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FAMU football feels 'a relief' after season's first win vs Albany State, entering bye week
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- FAMU football feels 'a relief' after season's first win vs Albany State, entering bye week
After two weeks of letdowns, Florida A&M football can finally call itself a winner.
On Saturday, Sept. 13, the Rattlers (1-2) secured their first victory of the 2025 season with a 33-25 Week 3 triumph over the Albany State Golden Rams (2-1) on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
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A large, boisterous crowd of 14,370 watched while FAMU won its home opener over Albany State.
FAMU's victory on Saturday followed two losses to open the year, a 10-9 shortfall to Howard in Week 1's Orange Blossom Classic and a Week 2 loss at Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Florida Atlantic 56-14.
"Is it a relief? Yeah. We needed to win this football game," second-year FAMU head coach James Colzie III told the media at Saturday's postgame press conference.
"A win is a win. Excited about it," the FAMU coach added.
FAMU football's 0-2 start caused a dark cloud to gather over the program as it searched for its first win of Colzie's second season.
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Some Rattler fans had doubts about Colzie and his Rattler football team.
In contrast, others held optimism for FAMU to turn the season around, starting with Albany State, an NCAA Division II HBCU team coached by former Rattler standout quarterback Quinn Gray .
With FAMU outlasting Albany State on Saturday, Colzie is now 8-7 as head coach of the Rattlers.
Florida A&M Rattlers head coach James Colzie III argues a call with the referee. The Florida A&M Rattlers defeated the Albany State Golden Rams during the first home game of the season on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025.
"We want to win all of them," Colzie said. "Do I read any of the stuff that's going on out there? No. I always eliminate the outside noise. I got to take care of the 112 guys we got in that locker room. Do I understand that losing to a Division II football team hurts you as a head coach? Absolutely. Do I know that Quinn Gray is one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play at FAMU and has done a great job with Albany State? I know what he's done.
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"We can't worry about anybody else except us."
FAMU has something to build on entering its bye week.
Offensively, the Rattlers posted 462 total yards.
The Rattlers' offensive performance was their best of the young season, previously averaging just 11.5 points and 284 yards from their first two games.
FAMU quarterback RJ Johnson III led the Rattlers by completing 17 of 22 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns. Jett Peddy also appeared as FAMU's quarterback and connected with receivers nine times out of 14 attempts for 99 yards.
Florida A&M Rattlers quarterback RJ Johnson III (12) looks to pass. The Florida A&M Rattlers defeated the Albany State Golden Rams during the first home game of the season on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025.
Defensively, after struggling against FAU, the Rattlers neutralized one of HBCU's top quarterbacks, Isaiah Knowles. FAMU kept the Albany State signal caller at a less-than-ideal completion rate of 55 percent, and sacked him twice, led by Rattlers defensive back Jameel Sanders.
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FAMU's improved performance sets the table for its post-bye Southwestern Athletic Conference opener in Week 5 as it hosts Alabama State, led by star quarterback Andrew Body , on Saturday, Sept. 27.
Alabama State had its home opener in Montgomery and beat Division II team Miles College 37-9 to move its record to 2-1. Body had a near-perfect performance versus Miles with 14 completions on 16 attempts for 251 yards and four touchdowns.
"Never going to get upset about a win. But once we get in SWAC play, it's going to have to look a heck of a lot better," Colzie explained.
FAMU football will use bye week to build depth, allow players to heal up
The key to FAMU's bye week is health.
After the off week, the Rattlers will play for nine consecutive weeks, with big games versus Alabama State, North Carolina Central (Oct. 11), and defending Black College Football National Champions Jackson State (Nov. 1), and Bethune Cookman (Florida Classic/Nov. 22), to name a few.
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"We understand, going into a bye week, we've got to get ourselves healthier and get a few of our players back so we can be at full tilt and look like the football team that I thought we would look like," Colzie said.
Florida A&M Rattlers defensive back Andre Powell Jr. (7) tries to force an incomplete pass. The Florida A&M Rattlers defeated the Albany State Golden Rams during the first home game of the season on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025.
"Four or five starters" were missing from FAMU football's offensive lineup on Saturday versus Albany State, Colzie said.
Colzie "decided to hold out" running back Bo Summersett, wide receiver Jalen Rogers, and others due to injury. The FAMU coach expects them to be "full go" when play resumes versus Alabama State.
However, building a base of players may bode well for the Rattlers moving forward, as 46 players participated versus the Golden Rams on Saturday.
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"That helps us provide some depth at some of the positions but also allows some of our younger and newer players to get the experience they needed tonight," Colzie said.
Florida A&M Football's Remaining 2025 Schedule
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Week 4: BYE/OPEN WEEK
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Week 5: Saturday, Sept. 27 ― vs. Alabama State (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
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Week 6: Saturday, Oct. 4 ― vs. Mississippi Valley State (SWAC/at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium), 4 p.m., SWAC TV
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Week 7: Saturday, Oct. 11 ― vs. North Carolina Central, 3 p.m., HBCU GO
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Week 8: Saturday, Oct. 18 ― vs. Alcorn State (SWAC/Homecoming), 4 p.m., ESPN Plus
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Week 9: Saturday, Oct. 25 ― at Southern (SWAC), 5 p.m., SWAC TV
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Week 10: Saturday, Nov. 1 ― vs. Jackson State (SWAC), 7 p.m., ESPN Network
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Week 11: Saturday, Nov. 8 ― at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
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Week 12: Saturday, Nov. 15 ― at Alabama A&M (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV
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Week 13: Saturday, Nov. 22 ― vs. Bethune-Cookman (SWAC/Florida Classic at Orlando's Camping World Stadium), TIME TBA, ESPN Plus
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Saturday, Nov. 29 ― NCAA FCS Playoffs Begin (If Necessary)
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Saturday, Dec. 6 ― SWAC Championship Game (If Necessary)
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Saturday, Dec. 13 ― Celebration Bowl at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium (If Necessary)
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Monday, Jan. 5, 2026 ― NCAA FCS National Championship Game at Nashville's FirstBank Stadium (If Necessary)
All times listed are in Eastern Standard Time.
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: FAMU football's James Colzie at ease after 1st win of 2025 vs Albany State
