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How FAMU football's second quarter meltdown snowballed in blowout loss vs North Carolina Central
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- How FAMU football's second quarter meltdown snowballed in blowout loss vs North Carolina Central
Florida A&M football couldn't get it going in its Week 7 non-conference matchup versus North Carolina Central this Saturday, Oct. 11.
The NCCU Eagles handed the Rattlers their second consecutive loss, both at home, by dominating FAMU 45-7 in the HBCU matchup on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
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The Rattlers never led the game and were outgained 486-196 by the Eagles before a Tallahassee crowd of 10,012.
"Didn't play well enough, obviously," FAMU head coach James Colzie III told the media in the postgame press conference.
"When you have a team that's struggling like we have been ― [NCCU] came out there and put it to us and didn't leave anything out," he added.
FAMU quarterback Jett Peddy completed 11 of 26 pass attempts for 154 yards, had three interceptions, and was sacked three times.
Defensively, the Rattlers had no answer for NCCU star running back Chris Mosley , who gashed FAMU 23 times for 131 yards and a 50-yard touchdown.
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"Mosley's one of the best running backs in the nation," the FAMU coach said.
North Carolina Central Eagles running back Chris Mosley runs the football against the Florida A&M Rattlers during a Week 7 NCAA football game on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, Saturday, October 11, 2025.
The Rattlers are now 1-4 on the season after the disappointing loss to NCCU, adding to their worst start since 2016.
FAMU football's flatlined by second quarter misfires vs North Carolina Central
Everything went downhill for the Rattlers in the second quarter.
After trailing 7-0 to end the first quarter, NCCU boatraced FAMU 21-0 to take a 28-0 lead at halftime.
The Florida A&M Rattlers faced the North Carolina Central Eagles in a Week 7 NCAA college football game on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025.
On a potentially game-tying drive, Peddy tossed an interception to NCCU defensive back Eric Adams , who returned it for a two-yard touchdown.
Then, NCCU Eagles quarterback Walker Harris completed a four-yard touchdown pass to Refeno Vangates.
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The Eagles weren't done, though.
As time expired in the first half, NCCU went for a fourth-down conversion, which turned into a one-yard touchdown rush by running back Arthur Rodgers.
FAMU football QB Jett Peddy gets chance to run offense vs North Carolina Central
Florida A&M Rattlers quarterback Jett Peddy drops back to pass versus the North Carolina Central Eagles during a Week 7 NCAA college football game on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025.
After four games, Peddy got his first start for the Rattlers.
"We wanted to give him an opportunity," Colzie explained the reasoning for starting Peddy on Saturday.
The junior replaced RJ Johnson III , who started at quarterback for FAMU in its first four games of the season.
Peddy showed flashes early, driving the FAMU offense downfield in its opening drive before the unit stalled at NCCU's 44-yard line.
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Peddy had some nice plays on Saturday, such as a 46-yard completion to Jalen 'Speedy' Rogers and a 27-yard gain to Thad Franklin Jr.
However, mistakes plagued Peddy.
He threw three interceptions, one of which ended in the aforementioned pick-six. The other two were to NCCU defensive linemen Christian Smith and defensive back Jelani Vassell.
"If you ask Jett, he's probably going to be unhappy with his play," Colzie said. "But I thought he gave all he could. He stepped up, played, took the call, and worked the entire week with that mindset. The numbers probably tell you that he might not have done a good job.
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"But we've got to get some stability and consistency at that position."
FAMU defense no match for high-scoring North Carolina Central offense
The FAMU defense bent but didn't break on the game's opening drive.
On the game's opening drive, the Rattlers halted the driving Eagles in the redzone when FAMU defensive back Chase Lloyd picked off NCCU quarterback Harris.
It was the Rattlers' first interception since Week 1 versus Howard.
"Thought we did a good job, defensively on that first drive," Colzie said.
After that, NCCU demonstrated why it has averaged over 50 points per game in its last three games and is one of the top scoring squads in the Football Championship Subdivision.
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The Eagles scored six total touchdowns, with Harris tossing two of them.
NCCU wide receiver Chance Peterson had a game-high eight receptions for 104 yards.
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: Florida A&M football can't shake early mistakes vs North Carolina Central
