B-CU's loss buoys MEAC foes

B-CU Coach Brian Jenkins

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA — While coach Brian Jenkins and his Bethune-Cookman Wildcats are trying to make sense of their first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference loss in more than two years, their opponents are trying to process an unfamiliar feeling of their own.

 

Hope.

 

“It's really done a lot for us,'' South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough said of B-CU's stunning 27-24 loss to Norfolk State last Saturday. “We've got new life.''B

 

Pough said that after the Wildcats knocked off his Bulldogs 14-3 three weeks ago, “I never thought Bethune would lose one game.''

 

Now, he's hoping for two.

 

The 18th-ranked Wildcats (8-2, 5-1) will clinch their second straight MEAC title if they win their final two regular-season games, but their aura of invincibility — cultivated over an 18-game conference winning streak — has begun to fade.

 

“We have a great opportunity now,'' said Hampton coach Donovan Rose, whose squad will face B-CU at 4 p.m. Saturday at Municipal Stadium. “The kids are excited.''

 

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