Sunday, September 2, 2007

BCU Russell steals show as JU falls


By DEVON JEFFREYS, Jacksonville Times-Union correspondent

DAYTONA BEACH - The Kerwin Bell era at Jacksonville University began Saturday, but Bethune-Cookman College's Jimmie Russell was too much for the Dolphins to handle.

The senior quarterback passed for 103 yards, but it was his running ability that dominated the game. Russell rushed for 122 yards, including three touchdowns, in a 31-17 victory for the Wildcats.

It was the season opener for both teams.

"We knew he was a guy we had to put our marks on," Bell, a former University of Florida quarterback and the new JU coach, said of Russell. "He makes a lot of plays, and he has the ball in his hands a lot. We had him in the backfield two or three times, but he made some great plays."

JU started the scoring in the first quarter when quarterback Chris Horton capped a nine-play, 76-yard drive with a 28-yard touchdown pass to running back Tommie Rogers.

"It was a play we had been working on in practice," Horton said. "[Rogers] is real fast, and we got him matched up on a linebacker who couldn't cover him."

B-CC answered late in the first quarter on a 13-yard run by Russell. The point-after kick tied the score at 7.

A field goal in the second quarter gave the Dolphins a 10-7 lead before Russell busted out on the ground. He scored from 33 yards out for the second Wildcats touchdown and added a third score late to put an exclamation point on the win.


















"It's positive," Russell said. "We went in at halftime, made our adjustments, and you see the final score."

B-CC, which led 17-10 at halftime, took over in the second half, intercepting three Horton passes. Dennis King returned one of the interceptions for a 15-yard touchdown that gave the Wildcats a 24-10 lead.

"We came out a little flat on offense in the second half," Horton said. "I know I made some mistakes today. I had some open receivers here and there, and I didn't hit them. If I hit them, it's a different ballgame."

Horton was 15-of-39 passing for 177 yards and a touchdown.

"Basically, this is just a test," Dolphins running back Cecil Coltrane said. "We showed that when we're high with intensity and tempo, we can't be stopped. We just need to focus."

Coltrane finished with 59 yards on 14 carries.

Late in the fourth quarter, Jeremy Brown scored JU's lone rushing touchdown on a 1-yard dive.

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