The old saying goes, “Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern.”
Florida Memorial has developed a pattern of beating Edward Waters in their annual Big Cat Classic matchup, this time 31-21 at Betty T. Ferguson Memorial Park in Miami Gardens.
This is the Lions’ third straight win against the Tigers. They won their season opener and dropped EWU to 1-1 on the season.
The Lions jumped out to a 24-0 third quarter lead, only to see Edward Waters score 21 unanswered to make everyone nervous until a late touchdown sealed the deal for FMU.
Here are the takeaways from Saturday’s game.
Walter Wilbon is a tough customer
Pardon the interruption, but Walter Wilbon had himself a game for Florida Memorial. The 5’11, 204-lb. senior from Tampa got just about anything he wanted against the Edward Waters defense, carrying the ball 21 times for 170 yards and all four of the Lions touchdowns, including a seven-yard dash with 2:38 to go to clinch the game after the Tigers closed to within three points.
Wilbon ran for nearly 700 yards last season for FMU, so picking up a quarter of that total in one game is a great start to what should be a successful senior year.
FMU’s ground game was a team effort
While Wilbon shone the brightest, he had plenty of assistance in the running game. Wide receiver Marcus Barthel joined in on the backfield party, picking up 126 yards on 17 carries. Overall, the Lions ran 46 times for 310 yards, chewing up valuable clock and keeping EWU’s defense on their heels.
EWU has quarterback concerns
Three different quarterbacks took the field for Edward Waters Saturday, and the one who had the most success left with a late injury.
Miami native Keith Moore was the quarterback for all three Tiger scoring drives but left the game with a leg injury. Now, EWU has to decide between Juwan Dent and Antoine Smith, both of whom had problems with an aggressive FMU defense.
Edward Waters’s total offense was just 180 yards, and its biggest plays were Johnny Jones’s and Brady Tillman’s punt and kickoff returns, which got them close enough to score.
Florida Memorial now has a defense to match its offense
The Lions were among the NAIA’s highest-scoring teams in 2023 but also gave up a ton of points.
That might change this year, especially if defensive lineman Kareem Roberts has anything to say about it. Roberts was a one-man wrecking crew, recording seven total tackles, including 2 1/2 tackles for loss and a sack to spark FMU’s defensive effort. If not for Edward Waters’ two huge special teams plays, this game likely isn’t as close as the score indicates.
Both teams have to forget the Big Cat Classic quickly
While this game has been intense and important each year they’ve played it, the 2024 edition will have to be a distant memory for both squads come next week. Florida Memorial gets to enjoy a win, but they’ve got to prepare for the high-octane Clark Atlanta offense invading Miami Gardens next weekend. Their ball-control offense will have to be even better than it was this week to help their defense hold off David Wright III and the Panthers’ quick-strike attack.
Edward Waters, meanwhile, has to forget about a bitter loss and get ready for a trip to Lorman, Mississippi, where SWAC West favorite Alcorn State will be waiting. The Tigers should hope to leave the Reservation with good health intact, and anything else would be a bonus. They’ll have to wait a while to think about this game, one that got away from them before they could fully take control of it.
