FAMU blows out B-CU in Classic The 59,418 fans that showed up at the Florida Citrus Bowl Saturday for the 30th anniversary Florida Classic clash between Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman came hoping to see 60 minutes of football that lived up to the milestone moment. Only one side wound up having much to cheer about, though. Riding the play of freshman quarterback and first-time starter Martin Ukpai, the Rattlers didn't miss a beat playing without injured starter Curtis Pulley as they plowed over the Wildcats 42-6.
The win was the Rattlers' second straight blowout Classic win, following a 58-35 victory last season. It also kept alive FAMU's hopes of getting an at-large bid to the Division I-AA tournament. Those aspirations had taken big hit after a 25-0 loss to struggling Hampton last week. But whether the Rattlers' get a postseason invite or not, the season will go down as a successful one for second-yard coach Joe Taylor, who is now 17-6 since taking over the program in 2008. Meanwhile, the loss handed Bethune-Cookman veteran coach Alvin Wyatt his first losing season since 2007, when the Wildcats finished 5-6. It's just the third losing season of his 13-year tenure in Daytona.
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2009 Florida Classic
Ukpai, Sylvester give FAMU a Classic showORLANDO -- He was hit hard. He threw an interception. He was sacked. But freshman quarterback Martin Ukpai spent most of Saturday afternoon proving that he is very capable of directing FAMU's offense as he carried the Rattlers to a 42-6 victory over Bethune-Cookman University in the Citrus Bowl. Ukpai was patient and deliberate in his first collegiate football start in place of injured senior Curtis Pulley. At times he showed flashes of the same dual-threat ability as Pulley.
"I can't say enough about Ukpai," FAMU coach Joe Taylor said. "I thought Coach (offensive coordinator Lawrence) Kershaw did a good job of getting the game plan simplified. You can't take your hat off enough to him." Indeed. Ukpai, a graduate of Fort Lauderdale High School who was promoted from third-string to starter, directed the offense to 419 yards. He ran for his first collegiate touchdown in the third quarter and made a sensational 1-yard throw to Kevin Elliott in the second quarter to give FAMU a 28-0 halftime lead.
'78 Rattlers soak up Florida Classic »ORLANDO — Every year, some of the players who made up FAMU's 1978 team that played the first Florida Classic come to the Florida Citrus Bowl. They show up and tailgate, like Saturday when a few of them gathered around the stadium. They come expecting some fireworks; maybe nothing like the explosive entrance that the Marching 100 made at the battle of the bands the night before. But they were looking for big plays anyway. Dramatic plays are why fans come back. They just seem to happen. And some came Saturday afternoon, although mostly by FAMU in its 42-6 thumping of Bethune-Cookman University in front of 59,418 ruckus fans.
The place went nuts when freshman Martin Ukpai rushed 11 yards for his first collegiate touchdown. That gave FAMU a 21-0 lead. Those boys of '78 just soaked it up. It was FAMU's 20th win in the 30 years that these two teams have met. This one being an anniversary, was special to Wyman Daniels. His catch on a desperation 35-yard pass from quarterback Albert Chester was the one that set the benchmark for dramatics. Big plays have since become a sort of pre-Thanksgiving ritual in the Classic. When the '78 team got together, the men rehashed memories of their remarkable season when they won the first NCAA Division I-AA national championship.
Everything Goes Right In Rattlers' VictoryORLANDO There have been a few more one-sided scores in the 30-year history of the Florida Classic, but no more one-sided days. Everything went right for Florida A&M on Saturday and everything went wrong for Bethune-Cookman in a 42-6 rout before a crowd of 59,418 at the Florida Citrus Bowl. FAMU (8-3, 6-2 MEAC) put away its arch-rival in the first half, but that was only part of the story. The Rattlers may have qualified for a Division 1-AA playoff berth, and they also established their future at quarterback in freshman Martin Ukpai, who started for injured senior Curtis Pulley.
B-CU (5-6, 4-4) lost for the fourth time in five years to FAMU. The Wildcats threw three interceptions, drew 10 penalties and never got anything going on offense until it was far too late. Phillip Sylvester ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns for the Rattlers. Ukpai, who was the third-string quarterback until last week, completed 8-of-11 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown, ran for 66 yards and a touchdown and played error-free until throwing an interception with the Rattlers ahead, 35-0, in the third quarter.
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DAYTONA BEACH -- When the MEAC/SWAC Challenge football game was moved to Orlando two years ago, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference thought nearby Bethune-Cookman would be a natural to represent the conference.
