Norfolk State hands B-CU second conference loss

By TRIS WYKES, Special to The News-Journal








Photo: B-CU quarterback Jimmie Russell (10) scrambles to avoid Norfolk State players Maguell Davis (41) and Marquez Davis (43) as teammate Joe Singleton (81) opens up a hole blocking Dustin Johnson (29) during Saturday's game in Norfolk.

NORFOLK, Va. -- Bethune-Cookman had subdued Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rival Norfolk State for years in football, but that domination ended Saturday with a 38-31 loss to the Spartans at Dick Price Stadium.

After having to settle for a field goal and a 31-23 lead with 7:30 remaining, Bethune-Cookman allowed Norfolk State to drive for a touchdown, intercept a pass and drive for the winning score with 36 seconds to play. Daryl Jones stumbled one yard into the end zone for his fourth rushing touchdown on the decisive play and finished with 118 yards despite severe leg cramps.

"We had our opportunities to win it and we didn't," said BC-U coach Alvin Wyatt, whose team dropped to 2-2 overall and 0-2 in MEAC play. "When they had their opportunities to win, they did. These are the type of ball games you want to see. You just want to be on top when they finish.

"We just didn't get the job done today. We got beat."

The victory was Norfolk State's first over the Wildcats since 1997 when Spartans' third-year coach Pete Adrian was in his first year as a BC-U assistant. B-CU had won the teams' last nine meetings, including the last two by a total of three points.

"I said all week in practice this was going to be a tough game," said Wildcats quarterback Jimmie Russell, who ran for 126 yards and a touchdown, and completed 8 of 15 pass attempts for 86 yards and a touchdown. "Somebody has to win and unfortunately tonight it wasn't us."

Bethune-Cookman led 21-10 at halftime and was using its triple-option attack to rumble up and down the field almost at will. But an errant option pitch by Russell was returned 48 yards for a touchdown on the second half's first play, and BC-U running back Justin Brannon was lost for the game with a leg injury on the next play from scrimmage.

Even after Antwane Cox intercepted a Norfolk State pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown and a 27-16 lead three minutes later, it wasn't the Wildcats' night.

Jones, a bowling ball in cleats, ran four times on a subsequent 5-play drive, capping it with a one-yard dive for his second touchdown. The conversion kick pulled the Spartans within 28-23 with seven minutes left in the third quarter.

The visitors punted on their next two possessions and Norfolk State missed a field goal in between the two series. The Wildcats were handed a chance to put the game away when Spartans return man Rashad Howard fumbled the second of those punts and Cox recovered at Norfolk State's 39-yard line.

Facing third-and-5 on the Spartans' 12-yard line a few minutes later, Bethune-Cookman ran backup running back Brian Sumlar up the middle but he gained only a yard and Adam Ward came on to kick a field goal for a 31-23 advantage.

Norfolk State drove down the field, aided by a pass interference call on Cox. Jones came limping back into action, drawing an appreciative roar from an announced crowd of 12,736.

Jones bulled one yard for his third touchdown and reduced NSU's deficit to 31-29. The Spartans went for two points on the conversion, quarterback Casey Hansen rolling right and hitting Jamar Johnson with a pass in the end zone to tie the game.

On the ensuing drive, Bethune-Cookman turned the ball over three plays after taking the kickoff. A Russell pass was intercepted and returned for an apparent touchdown by free safety Terrell Whitehead, but a Spartans block below the waist instead gave Norfolk State possession at the Wildcats' 22-yard line with two minutes to play.

Three Waters runs moved the ball down to the 1-yard line and Jones again staggered onto the field. He took the handoff and several steps before collapsing across the goal line for the decisive points.

Take Five

Heads up

Bethune-Cookman quarterback Jimmie Russell was charged with a fumble when his option pitch bounced and landed in the hands of NSU's Terrell Whitehead on Saturday. Whitehead returned it 48 yards for a touchdown, but don't just blame Russell.

"We practice all the time where we come around the corner and he's supposed to stay within a certain distance of me," Russell said of running back Tony Fields. "I guess this time he decided to go block and he wasn't looking when I pitched. But that's what can happen when you run the triple option."

Missing you badly

Wildcats coach Alvin Wyatt said the loss of senior running back Justin Brannon to a leg injury on the second half's second play was a real blow.

"We had things we wanted to do but injuries slowed us up," Wyatt said. "We had some plays we were going to go to with (Brannon), but because we lost him, we didn't have the ammo for the running game. The other guys we had at that position weren't experienced guys, but we had to go with what we had."

Senior settles down

Norfolk State quarterback Casey Hansen, a former Colorado State player who transferred in to join the Spartans shortly before last season, was less prolific but also less errant Saturday than in his first meeting with B-CU last fall.

In that game, a 22-21 Wildcats victory, Hansen completed 13 of 30 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns. He had three passes intercepted and finished the season with 10 touchdown passes and 16 passes picked off.

Questions & attitude

Was that really Michael Vick in attendance?

Yep. Vick and his younger brother Marcus, who both attended nearby Warwick High in Newport News and later suited up at Virginia Tech, were spotted walking along the bottom of the home stands early in the second half. Fans showed their support by cheering, waving and woofing.

What are the coaching connections between BC-U and Norfolk State?

Five NSU coaches trace their roots to Bethune-Cookman, including head coach Pete Adrian, who served two stints as the Wildcats' defensive coordinator before taking his current job in 2005. In addition, Kirk Mastromatteo, Jeff Parker and Mark DeBastiani left B-CU with Adrian and Curtis Williams played for the Wildcats while Adrian and the others coached there.

Did those connections make much difference to the Wildcats?

Not to quarterback Jimmie Russell, at least. The senior, who was on the B-CU roster when Adrian and Co. were still around, shook his head after the game.

"A loss hurts no matter who you're playing," Russell said. "This one doesn't hurt more because those people are over there."

Are the Spartans getting better?

Adrian's first two teams each went 4-7. Asked if Norfolk State appeared improved Saturday in comparison to the teams' two past meetings, Wyatt became animated.

"All these teams in this conference should beat Bethune-Cookman," he said. "Look at the facilities they've got here. When they let us beat them, they're not doing their job, none whatsoever. Every game, we should come in as the underdog."