Florida A&M football is back in the win column.
On Saturday, the Rattlers (4-3, 2-1 in SWAC) hosted and beat the Southern Jaguars (4-4, 3-1 in SWAC) 24-6 in a Week 9 Southwestern Athletic Conference at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
It was the Rattlers’ 22nd consecutive victory at home, the second-longest active streak in the Football Championship Subdivision. Before Saturday, FAMU hadn’t played at Bragg since Aug. 31.
“We don’t lose in Bragg,” said FAMU quarterback Daniel Richardson. “Getting another win and playing in front of our fans is a great feeling.”
FAMU outgained Southern 404-205 before a Bragg Stadium crowd of 16,487. FAMU only trailed early in the game, going down 3-0 to start the contest.
FAMU wide receiver Jamari Gassett starred for the Rattlers by recording one touchdown apiece on a 43-yard punt return and a 53-yard receiving score.
FAMU’s offense was rolling for the most part on Saturday.
FAMU quarterback Richardson completed 25 of his 36 passing attempts for 246 yards, two touchdowns against one interception. Richardson’s touchdowns went to Gassett and running back Kelvin Dean Jr.
“10 and 2 are a deadly combination. They were on the same page,” said FAMU head coach James Colzie III.
Nine different FAMU receivers had receptions. Gassett led the bunch with five receptions for 118 yards and a receiving touchdown.
For the first time this season, FAMU outrushed its opponent, tallying 126 rushing yards against Southern’s 122. Thad Franklin Jr. led the backfield, carrying the ball seven times for 40 yards.
Though FAMU had a fair performance, there’s still work to be done.
The Rattlers haven’t yet scored 30 points in a game this season.
“The biggest thing for us was to make sure we executed,” Colzie said. “We saw our offense with some rhythm and some confidence. Next week, hopefully, we can get more of that.”
FAMU’s defense made Southern one-dimensional.
The Rattlers allowed just 83 yards from Southern’s passing attack. FAMU cornerback TJ Huggins picked off Southern quarterback Noah Bodden and returned it for 59 yards before being pushed out of bounds.
FAMU sacked Southern twice and had a host of tackles for loss.
Southern rushed for 122 yards.
FAMU had two turnovers on Saturday.
Both ended promising drives by the Rattlers.
First, FAMU running back Franklin fumbled away the football on the team’s first drive to reach the redzone. Richardson threw an interception in the third quarter as the Rattlers attempted to extend their lead.
FAMU committed seven penalties for 80 yards.
Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time award-winning journalist for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
