DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Football faces its first ranked opponent of the 2018 season on Saturday, Oct. 20 as No. 18 North Carolina A&T visits Daytona Stadium with kickoff slated for 4 p.m. The game will be televised live on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app across all mobile devices.
 
Bethune-Cookman vs. North Carolina A&T
Oct. 20, 2018 | 4 p.m. (EST)
Daytona Stadium | Daytona Beach, Fla.
WELE Radio | WSOS Radio | WSIR Radio | WatchESPN
 
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Bethune-Cookman 4-3 (2-1 MEAC)
Roster | Coaches | Schedule & Results | Stats | Game Notes
 
North Carolina A&T 5-2 (2-1 MEAC)
Roster | Coaches | Schedule & Results | Stats | Game Notes
 
Game Day Hashtags
#NCATvsBCU | #BeatNCAT | #OneDestruction | #PreyTogether
 
Story Lines
• Head Coach Terry Sims holds a record of 17-1 all-time when the Wildcats out-gain its opponent offensively.
• The Bethune-Cookman offensive line has produced four (4) games on the year in which it has not allowed a quarterback sack of signal callers Jabari Dunham, David Israel or Akevious Williams.
• Senior offensive lineman Dwayne Brown was officially named to the Black College Player of the Year Watch List for 2018. The Indianapolis, Indiana native was also selected to the 2018 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Preseason First Team.
• Bethune-Cookman Head Coach Terry Sims enters the weekend with an 0-3 record against North Carolina A&T — as the Aggies serve as the only team Sims has yet to claim a victory against as a collegiate head coach.
• Bethune-Cookman is celebrating Hall of Fame Weekend in which the Wildcats are welcoming 13 individuals into the BCU Athletics Hall of Fame, including current assistant coach Terry Williams and color analyst for the CatEye Network Larry Wesley.
 
Series Notes
• Bethune-Cookman leads the all-time series against North Carolina A&T by a 22-17 decision...
• Bethune-Cookman has only defeated a ranked N.C. A&T team once back in 1998 (34-27, overtime)...
• The Wildcats have dropped the last five games to a ranked Aggies squad...
• BCU had the series' longest winning mark with seven consecutive games from 2004-10...
• The Maroon and Gold have lost three games on the bounce to the Aggies...
 
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 game will also be streamed live on ESPN3.
 
The Coach
Head Coach Terry Sims is now in his fourth year at the helm of the Bethune-Cookman Football program. The Knoxville alum holds a record of 24-15 overall with the Maroon and Gold. Against South Carolina State, the Jesup, Georgia native holds a record of 2-1. However, Sims is 0-3 against North Carolina A&T, as the Aggies join Howard as the only teams he has yet to defeat as a collegiate head coach.
 
The Weather
Projected temperatures on game day: Daytona Beach – 88/70 (50% chance of rain). Greensboro, N.C. – 68/41.
 
#HighFive —
1. Head Coach Terry Sims is seeking his first win as a collegiate head coach against North Carolina A&T.
2. L'Dre Barnes was named MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Week following his performance against South Carolina State – the fourth game for BCU without allowing a sack.
3. Bethune-Cookman has lost the last three consecutive games against North Carolina A&T (2015, '16 and '17).
4. Bethune-Cookman holds a 6-4 record in the last 10 games against North Carolina A&T, including three wins in Daytona Beach.
5. A season ago, North Carolina A&T trailed just once in the fourth quarter at home - that being a 20-14 deficit to Bethune-Cookman before scoring 10 unanswered and claim a 24-20 come-from-behind win.
 
A Win Over North Carolina A&T Would —
• Give Head Coach Terry Sims his 25th win overall...
• Be the 498th win all-time in school history...
• Allow Terry Sims his first-ever win against the Aggies as a collegiate head coach...
• Snap BCU's three-game losing streak against the Aggies dating back to 2015...
• Be the second win for the Wildcats over N.C. A&T with the Aggies as a ranked opponent...
 
#OctoberFest —
• The month of October has been a scary month for the opposition throughout the last 18 years of BCU Football.
• Since 2000, Bethune-Cookman owns a record of 49-18 in the Halloween month, including perfect marks in 2002 (3-0), 2010 (5-0), 2012 (3-0) and 2013 (4-0).
• Only seven of the 18 losses have occurred away from Daytona Beach.
 
Transitioning From The Hardwood —
• Redshirt junior Ulmer Manzie will be transitioning from the hardwood under Men's Basketball Head Coach Ryan Ridder, taking the "Jimmy Graham" approach and playing tight end for Head Coach Terry Sims and the football team.
• Manzie has not played football since high school where he attended Columbus Africentric High in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
• Manzie will be the first two-sport athlete for the Wildcats aside from track & field since redshirt junior quarterback Akevious Williams played baseball for the Maroon and Gold in 2015.
 
#OneDestruction —
• The hashtag and theme for Bethune-Cookman Athletics across the 2018-19 athletic term is #OneDestruction.
• A destruction, in essence, is a group of wild cats together. With Bethune-Cookman being the Wildcats, it seemed only natural that BCU become ONE DESTRUCTION to prey on the opposition.
 
ESPN+ And The Wildcats —
• It was announced two weeks ago that Bethune-Cookman and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) has partnered together to produce four (4) home games at Daytona Stadium for the Wildcats.
• Bethune-Cookman is one of several schools around the league that are introducing ESPN+ as a platform to watch their contests.
• For a complete list of games around the MEAC, visit MEACsports.com.
 
#IBackTheMEAC —
• The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference begins its 49th year of intercollegiate competition heading into the 2018-19 academic year. Located in Norfolk, Virginia, the MEAC is made up of 12 outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline.
• On June 8, 1980, the MEAC was classified as a Division I conference by the NCAA. Prior to that year, the conference operated as a Division II conference. The month after it achieved Division I status, the MEAC received an automatic qualification to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.
 
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