Florida A&M football was on the wrong side of its Southwestern Athletic Conference opener versus Alabama State on Saturday, Sept. 27.
The Rattlers (1-3, 0-1 in SWAC) couldn’t get going in a 42-14 loss versus the Alabama State Hornets (3-1, 1-0 in SWAC).
“I don’t think the score was indicative of what our football team looks like or is about,” FAMU second-year head coach James Colzie III told the media after the game.
“As a staff, we’re not going home tonight. We’re going to sit down and rethink how we need to handle this football team.”
Alabama State outgained FAMU 405-309 on the Rattlers’ Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium before 13,515 fans. The Rattlers never led in the Week 5 blowout loss.
FAMU quarterback RJ Johnson III completed 20 of 33 passes for 133 yards and threw a touchdown to tight end Miles Campbell in the Rattlers’ loss to the Hornets. Johnson added eight rushes for 58 yards.
FAMU’s 1-3 start is the worst since 2016, when it began the season 0-4. Saturday was FAMU’s worst home loss since 2018, when the Rattlers fell to the South Carolina State Bulldogs 44-21.
FAMU football’s offense ice cold vs Alabama State
The Rattlers’ offense was nearly nonexistent versus Alabama State on Saturday.
FAMU reached the endzone twice, on a four-yard rushing touchdown by running back Thad Franklin Jr. and the aforementioned one-yard pass from Johnson to Campbell.
The Rattlers’ rushing attack was their highlight of the day, scampering 30 times for 176 yards. Franklin was FAMU’s leading rusher, getting 13 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown.
The Rattlers averaged four yards per Johnson’s 33 passing attempts.
“I’ve watched too much FAMU football to know that we throw for 300, we get touchdowns,” the FAMU coach assessed the quarterback play. “That’s not indicative of what I think this offense should be, throwing the football. I don’t think we threw the ball deep enough and took advantage of our receiving core like I would hope we would.”
Campbell was FAMU’s top target with four receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown.
“You got guys that can get the ball down the field and catch the ball down the field. Those are things we have to do to be successful,” Colzie explained. “I don’t think we showed that tonight.”
FAMU struggled to extend drives, going five for 12 on third downs and one of five on fourth down conversion attempts.
FAMU football defense faced more problems besides Alabama State QB Andrew Body
Alabama State quarterback Andrew Body wasn’t the main issue for the FAMU defense as it was initially expected.
Body was more of a complementary piece for the Hornets, completing 10 of 18 passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns, both to wide receiver Jalen Jones.
The Hornets ran all over the Rattlers, gaining 299 yards on 42 attempts.
Alabama State running back Jamarie Hostzclaw led the Hornets with 22 attempts for 135 yards. A quarterback with scrambling ability, Body rushed eight times for 44 yards.
Hornets running back Marcus Harris II scored Alabama State’s two touchdowns, one for two yards and another for three.
“Alabama State, I feel ― just watching the game ― they did a much better job getting the ball to their players than FAMU did,” Colzie said.
FAMU football had a chance to make comeback vs Alabama State
The Rattlers went into halftime showing signs of life.
FAMU forced a fumble by Alabama State tight end Dylan Creech after catching a pass from Body. FAMU defensive back Corey Collier recovered it deep in the Rattlers’ territory.
FAMU knelt the football, went into the break trailing Alabama State 14-6, and received the ball after halftime.
“If you told me we would be down 14-6 and have the ball to start the quarter, I would have taken that,” Colzie said. “We were able to stop them a little bit and go into the half with a bunch of momentum.”
However, the Rattlers scored just one touchdown in the second half and were outscored 28-8 in the second half.
“We normally play better in the second half than you saw today,” Colzie said.
“We may start poorly, but we normally finish with the best of them,” he added.
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.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: How FAMU football was outmatched from the start vs Alabama State in SWAC opener
Reporting by Gerald Thomas III, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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