BCU mistakes doom Wildcats' cause

Photo: South Carolina State's Travil Jamison dives through Bethune-Cookman University defenders for a first quarter score during Saturday's game.

By BRENT WORONOFF, Daytona Beach News Journal

DAYTONA BEACH -- All Jimmie Russell could do was take the blame and look ahead to better games to come.

"I didn't have a good game at all," Bethune-Cookman's senior quarterback said Saturday. "I wish I could have one or two plays back, but I don't have a magic wand."

Just a few plays would have made the difference for the Wildcats, who lost a mistake-filled 23-14 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference contest to South Carolina State at Municipal Stadium.

Two bad pitches led to South Carolina State touchdowns. B-CU (1-1, 0-1 MEAC) also came away with just three points off two third-quarter drives inside the Bulldogs 10-yard line.

Photo: BCU quarterback Jimmie Russell pitches the ball out to his running back.

"We've got to go back to the drawing board and hash some things out on offense as well as special teams," said B-CU coach Alvin Wyatt.

Wyatt and S.C. State coach Buddy Pough were pleased with their defenses, but both teams self-destructed on offense and special teams. The Wildcats' mistakes were costlier.

But Russell said it was nobody's fault but his own that his errant option pitch intended for Corey Council in the first quarter landed on the ground and was scooped up by S.C. State's LaQuinn Ellerbe, who ran the ball back 21 yards to the B-CU 3.

Another option toss -- this one too high for Phillip Kirkland to handle on the first drive of the second half -- was recovered by the Bulldogs' Rafael Bush at the Wildcats 32.

Both plays led to Bulldog touchdowns.

"Our defense played great," said Pough, whose team held the Wildcats to 172 yards. "I thought our defense put them out of sync."

Travil Jamison scored on a 3-yard run to give S.C. State (1-1, 1-0) a 10-3 lead after the first fumble. And Cleveland McCoy's 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Spencer Miller followed Bush's recovery to push the visitors' advantage to 17-3.

But Council followed that score with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that charged up the crowd of 9,147 and renewed the Wildcats' confidence and make it 17-10.

"We've been coming close to breaking one," Council said. "We finally got all of our blocks. We said that we were just one man away. We finally got that man."

The Wildcats, who had rallied from a 14-0 deficit to defeat the Bulldogs 45-21 last year, seemed to be on the verge of another comeback. After Council's score, free safety Bobbie Williams forced a fumble by S.C. state receiver Octavius Darby, and cornerback Antonio Cox ran the ball back fumble 52 yards to the Bulldogs 12.

A penalty against S.C. State for interfering with the officials pushed the ball to the 6, but a sack, a Russell run for no gain and an incomplete pass forced the 'Cats to attempt a field goal. Lucas Esquivel's 27-yard try went wide right.

B-CU drove to the Bulldogs 9 on its next possession. This time Esquivel converted a 27-yarder to pull the Wildcats within 17-13.

Photo: South Carolina State quarterback Cleveland McCoy leaves the pocket and maneuvers over Bethune-Cookman's Cedric Mason.

TAKE FIVE

Big Foot

Bethune-Cookman punter Justin Keable, a DeLand High graduate, averaged 47 yards on three punts, including a long of 58 to South Carolina State's 10, on Saturday. Keable also had a 42-yard boot that was downed on the Bulldogs' 3-yard line.

This Kicker Can Hit

After B-CU's Corey Council ran back a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, S.C. State's William Ford was on his way to matching Council's feat on the Wildcats' ensuing kickoff. Ford scurried 38 yards past would-be tacklers to the Bulldogs' 44, where the last man wearing a maroon jersey in front of him -- kicker Adam Ward -- brought him down.

Block Party

B-CU middle linebacker Brendan Odom saved seven points and then three points on the same drive. With S.C. State driving at B-CU's 11-yard line late in the second quarter, the sophomore broke up a pass intended for Octavius Darby in the end zone. After a penalty pushed the Bulldogs back, Odom blocked a 40-yard field-goal attempt by Stephen Grantham. It was one of three field goals the Wildcats blocked or tipped.

Cousins Lead The Way

B-CU's Ronnie McCullough (hamstring) was not expected to play Saturday, but the senior linebacker wound up leading the Wildcats in tackles with 11. McCullough's cousin, Josh Balloon, was tied for second on the team with eight tackles. Odom also had eight tackles.

Brothers Make Noise

B-CU sophomore transfer Antwane Cox earned a starting cornerback spot coming into the season. But it was his twin brother, Antonio Cox, who had a big play Saturday. Antonio returned a Bulldog fumble 52 yards to S.C. State's 12-yard line in the third quarter. The Wildcats could not take advantage of the play, however, as they missed a 27-yard field-goal attempt. Each of the Cox brothers had three tackles in the game.

-- Brent Woronoff

QUESTIONS & ATTITUDE

Couldn't that third-quarter penalty against South Carolina State have been better described simply as unsportsmanlike conduct?

Could be, but when you give the referee a microphone, you never know what you're gonna get. It happened after Bethune-Cookman's Antonio Cox recovered a fumble following a pass to S.C. State's Darris Jackson. The S.C. State bench wanted the play ruled an incomplete pass, and coaches on the Bulldogs' sideline got up close and personal with the nearest official. The penalty was described as "Interfering with the official's ability to do his job."

Where'd South Carolina get that extra fan support behind the bench?

Probably a hardware store. The Bulldogs own six high-powered, oscillating fans, complete with misters, and in the early part of the season particularly, they take them everywhere to help beat the heat. It's the first time a visiting team has added that big-league touch to the sidelines at Municipal Stadium.

What's up with S.C. State's early-season schedule?

It took many, many years, but the Bulldogs finally employed the time-honored method for a smaller school to puts its athletic program into the black financially. They opened last week at Air Force, and next week they make the short road-trip from Orangeburg to Columbia to play South Carolina -- it's S.C. State's first two ventures into college football's upper division. Combined, the two games will gross the Bulldog program just under a half-million dollars.

Doesn't Appalachian State's monumental win at Michigan last week give hope to all underdogs like S.C. State?

You'd think, but S.C. State head coach Buddy Pough laughed when asked if he'd draw such inspiration when his team plays the Gamecocks next weekend. "Noooo," he said. "The difference is, Appalachian is a helluva lot better than South Carolina State."

-- Ken Willis