DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Football opens Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play on Saturday, Sept. 23, with the Wildcats visiting Howard University for a game scheduled to kickoff at 1 p.m., inside venerable Greene Stadium in Washington, D.C.
 
Bethune-Cookman at Howard
Sept. 23, 2017 | 1 p.m.
Greene Stadium | Washington, D.C.
WELE Radio | WSOS Radio | WSIR Radio
 
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Bethune-Cookman 1-2 (0-0 MEAC)
Roster | Coaches | Schedule & Results | Stats | Game Notes
 
Florida Atlantic 0-2 (0-0 C-USA)
Roster | Coaches | Schedule & Results | Stats | Game Notes
 
Game Day Hashtags
#BCUvsHOW | #BeatHoward | #BCUResurge | #PreyTogether
 
Purchase Season Tickets
The first home game of the 2017 season is just over a week away, and season tickets are on sale now at the BCU Box Office and all Ticket Master Locations. You can also purchase tickets online at TicketMaster.com.
 
Story Lines
• This weekend's game marks the fourth consecutive road game to begin the 2017 campaign for the Wildcats. Dating back to last season, BCU will have played seven consecutive games away from Municipal Stadium before the home opener on Sept. 30 against MEAC opponent Savannah State.
• Bethune-Cookman has won six consecutive games against Howard, and has not lost to the Bison in the Nation's Capital since 1996.
• Junior linebacker Marquis Hendrix led the Wildcats a week ago at Florida Atlantic with a game- and personal-best 10 tackles.
• This will be Bethune-Cookman Head Coach Terry Sims' first trip back to Howard as a collegiate head coach, after spending three seasons (2006-09) with the Bison as an assistant coach under HU previous head coach Carey Bailey. He previously coached twice against Howard as an assistant coach with Bethune-Cookman.
• The Maroon and Gold are tied for 16th nationally with three (3) interceptions across the opening three games of the season. Two of those interceptions have come from senior safety Diquan Richardson.
 
Series Notes
• Bethune-Cookman leads the all-time series against Howard by a count of 29-13-2.
• The Wildcats have won the previous six games in the series dating back to 2007 in Washington, D.C.
• The last time the Cats lost a game at Greene Stadium was back in 1996, with BCU falling by a score of 61-21.
• The average margin of victory for BCU over the course of the last six games has been just 16.2 points.
 
The Broadcasts
The game will be carried live on the CatEye Radio Network across 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).
 
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 14-10 overall with the Maroon and Gold, and is making his first coaching experience against FAU.
 
The Weather
Projected temperatures on game day: Daytona Beach – 84/76 (80% chance of rain). Washington, D.C. – 87/65.
 
#GimmeFive
1. Head Coach Terry Sims is looking for his first victory as an opposing head coach against Howard.
2. Senior safety Diquan Richardson has two interceptions in his last two games for the Maroon and Gold.
3. The Wildcats rank second in the league in three (3) statistical categories, including passes intercepted, passing offense and kickoff returns.
4. Redshirt senior running back Michael D. Jones has two rushing scores on the year, while averaging 4.7 yards per carry across the first three games of the season.
5. Junior kicker Uriel Hernandez has connected on all five of his point-after-touchdown attempts on the year.
 
A Win Over Howard Would…
• Improve Bethune-Cookman's record to 20-13-2 all-time against Howard.
• Extend Bethune-Cookman's winning against Howard at seven games.
• Give BCU its 11th win in Washington, D.C.
• Be the 488th win all-time in school history.
 
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.
 
You Can Return Home
• Bethune-Cookman Head Coach Terry Sims is returning to Howard for the first time as an opposing head coach. He was with Bethune-Cookman twice previously as an assistant coach against the Bison.
• Sims spent three seasons (2006-09) at Howard serving as the defensive backs coach, special teams coach and recruiting coordinator for the Bison.
 
Play Some Hendrix
• Junior linebacker Marquis Hendrix stepped up in his last game against Florida Atlantic, leading the Wildcats with a team-high 10 tackles. The transfer from Coffeyville Community College collected seven solo stops in his first significant playing time on the year.
• He is no stranger to the Bethune-Cookman program, as his father Jack Hendrix played at BCU from 1990-91.
 
Deuces Wild
• Senior safety Diquan Richardson is tied for 22nd nationally in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) for passes intercepted. The Allen, South Carolina native is averaging 0.7 interceptions per game with a pair in his first three contests.
 
30 Sacks, 30 Turnovers
• The goal at the start of the season is for the Wildcats defense to make 30 sacks and force 30 turnovers. That would be a significant production hike from the two previous years of the current coaching regime that resulted in 13/17 in 2016 and 18/19 in 2015.
• North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central were the only teams in the MEAC to achieve the 30/30 mark last year.
 
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