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FAMU's blowout loss in the playoffs highlight concerns, areas of a bright future | Rory Sharrock
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- FAMU's blowout loss in the playoffs highlight concerns, areas of a bright future | Rory Sharrock
Florida A&M's 38-14 first-round loss in the playoffs to Southeastern Louisiana Saturday night marked the end of the season. But the setback doesn't define the season.
The Rattlers made history with every yard in 2021.
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They bounced back from the shutdown in 2020 due to the pandemic by going 9-3 with a berth in the FCS tournament.
Win or lose, every waking minute of the team's time at practice or during games was documented for the ESPN+ film series Why Not Us: FAMU Football.
All of this occurred while not only competing in a new conference but imposing their way on foes.
The SWAC has the moniker of being known as the SEC of Black college football for a valid reason.
Every venue is packed to capacity or nearly sold out on Saturdays.
In this conference, passion and venom spewed from the fans to match the equal play of the teams.
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FAMU stepped into the league with its only loss being a 7-6 outcome versus Jackson State. It finished with a SWAC record of 7-1.
The Tigers won the SWAC East. They're favored to claim the conference championship and Celebration Bowl in December.
FAMU represented itself and the SWAC well in the playoffs. However, there is no denying the better team won in the SLU Lions.
I do feel this game would've been a lot closer or even gone FAMU's way if it was played at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
Guess we'll never know.
The final score was rough for the Rattlers.
This defense has a reputation for beating opponents into submission. However, the Lions weren't trying to hear any of that noise.
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To its credit, SLU took the Dark Cloud Defense's best punch and got up off the turf.
The Rattlers had an interception, forced fumble and tallied four sacks. It still wasn't enough to avoid a blowout defeat.
NFL prospect Markquese Bell was all over the place. He had a game-high 16 solo tackles with a forced fumble.
Obviously, FAMU's loss highlighted areas for improvement.
Consistency at quarterback, sharper attention to detail in scouting reports and discipline stand out the most from Saturday's clash.
Rasean McKay struggled with accuracy and reading the coverage.
He completed 45% of his passes (18 of 40) against a defense that was averaging close to 300 yards allowed through the air a game.
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FAMU let SLU convert fakes on a field goal and punt. Both plays ultimately led to touchdowns.
The Rattlers were flagged 11 times for 107 yards against the Lions. They ended the season with a SWAC-worst 118 for 1,129 yards.
Among the positives is the power of the defensive line.
Gentle Hunt is a rising star. He now has a full season of college football under his belt.
We can expect more from him and others in 2022 in the progression of their development.
Hybrid linebacker/defensive end Isaiah Land didn't get any sacks on Saturday.
The good news is he returns to the squad next year after leading the country in sacks.
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FAMU's secondary will be led by ball-hawkers such as Javan Morgan, BJ Bohler, Kortney Cox and Lovie Jenkins.
On offense, Bishop Bonnett, Chad Hunter and Xavier Smith are done as players.
There is still enough firepower coming back for FAMU to light up the sky coming back next fall.
Overall, Saturday was a dim on-the-field showing for the Rattlers.
Nevertheless, the big picture of the future shows HD visuals of the Rattlers climbing the ladder of success escalator style.
Scoring Summary
FAMU0 0 0 14 - 14
SLU7 17 7 7 - 38
First Quarter
SLU:Kovacs, Nick 21-yd rush. PAT kick by Rengifo, Mateo (GOOD) 10 plays, 68 yards, 4:53 TOP
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Second Quarter
SLU:Givan, Nolan 6-yd pass from Kelley, Cole. PAT kick by Rengifo, Mateo (GOOD) 13 plays, 98 yards, 5:03 TOP
SLU:Jones, Taron 9-yd pass from Kelley, Cole. PAT kick by Rengifo, Mateo (GOOD) 6 plays, 41 yards, 2:07 TOP
SLU:Rengifo, Mateo 21-yd FG 13 plays, 89 yards, 2:27 TOP
Third Quarter
SLU:Kovacs, Nick 20-yd pass from Kelley, Cole PAT kick by Rengifo, Mateo (GOOD) 11 plays, 65 yards, 5:31 TOP
Fourth Quarter
SLU:Jones, Taron 39-yd pass from Kelley, Cole. PAT kick by Rengifo, Mateo (GOOD) 4 plays, 59 yards, 1:26 TOP
FAMU:Xavier Smith 23-yd pass from Rasean McKay. PAT kick by J Romo-Martinez (GOOD) 2 plays, 63 yards 0:42 TOP
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FAMU:David Manigo 2-yd pass from Rasean McKay.PAT kick by J Romo-Martinez (GOOD) 10 plays, 88 yards, 3:31 TOP
Follow FAMU beat writer Rory Sharrock on Twitter @married2game1.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU's blowout loss in the playoffs highlight concerns, areas of a bright future | Rory Sharrock
