The W.C. Gorden Classic will see Jackson State take on Bethune-Cookman Saturday evening on a national stage. One of these teams will get a much-needed rebound from a recent loss. JSU lost to Texas St., while BCU was taken down by Miami (FL) 48-7. Both teams are likely studying the film from their last meeting in 2022. That one ended in a 48-8 win for Jackson State.
| Statistics | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jackson State (2-2 Overall, 0-1 in SWAC)
The Tigers will look to add another win to their earned record thus far of 2-2. They are scoring an average of 27.0 points per contest, with a total of 14 touchdowns on the year. The Tigers’ defense is conceding an average of 31.5 points per game.
Tailback Irv Mulligan will be leading Jackson State in this one. Mulligan has rushed for 322 yards this season, scoring four touchdowns on the ground.
Jackson State’s offense is constantly looking to get their star receiver involved. Rico Powers has been on the receiving end of 29% of the team’s passing yardage this season.
The Tigers’ record sits at 1-2 for their last three games. Their defense has been struggling against the run, as they’ve allowed 6.1 yards per rush attempt on average over the last three games. They’ll want to capitalize on this opportunity, as this is the first time they’ve had the home field advantage all year. Jackson State has won two straight matchups against Bethune-Cookman since Oct 23, 2021.
Bethune-Cookman (1-2 Overall)
The Wildcats will look to add another win to the 1-2 record they’ve earned so far this season. They are averaging 17.3 points per contest, while accumulating a total of seven touchdowns so far this year. On the other side of the ball, the Wildcats’ defense is giving up an average of 36.7 points per game.
Tailback Jouvensly Bazil will be leading Bethune-Cookman in this one. Bazil has collected 100 rush yards this season, scoring two touchdowns on the ground.
Bethune-Cookman’s running game is by committee. No one player has taken more than 23% of rush attempts.
Bethune-Cookman enters after putting up a 2-9 campaign in 2022. They are 0-2 on the road so far this year, averaging 10.5 points per game in those games. This is the first SWAC game for Bethune-Cookman.