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James Colzie eyes FAMU football moving to .500 at Alabama A&M, 'Time to get that point.'
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- James Colzie eyes FAMU football moving to .500 at Alabama A&M, 'Time to get that point.'
Florida A&M football isn't ideally where it wants to be.
The Rattlers have an 4-5 overall record and 3-2 in Southwestern Athletic Conference games in nine showings.
But FAMU has an opportunity to even its record on a trip to Huntsville for a Week 12 SWAC game at Alabama A&M (4-6, 1-5 in SWAC) this Saturday, Nov. 15.
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"Getting to .500 and all that other stuff, yeah. But .500 coaches don't stick around very long," FAMU head football coach James Colzie III told local media in his weekly pregame press conference on Nov. 10.
FAMU has won three of its last four games .
The most recent triumph came last Saturday, Nov. 8, in a 31-28 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff .
FAMU quarterback RJ Johnson III tossed two touchdown passes, and the Rattlers' one-two punch of running backs Thad Franklin Jr. and Jamal Hailey combined for two touchdowns and nearly 200 yards.
The recent success follows the Rattlers opening the season with a 1-4 record, the program's worst five-game start since 2016 .
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Colzie is now 11-10 in 21 games as FAMU's head football coach, while the Rattlers look to move to 5-5 versus the Alabama A&M Bulldogs this weekend.
"I think for us, it seems like it's been a time for us to get to that point," the second-year FAMU coach said about the possibility of moving to .500 after 10 games this season.
At No. 4 in the SWAC East division, the Rattlers are likely out of the league's title race .
It would take the Rattlers to run the table in their final three regular-season games , paired with improbable events to transpire for FAMU to rejoin the SWAC postseason picture.
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However, Colzie is still taking a positive from this season if FAMU can flip the 1-4 start to a 7-5 record and 6-2 mark in the SWAC at the season's end.
"You get to that fifth win, sixth win, seventh win ― you're getting yourself to a spot of being in the upper echelon of SWAC teams," he explained. "So, we've got to win this one this week to get there. For me, it's been just trying to get us wins no matter how many it may be."
FAMU football's morale and drive remains high, says coach James Colzie III
Colzie has been away from the team since last Saturday's win versus Arkansas-Pine Bluff .
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He's on a recruiting trip in Wichita, Kansas, and will return to Tallahassee for FAMU's practice on Tuesday, Nov. 11, in preparation for Alabama A&M.
While out, the head Rattler is getting regular updates from Galimore-Powell Fieldhouse.
He reported to the media that the FAMU football team had a "100 percent" attendance rate in the weight room on Monday.
"They understand they've got to finish. Our seniors are doing a great job corralling this team and getting them going where they need to go," Colzie said.
"The guys don't want this season," he added. "But they definitely don't want this season to end on a sour note. So, they're making sure we do all the things necessary to make sure we finish positively."
Florida A&M Rattlers head coach James Colzie III looks onto the field during the Rattlers' NCAA Southwestern Athletic Conference Week 8 football homecoming game versus the Alcorn State Braves on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025.
Saturday's FAMU at Alabama A&M SWAC game kicks off at 3 p.m. Eastern Time from Huntsville's Louis Crews Stadium. The Bulldogs are fresh off a 48-5 home loss to SWAC West leader Prairie View A&M.
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SWAC TV will broadcast the game. Additional game commentary will be available on Tallahassee's radio airwaves via 96.1 JAMZ.
After facing Alabama A&M, FAMU will wrap up its 2025 season versus Bethune-Cookman in Orlando's Florida Classic (Nov. 22) and Mississippi Valley State for a makeup game (Nov. 29) .
A successful conclusion to the up-and-down year could serve as a building block for 2026 and future seasons under Colzie.
Florida A&M Rattlers defensive lineman Nick Dimitris gets hype before a Week 11 NCAA Southwestern Athletic Conference football game versus the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions on Simmons Bank Field in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025.
"The team understands that we're not just preparing for this year. We got to make sure we do the things necessary this year so that next year can look exactly the way it needs to look," Colzie said. "They want the challenge. They're challenging themselves each day by trying to get better and making sure we finish the season strong."
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Florida A&M (4-5, 3-2 in SWAC) at Alabama A&M (4-6, 1-5 in SWAC)
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When: Saturday, Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time
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Where: Louis Crews Stadium in Huntsville, Alabama
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TV/Radio: SWAC TV, 96.1 JAMZ
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 hopes to maintain late run at Alabama A&M
