Wide receiver Ched Hunter on his way to the end-zone.
Photo credit: Vaughn Wilson/ FAMU Athletics
The Florida A&M Rattlers fell 31-27 on the road in a well fought battle against the Hampton pirates. This was another one of the Rattler’s close games that they fell short in, simply because they just could not seize the fourth quarter.
FAMU had some leaders that gave the team the energy they needed to compete in each quarter.
“We played better in the second half," head coach Alex Wood said. "Made more plays. Had more productivity from the offense. Still struggled at times stopping them, defensively. Special teams wise, I thought we were OK."
Ryan Stanley had a total of 3 touchdowns for 220 yards, and completed 13-19 passes. The Rattlers managed to score a touchdown in the fourth quarter that seemed like it would be enough for the win.
Ricky Henrilus had a total of 109 yards on 10 carries for the Rattlers, and Chad Hunter also produced great results. Hunter only had two receptions, but both resulted in touchdowns and managed to rack up a total of 97 yards.
“School spirit can change things”, said Arleigh Buyer, a senior English student with a minor in Pre-Law. FAMU definitely needs a lot of support right now to help turn their record around.
FAMU has shown improvement and a strong mentality that they want to win, but they lose that momentum quickly due to penalties.
"We had 15 penalties for 142 yards," Wood said. "We're the most penalized team in this conference. That goes directly to us as coaches. Not just coaches, but (expletive) players, too. The whole nine yards.”
In the fourth quarter, with FAMU up, and the clock showing 5:46, they allowed Delmon Williams (quarterback for Hampton) to connect with Quinton Lee to give Hampton the lead. FAMU drove 55 yards down the field to Hampton’s 14-yard line with 33 seconds left in the game, but simply could not finish through and turned the ball over on downs.
It definitely seems as if FAMU has the talent, vision, and heart to be at the top, they just have to put everything out there from the start to finish.
Although, longer possession time with the ball seems like it could definitely help in the future with bringing home victories, FAMU must also know how to seal the score when you are in the red zone.
The Rattlers will take on Morgan State Saturday at one p.m.