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FAMU football playing villain in SWAC opener, aims to crush Alabama State's homecoming spirit
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- FAMU football playing villain in SWAC opener, aims to crush Alabama State's homecoming spirit
This story has been updated to add new information.
Scheduling a team for your homecoming football game hands your opponent the thumb tack to post bulletin board material.
So, Florida A&M football plans to rain on Alabama State's homecoming festivities this weekend.
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The Rattlers (2-2) open their Southwestern Athletic Conference schedule by visiting the Hornets (2-2, 1-0 in SWAC) this Saturday at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. ESPN Plus will broadcast the Week 6 SWAC game.
"We take it personally. For [Alabama State] to schedule us on homecoming ― that's crazy," said FAMU quarterback Daniel Richardson . "We look to go there and come back with the upset."
Typically, teams who visit homecomings are viewed as a beatable team.
FAMU head coach James Colzie III hopes his squad embraces entering enemy territory in a high-stakes game with SWAC standings ramifications.
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The SWAC predicted the Rattlers and the Hornets to be the top two teams in the East division, with Alabama State earning the preseason No. 1 spot .
"Normally, you put a team on your homecoming that you think you can beat. I guess that's the way they feel," Colzie said.
"Important for us to understand the moment," Colzie added.
Alabama State Hornets head coach Eddie Robinson Jr. works with his players during the Miles College game on the ASU campus in Montgomery, Ala., on Saturday September 7, 2024.
Alabama State head coach Eddie Robinson Jr. says he respects his team's homecoming opponent, FAMU.
Robinson explained the rationale for Alabama State picking FAMU as the homecoming opponent was the space between Alabama State's Orange Blossom Classic (Sept. 1 in Miami), homecoming weekend, and Magic City Classic (Oct. 26 at Alabama A&M) games. Alabama State hosts the winless Mississippi Valley State next Saturday, Oct. 12.
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"It's just the way the calendar falls," Robinson said on Monday's SWAC coaches media availability Zoom call.
"It'll be very entertaining. It's a good matchup. We know [FAMU is] going to bring a good crowd up here and bring the band. It's just going to be a great HBCU weekend."
FAMU football hasn't been a homecoming opponent in nearly a decade
FAMU has grown unfamiliar with visiting an opponent's homecoming.
The last time the Rattlers played at another team's homecoming was in 2017 when Norfolk State beat FAMU 35-28 . The Rattlers went 3-8 and were near the bottom of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference that year. The Rattlers hadn't had a winning record since 2011, making them an easy homecoming target.
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From 2018 through 2023, FAMU won 45 of its 58 games under former head coach and current Duke running backs coach Willie Simmons . The Simmons era ended with the Rattlers winning last December's SWAC and Black College Football National Championships .
"I never got scheduled for homecoming since I've been playing football," said TJ Lee , a four-year starting offensive lineman at FAMU. "Obviously, [Alabama State] scheduled us for a reason. So, we're going to make it our homecoming."
Florida A&M defensive back Kendall Bohler (3) scores a touchdown on a blocked field goal as time runs out against Alabama State University during their game at Hornet Stadium in Montgomery, Ala. on Saturday November 12, 2022. Asu34
FAMU returns to Montgomery for the first time since 2022, where the Rattlers defeated the Hornets 21-14 in thrilling fashion .
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Rattlers cornerback Kendall Bohler had a defining moment of his All-American football career in that 2022 FAMU and Alabama State meeting. FAMU blocked Alabama State's game-winning field goal attempt, then Bohler scooped and scored the football for a 51-yard touchdown as time expired.
Following Bohler's score, the Rattlers players jumped into the crowd with FAMU's Marching '100' to celebrate the victory.
Bohler plans to emulate similar success this Saturday as HBCU's top team, FAMU, enters Alabama State looking to play homecoming spoiler.
"Out of all the teams in the SWAC, they chose us ― the defending national champions," Bohler said. "So, them choosing us kind of got us mad. But it's all right. We're going to go out there and do what we got to do."
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FAMU at Alabama State's homecoming to generate a lively HBCU football experience
Florida A&M defensive backs coach Andre Pope coaches up campers at James Colzie III's prospect camp at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, Thursday, June 20, 2024.
Alabama State football games are one of the most attended in the nation.
Last year, the Hornets placed fourth in Football Championship Subdivision crowds , attracting 19,960 fans per game.
"Alabama State ― nothing but good times," said FAMU defensive backs coach Andre Pope , who spent 2022 and 2023 as an assistant for the Hornets. "It'll be a different environment. They'll enjoy it. I'm excited to go back to 'The Gump.' It should be good."
The stars are aligning for Saturday's SWAC showdown.
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FAMU's Marching '100' will also perform at Alabama State's homecoming. It is with certainty that FAMU's band and Alabama State's Mighty Marching Hornets will banter with each other throughout the game to generate an electric HBCU environment.
On the field, FAMU and Alabama State will settle who deserved the No. 1 preseason SWAC East ranking.
"Be there or hear about it," Lee said.
Florida A&M at Alabama State ― Week 6, SWAC
Florida A&M Rattlers head coach James Colzie III coaches the FAMU v South Carolina State game Thursday, August 31 2024.
When: Saturday, Oct. 5 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time
Where: ASU Stadium; Montgomery, Alabama
Broadcast: ESPN Plus
Tickets: Purchase Here
Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time award-winning journalist for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
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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 enters Alabama State with plan to ruin SWAC foe's homecoming
