B-CU football suffers embarrassing loss to Jackson State

By Sidney Brown

The Sports Fanatic

The Wildcats football team got off to a great start during their game against Jackson State University. Too bad, they could not maintain the momentum and left the field with a 42-12 lose.

This was the lowest scoring game of the year for Bethune-Cookman and its eighth straight loss of the season. There was hope early that the winless Wildcats would pull off the major upset, but once again this year, they would disappoint B-CU students, alumni and fans.

What happened?

The Wildcats (0-8) traveled to Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium to face the Jackson State Tigers (6-1). The Wildcats jumped out to an early 9-0 lead after quarterback Shannon Patrick's 29-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dylann Lee (missed PAT) late in the first quarter and kicker Marcus Gamboa's 32-yard field goal early in the second quarter. The Wildcat defense also caught the Tigers off guard, stopping them on their first four offensive drives and causing a fumble. With 12:24 left in the second quarter, the Wildcats seemed to be in control of the game early.

However, JSU's slow start suddenly proved to be a fluke, and the Wildcats appeared to relax way too early. For the remainder of the second quarter, Tigers' quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw two touchdowns to wide receiver Malachi Wideman and rushed in for another, which gave JSU a commanding 21-9 lead going into halftime.

As expected, things only got worser for the Wildcats. Coming out of halftime, JSU's Isaiah Bolden ran the opening kickoff back for a 94-yard touchdown return, immediately pushing the Tigers' lead to 28-9. Sanders then threw two more touchdowns to Wideman between the third and fourth quarters and racked up a total of 309 yards passing and 4 touchdowns. On the other hand, the Wildcats only scored a field goal in the third quarter and didn't score at all in the fourth quarter..

Sidney's Final Take

The Wildcats have an upcoming BYE week and then will be back in action on Nov. 6 for their last home of the season against Alcorn State. Attendance is expected to be low, but I can only hope that the Wildcats will find a way to win at least one game this year, so I believe their best bet is to win at home.

But so far, my hopes and prayers have not been enough. There must be an immediate change within the Wildcat football program, particularly to give fans some hope for a 10th straight win over Florida A&M the Florida Classic on Nov. 20.