Story by
FAMU football plagued by injuries, fades away in SWAC game at Prairie View A&M | Takeaways
- Story by
- FAMU football plagued by injuries, fades away in SWAC game at Prairie View A&M | Takeaways
Florida A&M football wasn't successful in its Texas trip to Prairie View A&M.
The Rattlers (5-4, 3-2 in SWAC) faltered to the Panthers (5-5, 3-3 in SWAC) 31-12 in the Week 11 Southwestern Athletic Conference game.
Advertisement
FAMU's loss at Prairie View A&M likely puts a damper on its SWAC title chances as it sat in the East division's third spot entering Saturday.
FAMU outgained Prairie View A&M 348-344 before a crowd of 3,091 at Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field. However, FAMU never led the game, falling behind Prairie View A&M 10-0 early.
"Hell of a job by Prairie View coming out and sticking it to us early and making us be in an uphill battle," said FAMU head coach James Colzie III .
FAMU quarterback Junior Muratovic completed 16 of 29 passing attempts for 150 yards and threw a touchdown against two interceptions. Rattlers running back Bo Summersett added 87 yards on nine attempts.
Advertisement
FAMU football loses QB Daniel Richardson: Offense OK but can't lacks scoring
Rattlers star quarterback Daniel Richardson got a concussion on a sack by Panthers defensive end Davier Farrow.
Muratovic checked in at Richardson's relief and led the Rattlers to two scoring drives: a 28-yard field goal by Cameron Gillis and a seven-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jamari Gassett .
Florida A&M quarterback Junior Muratovic (7) rushes the football in the Rattlers' Week 11 Southwestern Athletic Conference game at the Prairie View A&M Panthers in Prairie View, Texas, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024.
FAMU receiver Goldie Lawrence was the Rattlers' top target with seven catches for 65 yards.
However, Muratovic had two interceptions, with one being a 35-yard pick-six by Prairie View A&M defensive back Freddie Byrd III.
Advertisement
"A little bit of a different setting for us having to use our backup," Colzie said. "I'm pretty sure it's a different football game if we have our quarterback playing. But he wasn't able to finish. It made it a tough outing for us the rest of the football game."
FAMU's rushing attack continues to produce, contributing 134 yards on 14 attempts, despite Kelvin Dean Jr. leaving the game with an injury in the first quarter.
FAMU's defense keeps pace, but Prairie View A&M's offense shows up too
Prairie View A&M didn't necessarily dominate FAMU.
But the Panthers' offense did enough to win by scoring on the big play.
Advertisement
For example, Prairie View A&M quarterback Jaden Johnson found James Burns for a 70-yard score for the game's first score. The Panthers' second touchdown was just a two-yard touchdown by running back Lamagea McDowell as he was pushed into the endzone by his offensive line in a test of strength between the Rattlers' defense and the Panthers' offense.
McDowell added another touchdown to seal the game for the Panthers in the fourth quarter.
On the bright side, FAMU's defense continued its turnover streak, with Corey Collier Jr. picking off Johnson in the second quarter.
FAMU football vs Prairie View A&M's third quarter was almost the game's turning point
Florida A&M running back Thad Franklin Jr. (23) rushes the football in the Rattlers' Week 11 Southwestern Athletic Conference game at the Prairie View A&M Panthers in Prairie View, Texas, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024.
For a second, it seemed the Rattlers would mount a comeback on the Panthers.
Advertisement
FAMU owned the third quarter, outscoring Prairie View A&M 9-0 to shorten the deficit to 17-12. The Rattlers also won the yardage battle 154-43.
However, the Panthers opened the fourth quarter with two red-zone drives that ended in touchdowns by McDowell to move the point difference by double digits.
"We still had a couple of chances late to put ourselves in a better situation. But ultimately, they made a play to keep us at arm's length," Colzie said.
On FAMU's final offensive drive, Muratovic found Lawrence for a 22-yard reception, which ended in a lost fumble to sum up the Rattlers' Saturday.
Advertisement
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 falters in SWAC matchup at Prairie View A&M | Takeaways
