Florida A&M football lives on for at least another week in 2021.
And it's a week that is making history.
The No. 23 Rattlers earned an at-large bid in the FCS playoffs as announced Sunday on ESPNU. They travel to Hammond, Louisiana, to face No. 15 Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday, at 7 p.m. (EST)
This is FAMU's first appearance in the FCS playoffs since 2001, when the Rattlers lost to the reigning NCAA I-AA national champion Georgia Southern Eagles in Statesboro, Georgia.
FAMU also becomes the first SWAC team to make the FCS playoffs since 1997.
The Rattlers won the inaugural FCS playoff in 1978, beating UMass 35-28 under coach Rudy Hubbard in Wichita Falls, Texas.
They earned this year's playoff spot after ending the regular season with a resounding 46-21 win over Bethune-Cookman on Saturday in the Florida Classic at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
FAMU snapped a nine-game losing streak against its state rival before a crowd of 54,198.
The team gathered at the FAMU School of Law in Orlando for a watch party Sunday. Players erupted in cheers upon hearing the news of their at-large bid.
"This is indescribable. This is such a humbling experience," FAMU head coach Willie Simmons said. "I am proud of these young men in what they have accomplished.
"Now that were in, we have to go to work to make sure we 'Leave no Doubt.'"
FAMU opened the season 1-2, losing to fellow SWAC member Jackson State in Miami and Football Bowl Subdivision (FBC) South Florida in Tampa.
It finished with eight consecutive wins at 9-2 and ranked second in the SWAC East Division with an 8-1 conference record behind Jackson State.
The Lions play out of the Southland Conference. They went 8-3 and placed second in their conference at 6-2.
SE Louisiana, which has dropped two of its last three games, features reigning Walter Payton award winner Cole Kelley at quarterback.
"Off the top, they have the returning Walter Payton Award winner. He's an NFL prospect," Simmons said.
"They have one of the top passing attacks in the country. We'll have to be ready. This will be the toughest challenge the Dark Cloud Defense has faced this year."
FAMU has had past success in the playoffs.
In addition to the its national title in 1978, it advanced to the quarterfinals in 1998 under coach Billy Joe. At that time it was the farthest an HBCU team had made it in the playoffs since its inaugural year in 1978.
In 1999, FAMU advanced to semifinals but fell to Youngstown State.
FAMU returns to practice on Monday.
It will maintain its normal weekly schedule with the exception of Thursday. The team will meet for a Thanksgiving meal early in the day.
On Friday, the Rattlers will board the bus for the five-and-a-half-hour trip to Hammond.
The Lions are a potent offense that averaged 48 points per game. Their lowest output was a 23-20 win against McNeese State on Oct. 30.
They rank first in the FCS with an average of 567 yards in total offense
SE Louisiana went 2-1 in September. It followed that up with a perfect 5-0 run in October. November has been a slight struggle for the team as it went 1-2.
Kelley leads the nation in yards (4,382), completion percentage (74.2%) and is third in touchdowns (38).
Wide receiver Austin Mitchell has been the primary target with 66 receptions, 1,035 yards with nine touchdowns.
This game will be a test of strengths with the Lions going up against FAMU's "Dark Cloud Defense."
The Rattlers have multiple top-30 stats in defensive rankings. Their best numbers are on third-down conversion (28%) and team sacks (39). FAMU is the seventh-best team nationally in these categories.
Linebacker Isaiah Land tops the list of sacks in the country with 17. Land said he is looking forward to Saturday's challenge.
"This means a lot with us going to playoffs. We're the first team to do this in 20 years," Land said. "Defense wins championships. This will put us to the test to show how good we are as a defense."
The FAMU volleyball team (24-6) advanced into the 2021 Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship with its 3-2 victory (21-25, 25-22, 25-23, 27-29, 15-8) over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Huntsville, Alabama, Saturday.
Sunday's final features the No. 2 Rattlers against No. 1 Jackson State. The pair split their regular-season series with each winning on their home courts.
Jasmine Robison and SWAC Player of the Year Dominique Washington each had 20 kills against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, with Washington adding 17 digs.
Follow FAMU beat writer Rory Sharrock on Twitter @married2game1.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Playoff bound: FAMU to face Southeastern Louisiana in FCS tournament
