This article appeared on BlackAmericaWeb in 2004
The Florida Classic is the MEAC equivalent of the SWAC’s Bayou Classic, boasting sold-out crowds of over 70,000 fans in each of its last 6 years. HBCU Football has always been revered as being more than just a game. Saturday’s game was the diamond centerpiece in a jewel-encrusted crown of weeklong activities.
If you’ve never been to the Florida Classic, here’s a tip: start planning now and get to the game early. I arrived 4 hours early- at least I thought it was early- and found traffic beginning to thicken. When the pink on pink Bonny riding on 24-inch pink slippers rolled through, I knew it was time to find the media parking lot.
Let’s just say the block was hot with activity as game time approached. Inside the Ford Fan Fare Classic, attendees were treated to a host of games, activities, and live performances from up-and-coming music groups. Orlando-based ‘The Hit Connection’ fired up the crowd with three hot new artists. Yanique’s smooth delivery was a perfect blend for the gruff reggae style of Major Daps and the knowledge flow of Knowa Logic. Courtyard Films kept the stage burning with the Club Popper dancers and Mirror Image. Markeith Williams, the brains behind Courtyard Films, takes hip-hop club dancing to another level with his video productions. Artists from Innersoul Records added the final touches to the pre-game concert. James Wilson, formerly of Arista, is the creative mind behind the new company. In an effort to save R&B, Wilson’s label showcased two solo artists (Ter’ell Shahid and Sunni) and one male group (Az Yet). Shahid, a smooth crooner with the ability to play multiple instruments, soothed the ladies in the crowd before Az Yet put’em on overload. The group of young twenty-something brothers demonstrated stage presence seldom found in today’s performances. Sunni set the stage on fire with vocals as blazing as her curvaceous form. After her set, the crowd was ready for the main course.
Game Time
After many years of trying, the Bethune Cookman Wildcats finally made it happen. In Saturday’s 25th Florida Classic, Bethune Cookman overcame 24 years of history and a 14-point deficit to defeat Florida A&M 58-52 in a thrilling overtime contest.
Before the game even started, newly installed Bethune Cookman College President Dr. Trudie Kibbe Reed exchanged a little smack talk with outgoing Florida A&M University President Dr. Fred Gainous. Dr. Reed’s precautionary statement not to underestimate the Wildcats should have been taken to heart by the Rattler Nation.
Starting with Roosevelt Kiser’s 53-yard touchdown catch, FAMU led by at least a touchdown for most of the game. Big play followed big play as these two storied programs slugged it out in the middle of the ring. Several times the Rattlers thought they had knocked the Wildcats out. But just when things looked their worst, the Wildcats would claw back into the game with a big-time play.
Prospects were looking really dim when starting quarterback Jarod Rucker barely escaped a safety as the charging Carlos Channelle sacked him at the 1. Rucker had already dodged one bullet, recovering his own fumble in the Wildcats’ first offensive series. The red-shirt sophomore’s good fortunes didn’t carry over to the second set of possessions. Rucker’s pitch intended for Eric Weems was off the mark. FAMU’s Edward Kwaku punched the loose ball back through Weems’ legs, where big Altriq Brown engulfed it.
When the Cats went down 13-0 on Ben Dougherty’s 14-yard pass to Ronald Wright, Alvin Wyatt knew it was time to shift gears at quarterback. The best thing about having depth, especially at quarterback, is the variability it provides in their ability to make plays. Jimmie Russell came into the game at 8:33 to play in the first. By 7:39, the true freshman from Jonesboro, Georgia tossed an 88-yard bomb to Richard Woodbury to bring BCC within a touchdown of the Rattlers.
Russell’s pass was the beginning of what will go down as one of the best offensive games ever between these two rivals.
FAMU didn’t wait long to deliver a counter-punch. After missing out on all points from the BCC 9, Terrell Showers came up with an all-conference type play. From his defensive tackle position, Showers slashed through the BCC line just after Russell faked the handoff to Rodney Johnson. Before Russell could pull the ball back, the slashing big fella took the handoff for FAMU.
Remember the mantra “never give a good team a second chance”? FAMU showed why. After a Wildcat timeout, ‘Big’ Ben Dougherty lofted a pass that his big fullback LeVon Gorham snagged easily while backpeddling into the end zone.
In the opening minutes of the second quarter, FAMU thought they had delivered another knockout punch when Showers soaked the BCC 4th-down conversion attempt by sacking Russell for a 6-yard loss at midfield. ‘Big Ben’ directed the Rattlers down the short field on the back of Paul Sharpe’s 29-yard run. Dougherty, who threw for 6 touchdowns in the game, added his fourth from 5 yards out, hitting a diving Gerard Morgan just inside the front left pylon.
The knockout punch turned out to be just a knockdown. When the Wildcats got up after a 5-count, they delivered a hard punch of their own in the form of Kyle Herbert. Thanks to the excellent blocking of the BCC special teams unit, Herbert rolled untouched for a 94-yard touchdown kick return.
Bethune Cookman added another touchdown after FAMU’s Wesley Taylor nailed a 23-yard field goal. Russell orchestrated a 7-minute, 14-play, 85-yard tongue-hanging drive from the Cats’ own 15-yard line. Eric Weems was clutch on the drive, catching two passes for 20 yards and carrying it 10 yards to narrow FAMU’s lead to just 10.
Two minutes before the half ended, the Rattlers upped their lead to 17 with a superb 84-yard drive capped by a 2-yard Rashard Pompey run. The Rattlers’ drive only drained 1:18 off the clock, which gave the quick-striking Cats a few ideas. BCC moved the ball 40 yards before the clock shut the drive down at the Rattler 40.
Halftime: The Marching 100 vs. The Marching Wildcats
Under the direction of Mr. Donovan Wells, the Marching Wildcats let the Classic Crowd know they were up to the task, taking the field first at Halftime. In an awe-inspiring performance that surpassed the one delivered at the P&G Ohio Classic, the maroon and gold seemed to have saved the best for last. Sound quality and presentation were gripping and as funky as a pair of sweaty feet in hot cowboy boots. Look y’all, they brought IT in a big ‘balla’ way. They had the 24s, the bling, the chinchilla, and fat pockets full of cash by the time they left the field. Now they did go a fraction over their time allotment as FAMU’s drum majors made clear by standing next to the Marching Wildcats flag corps before the last note faded.
The Hundred may be their own worst enemy. Previous Marching One Hundreds have set the bar so freakishly high that successive generations really have to come with it. Saturday’s performance was nowhere near what the past Hundred performances have provided. Sound quality was not where it should have been, and the ‘white tee- black tee’ routine has been done to death. The best part of the performance was the defibrillator segment where one band member pretended to shock another member back to life.
Overall, Halftime’s famed Battle of the Bands was won by The Marching Wildcats.
Back to the Game
The second half saw more scoring by both teams. Bethune Cookman struck first with an 11-play, 51-yard drive that resulted in a Jesus Cortez field goal. On the heels of the kick, Cortez came up big again, recovering his own on-side kick at the BCC 47. The Wildcats missed this opportunity as Carlos Chanelle grabbed
Jimmie Russell’s cocked arm, knocking the ball to the turf. Instinctively, Chanelle picked up the loose ball, which the referee ruled a fumble. The call sent Head Coach Alvin Wyatt and the Wildcat fans into orbit. The replay on the big screen indicated Russell’s arm was moving forward.
While the BCC sideline complained, ‘Big Ben’ found Kiser in man coverage with Ricky Williams down the sideline. Williams timed his jump wrong, allowing Kiser to haul it in for his second big touchdown reception over 50 yards. Kiser finished the game leading all receivers with 5 catches for 197 yards.
Kiser’s touchdown wasn’t on the board a hot minute before Russell and Weems hooked up for a 40-yard play into FAMU territory. A FAMU personal foul on the ensuing incomplete pass to Jonathan Summers moved the Wildcats closer to shortening the Rattler lead. As the Rattlers keyed on Russell’s scrambling, the young Cat faked the whole defense out with the end around to Xavier Butler. Butler scored easily around the right side.
The Wildcats defense allowed FAMU just one more score. Following a botched second on-side kick attempt, FAMU marched 50 yards on 4 plays. Dougherty’s sixth and final touchdown pass found a happy home in Rashard Pompey’s mitts for a 36-yard scoring play.
With 18 minutes remaining in the game, Dr. Reed’s pre-game warning was about to ring true. Ricky Williams kicked off the phenomenal comeback by redeeming the Kiser touchdown with an 80-yard kick-off return to the FAMU 20. Prime time player Eric Weems banged it closer with a 16-yard run. Butler rushed it from there.
FAMU missed an opportunity to seal the game on the ensuing possession. Although there wasn’t a whole lot of defense played in the game, BCC’s defense picked the right time to come up with a stop. Having stopped the Rattlers at the 18, Wesley Taylor needed to come through. And for the second time on the day, Taylor missed wide.
Being two touchdowns behind didn’t seem to be a problem for the Wildcats. Taking over at the BCC 20, Russell hooked up with Jonathan Summers for a 35-yard play and Weems again for a 15-yard play. Summers picked up his first touchdown of the game with an 8-yard carry with 11:08 remaining in the game.
Russell scored the game-tying touchdown from 12 yards out after Rodney Johnson breathed some fire with 4 carries for 48 yards.
Big plays from both defenses sent the game into overtime. FAMU hadn’t turned the ball over all game until Nick Collins intercepted Dougherty late in the fourth quarter. The turnover rule required the Rattlers to have another; unfortunately, the second came in overtime. Just as the Rattlers were about to deliver the final blow to the Wildcats from the BCC 2, William Hudson caught Paul Sharpe behind the line of scrimmage and forced a fumble. Ben Ballard scooped up the rock and returned it 21 yards to the Rattler 25.
NCAA overtime regulations gave the Wildcats the ball at the Rattlers’ 25-yard line. The Wildcats took no chances with the pass, opting instead to run right at the Rattlers. Rodney Johnson finished off the Rattlers with a 15-yard touchdown run. The win gave the Wildcats their third consecutive win over the Rattlers for the first time in Florida Classic play.