Shaw University 20, Bethune-Cookman 6

Bethune Cookman Wildcat twins Antonio and Antwane Cox.

B-CU commits 7 turnovers in loss to Shaw

Bethune-Cookman knew it would be playing a formidable foe Saturday. But the Wildcats had no idea they would be playing against two of them -- Division II power Shaw and themselves. The Wildcats turned the ball over seven times, including four inside the Bears 12-yard line, as Shaw upset B-CU 20-6 in the 'Cats' season-opener Saturday at Municipal Stadium. "(Saturday) the people that beat us have Wildcats on their jerseys," said B-CU quarterback Matt Johnson, who provided a spark off the bench with 126 total yards, but, like starter Maurice Francois, had trouble getting his team into the end zone.

The Wildcats fumbled six times, five times inside Shaw territory. Running back Brian Sumlar, who rushed for 67 yards and a 12-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter for the Wildcats' lone score, fumbled at the Bears 10 and 6. Francois fumbled at the 5 in the fourth quarter. And Johnson threw an interception at Shaw's 11 on B-CU's first possession of the second half. "What else can you do? We had opportunities to score touchdowns," B-CU coach Alvin Wyatt said. "Fumbles killed us; they were our worst nightmare."

Big Cash Schools in B-CU's future

Shaw University backup quarterback Brandon Landers strutted off the field Saturday after the Bears upset Bethune-Cookman 20-6 before 4,137 stunned fans at Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium. "We don't have to jump around," Landers exclaimed. "We're supposed to win." A few years down the road, it's possible that a similar scene could unfold in a much larger stadium. And the underdog winner could be wearing Bethune-Cookman's Maroon and Gold instead of Shaw's Maroon and White.

While Division II Shaw played a Division I Football Championship Subdivision opponent for the competition, B-CU could follow a growing trend and play at a Bowl Championship Series team mainly for the guaranteed money. "For me," B-CU athletics director Lynn Thompson said, "BCS means Big Cash Schools." The Wildcats always turned away guaranteed games in the past because B-CU coach Alvin Wyatt was afraid his squad would get badly beaten up -- physically and mentally by the bigger and deeper D-I powerhouses. But due to the downward spiraling economy, the 'Cats have been listening to offers in recent years. And what started as a trickle has become a raging river of offers.

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