Friday, August 10, 2007

BCU Williams, Hughes to lead Cats' 'D'


By BRENT WORONOFF, Staff Writer

DAYTONA BEACH -- There is no doubt Bethune-Cookman will rely on senior free safety Bobbie Williams to be a leader of the defense this season.

But while the Wildcats expect him to lead the team in interceptions for a third straight year, they hope he doesn't lead the squad in tackles again.

"You don't want a safety to lead your team in tackles," B-CU defensive coordinator Marc Lippens said. "What Bobbie did for us last year, I never want to have a defense do again."

This season, Lippens expects middle linebacker Rodney Hughes to take a large responsibility for shutting down the running game, allowing Williams to do what he does best -- wreak havoc in the secondary.

"Rodney is probably the best leader I've been around," Lippens said. "We used him in a lot of different positions last year. Now he's the anchor. He's the engine of this defense."

The senior who has played at defensive end and outside linebacker throughout his career relishes his move to middle linebacker, where he takes over for Taurean Charles, a second-team all-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference pick last season.

"I love playing middle linebacker," Hughes said. "It gives me an opportunity to see what's really going on, and it gives me a chance to open up and be more versatile."

With the 6-foot, 211-pound Hughes being more versatile and clogging up the middle of the field, Williams can be less versatile. Last year, the all-conference first teamer was forced to support the running game and was involved in a team-high 75 tackles. While he intercepted six passes for the second year in a row, all of his picks came in three early-season games, including three in a 22-21 victory over Norfolk State.

"After a while, guys quit throwing to the middle of the field," Lippens said. "They threw to the sidelines, challenging our corners, and kept Bobbie out of the plays. And Bobbie was so involved with the run, he wasn't able to sit back and read the plays like you'd want him to."

With Williams not roaming free in the secondary, the Wildcats defense suffered. They allowed 97 points in their final three games, all losses, and finished the year at 5-6 for their first losing season since 1997 -- Alvin Wyatt's first year as head coach.

In the season-ending Florida Classic, B-CU allowed 339 yards passing to Florida A&M, which cruised to a 35-21 victory.

"We flushed those old tapes coming into camp," Hughes said. "This is a totally different team."

This year, sophomore Brent Davis moves to cornerback, Dexter Jackson replaces Ramon McCollough at nose tackle and 6-foot-3, 280-pound Dennis King will play exclusively at defensive end. One change the 'Cats weren't expecting to make was replacing senior strong safety Travis Roland, who has not recovered from offseason shoulder surgery and expects to take a redshirt season this year and return next year.

"Losing a leader like Travis is always going to be tough," Hughes said. "But like the coaches say, you have to be prepared to go with or without your best players."

Q&A with Jimmie Russell

Last season, Jimmie Russell passed for 1,139 yards and nine TDs with just three interceptions and ran for 427 yards and three touchdowns while sharing B-CU's quarterback job with Jarod Rucker during an injury-plagued year. He returns for his senior season.

Even though Jarod Rucker is gone, you're still not guaranteed the starting spot in your final season with the addition of former FAU quarterback McKinson Souverain. Do you think you've done enough (4,500 total yards in three seasons) to earn the starting job in the season opener?

"I like competition, because I know it's going to bring out the best in me. Without it I'm probably going to be relaxed and lazy and not push myself as much as I should. All of the quarterbacks want to play, but we're not selfish. Everybody helps everybody at all times. We're like a family, just like when me and Ruck were here, we were always there for each other. Whoever has the job, the rest of us will support him 100 percent."

How much are you going to miss (all-time touchdown leader) Eric Weems?

"It's easy to replace a player but harder to replace a leader. He'll be missed, but I think we should actually be better, to be honest, because everybody was always keying on him, saying, 'We've got to stop 5, stop 5.' Now I think we'll be able to spread the ball around a lot more, and everyone else will get a chance to have the ball in their hands and see what they can do."

Last year, Weems, at slotback, became more of a receiver (69 catches for 918 yards) than an outside option threat. Without him this year, will the offense run more Wyattbone option?

"We're coming back to the Wyattbone, because we understand that establishing the run and keeping our defense off the field is going to get us to a championship. Last year, both of us at quarterback were really banged up, and if you are going to run the option of the Wyattbone, you really can't be banged up. That's why we got away from that.

"But not having him there, yeah, it will keep us more into the Wyattbone. But the players we have now can do as much as Eric could do. Now it will be like having three players to do what he did, and there will always be somebody fresh out there."

AT A GLANCE

FIRST GAME: vs. Jacksonville at Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium, Sept. 1, 4 p.m.

WHAT I DID ON SUMMER VACATION: Former linebacker Brent Davis, who transferred from South Carolina during camp last year, learned a new position. He's expected to be a starter at cornerback this season. "(Corner) is a perfect fit for that kid," defensive coordinator Marc Lippens said.

WHO LOOKS FIT: Sophomore slotback Phillip Kirkland has been raising eyebrows in camp, said head coach Alvin Wyatt. Kirkland's emergence, along with the return of starter Corey Council may take the sting out of Eric Weems' departure.

WHO'S GOING TO SUFFER IN THE HEAT: Several players suffered heat cramps during the first day of camp Tuesday, Wyatt said. But receiver Victor Johnson had the worst case and was taken to the emergency room at Halifax Medical Center. Johnson was expected to be out of action for 2-3 days.

3 GOALS FOR CAMP: 1. Find a replacement for strong safety Travis Roland who plans to redshirt while recovering from shoulder surgery. Michael Williams seemed to be the likely replacement, but he reinjured an ankle Tuesday and could be out for an extended period. 2. Return to the Wyattbone option. Last year, the Wildcats passed for 2,230 yards and rushed for just 1,469. 3. Find consistency on defense. "We just didn't make plays last year," Wyatt said.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Quarterback McKinson Souverain. The former Florida Atlantic University player comes to B-CU from Fresno City College, a two-year school. The junior has a good arm and is one of the fastest players on the team. Wyatt says he will receive a good deal of playing time this year, probably in relief of starter Jimmie Russell.

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