SAVANNAH, Ga. – Bethune-Cookman looks to get on the winning side of things Saturday, Sept. 24, when the Wildcats travel to Savannah State for a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football contest against the winless Tigers at Ted A. Wright Stadium in Savannah, Georgia. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
 
Bethune-Cookman at Savannah State
Sept. 24, 2016 | 7 p.m.
Ted A. Wright Stadium | Savannah, Ga.
WELE Radio | WSOS Radio | WSIR Radio
 
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Bethune-Cookman 0-2 (0-0 MEAC)
Roster | Coaches | Schedule & Results | Stats | Game Notes
 
Savannah State 0-2 (0-0 MEAC)
Roster | Coaches | Schedule & Results | Stats | Game Notes
 
Web Stream: http://www.ssuathletics.com/watch/?Live=301
 
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/savstate/football/
 
Game Day Hashtags
#BCUvsSSU | #BeatSSU | #TigerTakeDown | #PreyTogether
 
The Game
For the first time since 2009, Bethune-Cookman Football is 0-2 to begin the season. The Wildcats have suffered tough losses against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent North Texas, as well as non-conference foe Tennessee State. In 2009, the Cats started the year 0-4, including three losses in MEAC play.
 
Bethune-Cookman junior transfer Anthony Cruz is expected to start under center at quarterback for the Wildcats, while redshirt junior Larry Brihm, Jr. is expected to see time alongside redshirt freshman Akevious Williams off the bench. For B-CU, the Maroon and Gold have not lost its opening game of an MEAC season since dropping a 26-18 decision against South Carolina State in 2011.
 
The Series
Bethune-Cookman holds a commanding 36-7-3 advantage in the series against Savannah State that dates back to 1926. That year and the year following, the Tigers claimed wins in the series. However, Bethune-Cookman has won the last 16 games consecutively in the series.
 
In fact, Bethune-Cookman's current 16-game winning streak against Savannah State is the longest current streak against any opponent in school history. The second-longest is a 13-game streak against Morris Brown.
 
The Broadcasts
The game will be carried live through a video stream on SSU Tigers Vision at SSUathletics.com, while the CatEye Radio Network carries the contest via all three stations in the form of WELE 1380 The CAT, WSIR 1490 and WSOS 99.5 & 1170 with Nick Rice (play-by-play) operating alongside Larry Wesley (color), as new commentator Steve Allen (analyst) provides expert analysis from the team vantage point all in the press box.
 
The Coach
Head Coach Terry Sims is now in his second year at the helm of the Bethune-Cookman Football program. The Knoxville alum holds a record of 9-4 in Maroon and Gold, but is 1-0 in MEAC opening games, having defeated Savannah State a season ago inside Municipal Stadium aka The Cage.
 
The Weather
Projected temperatures on game day: Daytona Beach – 89/72. Nashville, Tennessee – 81/71 (20% chance of rain).
 
#5Things
1. Bethune-Cookman will be seeking its first win of the season – the longest stretch of time for a season opening win since 2009.
2. Head coach Terry Sims is seeking his second consecutive MEAC opening win of a season as a collegiate head coach.
3. The Wildcats are seeking to win their third consecutive MEAC game away from home, dating back to last season.
4. Junior quarterback Anthony Cruz is scheduled to make his first Division I collegiate start under center for the Wildcats, while Larry Brihm, Jr. and Akevious Williams could also enter at any time.
5. The current 16-game win streak over SSU is the longest active streak by any MEAC school against another.
 
FUN FACT
SSU Asst. A.D. Opio Mashariki is a B-CU grad and was the SID at B-CU; head men's basketball coach Horace Broadnax was the basketball coach at B-CU; assistant softball coach Ashton Hinds is a B-CU grad as well as a former B-CU assistant softball coach and player; and head strength and conditioning coach Samuel Chatman worked at B-CU as an asst. strength and conditioning coach.
 
A WIN OVER SAVANNAH STATE WOULD...
• Give Bethune-Cookman its first win of the 2016 campaign.
• Extend Bethune-Cookman's winning streak over Savannah State to 17 games.
• Allow Head Coach Terry Sims the second consecutive MEAC opening victory of his career.
• Push B-CU's MEAC winning streak to five games, dating back to last season.
 
SERIES NOTES...
• The Wildcats hold a commanding 36-7-3 all-time record against Savannah State, dating back to 1926.
• Bethune-Cookman has not dropped a game against Savannah State in Daytona Beach since 1972. Thus, the Wildcats have never lost to the Tigers inside Municipal Stadium.
• The Wildcats average margin of victory over the Tigers in the last five meetings has been a staggering 36.6 points.
 
THAT'S NOT OFFENSIVE
• Despite a number of scoring drives that have lasted three minutes or less, resulting in "Lightning Strikes", the
Bethune-Cookman offense has taken a step back from last season's numbers.
• The Wildcats are picking up 270 yards per game of total offense, ranking them 105th nationally in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
• Running backs Jamaruz Thompkins, Cameron Rigby and Tupac Isme have combined to average 173.5 yards per game on the ground. Meanwhile, quarterbacks Larry Brihm, Jr., Anthony Cruz and Akevious Williams are accounting for just 96.5 yards per game through the air – the lowest production of its kind at this point of the season since 2013.
 
RETURN TO SENDER
• Redshirt junior punt return/receiver Frank Brown collected his first career punt return for touchdown at North Texas, securing an 88-yard return to put the Wildcats ahead of the Mean Green in the opening stanza.
• In that same game, defensive back Diquan Richardson stepped in front of a Mean Green pass and returned the interception 30 yards for a touchdown.
• It was the first game in which B-CU returned a punt and an interception for touchdown since defeating Savannah State in Augusta, Georgia in 2005.
 
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