DURHAM, N.C. – Bethune-Cookman Football ventures into hostile waters this weekend as the Wildcats travel to O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium to face three-time defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) North Carolina Central in Durham, North Carolina. It will be "Senior Day" for the Eagles who are looking to try and earn a win and keep their hopes for an MEAC title alive heading into the last week of the regular season.
 
Bethune-Cookman at North Carolina Central
Nov. 11, 2017 | 2 p.m. EST
O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium | Durham, N.C.
WELE Radio | WSOS Radio | WSIR Radio
 
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Bethune-Cookman 5-4 (4-2 MEAC)
Roster | Coaches | Schedule & Results | Stats | Game Notes
 
North Carolina Central 7-2 (4-1 MEAC)
Roster | Coaches | Schedule & Results | Stats | Game Notes
 
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
 
Game Day Hashtags
#BCUvsNCCU | #BeatNCCU | #WreckTheNest | #BCUResurge
 
The Game
Bethune-Cookman looks to play the role of spoiler this weekend as the Wildcats travel to North Carolina Central on "Senior Appreciation Day" for the Eagles, as they look to send off 15 seniors in style. As NCCU looks to keep their title hopes alive for at least another week and a chance to capture at least a share of their fourth consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) crown, the Wildcats travel to Durham seeking a win and a potential at-large bid to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs.
 
Story Lines
• Bethune-Cookman's last visit to O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium was a thrilling 28-26 come-from-behind win over the Eagles in 2015. The game ended on Elliott Miller's blocked field goal of an NCCU game-winning attempt.
• Redshirt senior quarterback Larry Brihm, Jr. was named as this past week's Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Offensive Player of the Week. He passed for a career-high matching 354 yards on 23 of 30 passing attempts for the game.
• The Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman enter the weekend with a 4-0 all-time record against the NCCU Eagles in Durham.
• Five different players for the Wildcats have collected interceptions on the year.
• BCU is seeking its first road win since a 28-23 win over Southeastern Louisiana in the second week of the 2017 season.
• Linebacker Marquis Hendrix played sparingly throughout the first three games of the year, but is now second on the team in tackles with 56 to his credit, including five tackles for loss.
• Fellow linebacker Devin James has a team third-best 43 tackles to his credit, including 3.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
 
Series Notes
• Bethune-Cookman leads the all-time series against North Carolina Central by a 6-2 margin.
• The Wildcats hold a 4-0 record all-time against the Eagles in Durham.
• This is the latest in a season that BCU and NCCU have met - with it being the third game between the two teams played in November. The previous "late" game in the Thanksgiving month was Nov. 2, 2013 in Durham.
• Between the two teams, the Maroon sides have combined to win at least a share of the previous five (5) Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) titles.
 
The Broadcasts
The game will be streamed live on Eagle Vision at NCCUEaglePride.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 Nolan Alexander (play-by-play) operating alongside Larry Wesley (color) in the booth.
 
The Coach
Head Coach Terry Sims is now in his third year at the helm of the Bethune-Cookman Football program. The Knoxville alum holds a record of 18-12 overall with the Maroon and Gold, and he is seeking his second win all-time against North Carolina Central as a collegiate head coach.
 
The Weather
Projected temperatures on game day: Daytona Beach – 75/69. Durham, N.C. – 47/29.
 
#HighFive
1. The BCU offense ranks atop the MEAC in red zone offensive performance scoring 83.3 percent of the time.
2. Redshirt senior quarterback Larry Brihm, Jr. picked up his second MEAC Offensive Player of the Week award this week.
3. Bethune-Cookman ranks third in the MEAC for total offense, averaging 356.7 yards per game.
4. Redshirt senior receiver Frank Brown is tied for second place all-time at BCU with 21 receiving touchdowns.
5. Former Bethune-Cookman defensive back and Super Bowl Champion (Green Bay Packers) Nick Collins has been selected for induction into the 2018 MEAC Hall of Fame. Collins was inducted into the BCU Athletics Hall of Fame in the summer of 2016.
 
A Win Over North Carolina Central Would…
• Give Bethune-Cookman its seventh win all-time against the Eagles.
• Be the 492nd win all-time in school history.
• Allow BCU its third consecutive win in 2017.
• Improve BCU to 5-0 lifetime against the Eagles in Durham.
• Allow Wildcats' Head Coach Terry Sims to collect his 19th victory in charge of the Maroon and Gold.
 
Nick Collins Selected for Hall of Fame...
• Nick "The Pick" Collins was selected for induction into the 2018 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Hall of Fame, announced Thursday from the MEAC Office in Norfolk, Virginia.
• Collins was a three-year starter at free safety (2002-04) and the captain of one of the most successful football teams in Wildcats history. Known as a ferocious hitter, the free safety earned All-American and First Team All- MEAC honors when he led the league with six interceptions in 2004.
• He was picked in the second round of the NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers in 2005, going on to earn three Pro Bowl appearances and scoring a touchdown in the Packers' Super Bowl XLV victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. After retiring in 2015, Collins was named to the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 2016.
 
Thou Shalt Not Pass...
• Through nine games thus far on the 2017 season, the Bethune-Cookman defense is allowing just 160.1 yards per game through the air. That allows BCU to sit eighth in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) for passing yards per game allowed by the defense.
• In pass efficiency defense, the Wildcats defensive unit is ranked 17th nationally, allowing just a 109.28 stat line from the opposition.
 
What's the Word...
• Each team throughout the 2017-18 BCU athletic year will have a word that represents the program.
• The word for BCU Football is "Resurge". The meaning comes from the team and Head Coach Terry Sims looking for a resurgence in 2017. The team endured an uncharacteristic 4-6 season last year, marking the first losing campaign at Bethune-Cookman since 2009.
 
Playoffs...
• Despite the introduction of the Celebration Bowl in February 2015, a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) still has the possibility of participating in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs. A member would have to accept an at-large bid to the playoffs, which last happened with North Carolina A&T accepting the at-large bid in 2016.
 
Last Year...
• BCU suffered its first losing season since 2009 during the 2016 campaign. The Cats finished the year (4-4 MEAC). Despite starting the year 0-4, the Cats turned things around with four consecutive victories near the end of the year, including a victory over in-state opponent Florida A&M in the annual Florida Blue Florida Classic at Camping World Stadium, extending their Cats school-record to six wins consecutively over their rivals from Tallahassee. In the four-game win streak, three of the games came away from Municipal Stadium.
 
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