TAMPA - Raymond Woodie Jr. embarks on his second season in Maroon and Gold as the Wildcats head to Tampa to take on the Bulls of USF, Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium.

The Wildcats enter the 2024 season looking to improve on a 3-8 finish a season ago, including a 2-6 record in SWAC play. They will also look to improve on an 0-5 road record from a season ago.



Saturday, Aug. 31
Opponent:  USF (In 2023 - 7-6, 4-4 AAC)
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Location: Tampa, Fla. | Raymond James Stadium
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Watch: https://bcuathletics.com/sports/football/plus.espn.com
Listen: https://wele1380thecat.com/
Tickets: https://www.ticketmaster.com
 



USF enters the 2024 season off a 7-6 finish in 2023, a 4-4 American Athletic Conference (AAC) finish, and a resounding 45-0 win over Syracuse in the 2023 Boca Raton Bowl. 

Under second-year head coach Alex Golesh, the Bulls were picked to finish fourth in the AAC according to the Preseason Media Poll, marking a significant improvement over their 13th-place preseason prediction a season ago.

USF returns 19 starters in 2024 (nine on offense, eight on defense, and two specialists) from a team that set 12 team and 16 individual program records. The Bulls return 85 percent of their rushing yards, 84 percent of their receiving yards and four primary starters on the offensive line.

Offensive returners include starting quarterback Byrum Brown, who set program marks in passing years (3,292), touchdowns (26), completions (276), and completion percentage (64.6%) a season ago.

On defense, USF returns nine of its top 11 tacklers led by linebacker Jhalyn Shuler, who logged a team-best 97 stops to go with 8.5 tackles for loss in 2023.

The Bulls also return senior wide receiver Sean Atkins, who set program records with 92 receptions for 1,054 yards in 2023 and was named a 2024 preseason All-American by Phil Steele.

11 Bulls were named to College Football Network Preseason All-AAC Teams, 



WELCOME BACK, COACH WOODIE
Head Coach Raymond Woodie Jr. returns to Tampa Saturday, where he served as Assistant Head Coach for the Bulls for two seasons, including during their record-breaking 2016 season. That year, the Bulls won a school-record 11 games, forcing the 18th-most turnovers in tha nation (26). He was also responsible for the Bulls special teams unit that ranked sixth in the country in kick return yardage.

HISTORIC ANNIVERSARIES
The Wildcats football program celebrates a pair of anniversaries in 2024. Ten years ago, the Wildcats were crowned 2014 MEAC Champions, sharing it amongst a five-way tie to conclude the year. Forty years ago, the Wildcats took their first ever conference championship at the Division I level as they were crowned 1984 MEAC champions with a 7-3 record and 4-0 conference record. Under the leadership of NFL Hall of Fame Offensive Lineman, Larry Little, and play of B-CU hall of fame QB Bernard Hawk, the '84 Cats were a force to be reckoned with.

WELCOME TO OUR HOUSE
The Wildcats will host five home games at Daytona Stadium this year, the most home games in a season since 2015. The Wildcats were undefeated at home that season, defeating Lane, Savannah State, South Carolina State, Norfolk State, and Morgan State en route to their third MEAC Championship in as many years.


PLAYING LIKE THE PROS
Make it three straight years in which the Wildcats have played at least one game in an NFL stadium. Saturday's game at Raymond James Stadium marks the sixth time since the 2022 season that the Wildcats have played a game on a pro field. Other games include two neutral site games at Everbank Field (Jacksonville), as well a a game at Tennessee State (Nissan Stadium), and a pair of games at Miami (Hard Rock Stadium).

ALL-SWAC CATS
LS Clayton Thomas Jr. and LB Dearis Thomas were each named to the preseason All-SWAC Second Team at their respective positions. The duo was also featured on preseason squads published Phil Steele.

RAP CATS
A pair of rap music legends will see their sons share the field this fall in Maroon and Gold. Transfer running back Cross Patton is the son of Atlanta-based rapper, producer, and actor Big Boi, perhaps best known for his work as one half of the hip-hop duo, Outkast. On the offensive line, freshman William Roberts III is the son of rapper and record executive Rick Ross, who had previously attended B-CU Football games at Daytona Stadium on multiple occasions.

ROSTER RETOOL
The Wildcats return only 51 players from last years roster. Of the departures includes 2023's leading rusher, top three leading receivers, an All-SWAC corner, as well as last season's leader in tackles-for-loss, QB hurries, and sacks



Saturday's meeting marks the first ever in program history between Bethune-Cookman and USF. The two teams were scheduled to meet for the first time back in the 2020 season-opener, but the game was cancelled due to the COVID-19 shutdown.

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