next week to meet North Carolina Central (1-5, 0-3 MEAC) in Durham, N.C. The Eagles face Hampton in Virginia on Saturday.
NOTES: B-CU is 3-2 in televised games on the year and 5-3 under Jenkins .. Fields has led the team in tackles six times in seven games.
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