Bethune-Cookman football team trips to Mississippi have been far and few between. The Wildcats' appearance at Mississippi Valley State Saturday night will be its first since 1968 and the last time Bethune-Cookman was even in the state was a game at Jackson State in 1978.
The place is very, very familiar for the football staff. It's almost a prerequisite that a fair share of recruiting visits need to take place there.
The state's junior college programs have become a proven source for impact players. Want proof? Wednesday's media opportunity had
Untareo Johnson from the respected East Mississippi program and
Tony Bowman from a Coahoma program that struggled but has produced a solid defensive lineman for the Wildcats.
Yeah, the "Last Chance U" exposure has created extra interest, but Head Coach
Terry Sims and his recruiting staff know how to sift through an area called "the sip."
"There are guys from Mississippi you DON'T want," Sims said. "But if you do your homework, you'll be happy because you're going to get guy who knows they have to work and have found their place."
Sims simply says Mississippi is different.
"Coaches will agree. You talk about junior college football in California, Texas or Kansas, but there's something about Mississippi," Sims said. "The players love to play the game, they play it right. They play it hard. You'll get a player who you can count on who understands football and it means something to them."
Johnson, a native of Jamestown, Miss. Agreed about the difference.
"It's hard-nosed," Johnson said. "You're playing for reason you can't explain sometimes … it's a different love of the game and then there's the love for the guys playing beside you."
"It's a chance you'll never get again," said Bowman, who grew up an hour-and-a-half from MVSU in Tunica, Miss. And is expecting at least 50 and friends for the 6 p.m. CST (7 p.m. EST) kickoff.
Ironically, Johnson and Bowman faced off against each other last year.
"All I remember was the running clock and a crackback block I got in," Johnson said.
"I got to his quarterback," Bowman retorted.
GAME NOTES: Bethune-Cookman leads the series 4-1, including last year's 41-27 homecoming win. The first meeting MVSU won at home 26-6 in 1968. That's the only time BCU has played at MVSU … The 1975 game took place in the infield of the Daytona International Speedway. The Wildcats won 21-6 in the debut of a punter named Lynn Thompson – BCU's Vice President For Intercollegiate Athletics… BCU is 3-3 in bounceback games after playing an FBS team in the Sims era and 6-5 overall in the Sims era…D Despite not forcing a turnover for the first time in three games, BCU still leads the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with a +1.5 turnover margin … BCU's red zone defense is the best in the MEAC at a stoppage rate of 33.3 percent.
