Jacksonville, Fla. — Edward Waters University will take the short ride down I-95 South to face Division I foe Bethune-Cookman on Saturday, September 20 at 3:00 pm inside the Daytona Municipal Stadium. This renewed rivalry features the oldest and youngest Florida HBCU's in competition. Edward Waters will look to make a statement against the premiere programs in the SWAC.
 
TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets Must Be Purchased Online At:  https://www.ticketmaster.com/search?q=bethune-cookman

BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Channel: HBCU Go
Broadcasters: Derrin Horton/Jon Kelly/Lawrencia Moten
Broadcast Link:   HBCU GO | HBCU GO
Live Stats: https://bcuathletics.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
Listen: Youtube.com/CatEyeNetwork / BCUAthletics.com/Radio

WEATHER REPORT:
The projected game-time forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the mid 80s and a slight chance of rain — perfect conditions for an exciting Sunshine State HBCU contest.
 
MAKING HISTORY
On Friday, September 19, Edward Waters University promoted Brian Jenkins Sr. to Head Football Coach from Interim Head Football Coach. The EWU Tigers enter this match up with 3-0 mark under Coach Jenkins. Jenkins has taken the EWU Football Program to new heights as they have won their first three games of the season for the first time since 1964.
 
COACHING RECORDS:
Brian Jenkins, Sr. (EWU): 3-0, 1st season
Raymond Woodie, Jr. (BCU): 5-21, 3rd season
 
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday marks the 23rd meeting between B-CU and EWU. The Wildcats own a 14-5-3 advantage in the series and have won seven straight dating back to 1944. The last meeting between the two teams ended in a 70-10 beatdown by the Wildcats back in 2010, under Coach Jenkins.
 
EDWARD WATERS TIGERS PREVIEW
The Edward Waters offense will be led by transfer veteran quarterbacks Noah Bodden who has been on a tear through the first three games of the season. Bodden is currently ranked first in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) with six passing touchdowns and passing yards (729). Running back Johntarrious Thomas also currently sits second in the SIAC in rushing with 252 yards while wide receivers Izaiah Jean-Baptiste ranks sixth in total receiving yards (121 yards) and Makai Lovett currently sits in 11th with 110 total receiving yard. In total, through three games the EWU Tiger offense is seventh in all of Division II in scoring offense averaging 42.7 points per game. 
Defensively, EWU has been tremendous to start the year. The Tigers are currently tied for sixth in all of Division II with eight total turnovers forced. EWU Football has also received back-to-back SIAC Defensive Player of the Week honors as David Law-Mortimer took home the award in week one and Trevon French garnered the award for week two. French has compiled 20 total tackles, which leads the team and is 9th-best in the SIAC right now.  His 3.5 tackles for loss ranks 10th in the SIAC and his 16 solo tackles is fourth most in the SIAC. The Tigers rank middle of the SIAC pack in points allowed at 22 per game, but Edward Waters has limited opponents to only 245 yards of offense per game, the second-best mark in the league. The Tigers have the best passing defense in the conference at 133 yards per game, while sitting fifth in average rushing yards allowed at 112 per game. Defensive Lineman Antonio Henley leads the conference in tackles for loss at nine on the year in only two games played along with two fumbles recovered and fellow defensive lineman Jamari Pierre leads the league in fumbles forced with a pair. 

Under Coach Jenkins' leadership, the Tigers are expected to emphasize tempo on offense and discipline on defense, making his return to Bethune-Cookman one of the most exciting matchups of the HBCU College Football Weekend.
 
BETHUNE-COOKMAN WILDCATS PREVIEW
This will be their 2025 home opener after three straight road games to open the season for the Wildcats. BCU is off to an 0-3 start to the season with losses to FIU, Miami (FL) and South Carolina State.
Quarterback Cam Ransom leads BCU with 392 yards passing and four touchdowns. Ransom also leads the Wildcats with 124 rushing on the ground with two touchdowns. Wide receivers Maleek Huggins and Javon Ross and both racked up 179 and 147 yards receiving respectively.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Wildcats safety Antwone Watts leads the team with 21 total tackles and one pass breakup. Cornerback Gabe White had tallied 17 tackles while Stephen Sparrow has added 16 tackles and one sack.

EDWARD WATERS/ BETHUNE-COOKMAN CONNECTIONS
In five seasons as the Head Coach at Bethune-Cookman (2010-14), Jenkins' Wildcats posted a .767 winning percentage (46-14), winning outright or sharing four Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) titles, earning three FCS playoff berths, and claiming two HBCU national titles. Bethune-Cookman won at least eight games each season, including a pair of 10-win seasons, and never finished below second place in the conference standings in posting a 34-6 record in MEAC contests, including a perfect 8-0 mark in 2012. The Wildcats also won 18 straight conference games between 2011-13, the second-longest streak in MEAC history. Jenkins' teams also defeated rival Florida A&M four straight seasons (2011-14) for the first time in school history.

Jenkins' success at Bethune-Cookman was not limited to FCS opponents. In both 2013 and 2014, the Wildcats defeated FBS member FIU, with both wins coming on the road. Of Jenkins' 14 losses as Bethune-Cookman's Head Coach, four were to Power 5 schools (Miami in 2011 and 2012, eventual national champion Florida State in 2013, and eventual AAC Champion UCF in 2014), and three came in the FCS Playoffs. For this success, Jenkins was honored as the MEAC Coach of the Year in 2010, 2012, and 2013, and the AFCA FCS Region II Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2012.

Assistant Head Coach & Defensive Coordinator Darrin Hayes held the same position at Bethune-Cookman from 2015-2023.

Defensive Line Coach Untareo Johnson played two seasons at Bethune-Cookman from 2019-2021

LOOKING AHEAD
After their clash with the BCU Wildcats, the Tigers will return home for a Black Out Night Games against SIAC foe Morehouse College on Saturday, September 27. The game will be held at Nathaniel Glover Community Stadium and kickoff is scheduled for 6:00pm.

Follow The Tigers
For complete coverage of Edward Waters University Athletics, follow the Tigers on social media @EWU_Athletics (Twitter), /EWUTigers (Facebook) and @EWU_Athletics (Instagram) or visit the official home of Edward Waters Athletics at EWUTigerPride.com.