Page 29 - Florida Sentinel 11-6-15 Edition

Bethune Debuts In FCS Coaches Top 25 Poll
FAMU Will Play On The Road Before Classic
The FAMU Rattler Football team came into Saturday’s gridiron clash with nationally- ranked North Carolina A&T with hopes of an upset to con- tinue the upward trend which began two weeks ago at Homecoming.
But that win over Delaware State was a distant memory Saturday evening, as the visit- ing Aggies (7-1, 5-0 in MEAC) proved why they were ranked number one in most Black College Football polls and No. 20 in the NCAA FCS polls, with a 28-10 Mid-Eastern Ath- letic Conference decision at Bragg Memorial Stadium in
the Rattlers’ 2015 home final. Junior quarterback Carson Royal finished the game with 120 yards passing on 18 com- pletions (40 attempts) with a three-yard scoring toss to tight end Desmond Noird with
2:56 left in the third period.
The Rattlers (1-7, 1-4 in MEAC) will close the 2015 season the way they began it, on the road, opening a final three-game stretch next Saturday, November 7 at Hampton (Va.) Uni- versity. Kickoff will be at 1:00 p.m. Eastern at Arm- strong Stadium.
After a 49-21 win at Delaware State over the week- end, Bethune-Cookman Foot- ball debuts in the NCAA FCS Coaches’ Poll Top 25 this week, cracking the poll in week 10 at No. 25, with the poll announced Monday after- noon.
Bethune-Cookman (7-2, 5- 1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Con- ference) has lost just a pair of games this season under first- year head coach Terry Sims, which includes the season- opener at FBS opponent Miami. Wins for the Maroon and Gold have come against opponents from South Car- olina State and Grambling State, respectfully – the latter being a road win at the South- western Athletic Conference members from Louisiana. Grambling is one of two teams expected to play for the SWAC title and earn the league’s au- tomatic bid to the inaugural Celebration Bowl.
The 25th place ranking for Bethune-Cookman is the
QB Quentin Williams (Offensive Player of the Week) and Dar- iusz Bladek (Offensive Lineman of the Year).
team’s first ranking of the 2015 campaign. With the Wildcats missing the season’s first poll, it ended a streak of 31 consecutive FCS polls in which B-CU was ranked, dat- ing back to week 10 of the 2012 season.
In the current MEAC stand- ings, the Cats are just a half- game back of top place leaders North Carolina A&T who sit at No. 16 this week in the Coaches’ Poll.
Bethune-Cookman plays its final home game of the 2015 campaign against Morgan State on Saturday, Nov. 7, inside Municipal Stadium aka “The Cage”. It will also be Senior Appreciation Day for 18 members of the Wildcats football team. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m., with the game being streamed live via the Cat-
Eye Network.
FRIDAY, ONOVEMBER 6, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 13-A