For the second straight year, Florida A&M (2-2, 1-1 SWAC) rallied to defeat Alabama A&M (0-4).
Trailing 19-7 in the first half, the Rattlers beat the Bulldogs 38-25 to secure their first SWAC victory of the season on Saturday at Bragg Memorial Stadium in front of a crowd of 7,595.
FAMU pushed its home winning streak to 12 games, tying the nation’s second-longest mark with North Dakota State and one spot behind Montana State (14).
Xavier Smith was the star of the game with seven catches for 97 yards and three touchdowns.
MORE RATTLERNEWS COVERAGE
► Alive and beating: FAMU football punter Chris Faddoul reflects on his injury a year later
► Back and better:After three ‘tumultuous’ weeks, Willie Simmons feels FAMU football is refreshed after seeing it again
► Path to recovery:After losing his sight during a football game, this FAMU coach is ‘grateful’ for his support
The ‘RAC Boyz 2.0’ Appears In Full
FAMU quarterback Jeremy Moussa has done an exceptional job distributing the ball to various receivers in four games.
He connected with seven different receivers on Saturday.
Smith was found on the long ball throughout the game. With FAMU trailing two runs at halftime, Moussa and Smith connected for a 20-yard touchdown pass.
One question Simmons asked this week was when K-Dot (Jah’Marae Sheread) was going to be K-Dot again.
Sheread, who suffered a broken foot this offseason, answered that question with seven catches and 138 receiving yards.
Sheread was an early threat to help revive FAMU.
The defense flexes the muscles
It can be confusing to groom a new quarterback.
Aqueel Glass, former black college football player of the year, has been replaced by Xavier Lankford for Alabama A&M.
The defensive front forced three sacks in the first half by Kamari Stephens, Isaiah Land and Gentle Hunt.
Linebacker Isaiah Major led the Rattlers with 13 tackles.
Fellow linebacker Nadarius Fagan also forced the Rattlers’ first turnover of the game with an interception that led to a 6-yard rushing touchdown by Jaylen McCloud.
FAMU comes with their backs against the wall – again
Albany State took an early lead in their first practice against FAMU two weeks ago.
Alabama A&M led 19-7, which included a safety.
FAMU finally showed some life midway through the first half.
Smith caught his first touchdown on a 20-yard touchdown pass.
FAMU took its first lead in the third quarter behind its running game and Terrell Jennings. The Rattlers also found their groove in the passing game, as tight end Jeremiah Pruitte and wide receiver David Manigo stepped up.
FAMU defeated Alabama A&M 24-6 in the second half.
Gerald Thomas III covers FAMU athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @3peatgee.
Follow the Tallahassee Democrat on social media at Tallahassee Democrat (Facebook), TallahasseeDemocrat (Instagram) and @TDOnline (Twitter)
Comments are closed.