From FAMU sports information:
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. | The Florida A&M University football team will look to make it two straight as the Rattlers play host to rival Southern on Saturday night. Kickoff against the Jaguars is set for 6 p.m.at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
The game will be broadcasted and streamed live on ESPN3. The broadcast crew of Keith Miles (play-by-play), Albert Chester (color analyst) and Corey Staples (sideline) will call all of the action. In addition, the same broadcast crew will call the game live on WHBX – 96.1 FM (JAMZ).
Florida A&M and Southern have met 60 times, with the Rattlers holding a 33-26-1 record, but the Jaguars claimed the last victory, a 21-14 win in 2012 at the Atlanta Georgia Dome in the Bank of America Football Classic.
The Rattlers (1-1) enter the contest off a 57-20 victory over Fort Valley State in the Third Annual Jake Gaither Classic last week. Florida A&M started slow and led 7-0 after one quarter, but the Rattlers exploded for 33 second-quarter points to put the game away at the half, 40-0. Ryan Stanley found his groove as he was 20 of 31 passing for 275 yards and three touchdowns as the redshirt quarterback played only the first half against the Wildcats. Backup quarterback Rasean McKay played almost the second half as he was 10 of 11 passing for 113 yards and two scores. Defensively, FAMU held Fort Valley State to 169 total yards, including minus-15 yards on the ground.
Southern (1-2) is coming of a 61-0 rout of Edward Waters in the Pete Richardson Classic last Saturday. The Jaguars led 16-0 after one quarter and took a 40-0 lead into the break before cruising to the win. Devon Benn led the ground game with 120 yards on 17 carries and three scores. Meanwhile, Ladarius Skelton was 10 of 19 passing for 64 yards, while carrying the ball seven times for 53 yards and one touchdown. The Jaguar defense held Edward Waters to 236 total yards, including 51 on the ground.
“This is one of the best rivalries, not only in black college football, but in FCS football,” Florida A&M head coach Willie Simmons said. “This is the 61st meeting between the two schools, two historical programs that have had legendary coaches and a ton of great players.
“This is probably the two most loyal fan bases at this level and it is great to renew this rivalry with a home-and-home. Obviously, we get to host first and it is great to have a team like Southern come to Bragg Memorial Stadium. I know it is going to be an electrical environment, a packed house with two really good football teams, two of the best, if not the best bands in America.”
About The Game
> This will be just the 61st meeting between Florida A&M and Southern
> This will be the first meeting since 2012, which was a 21-14 Southern victory
> The two teams have met six times since 2000, with the series tied at 3
> Florida A&M holds a 6-4 record in the last 10 meetings
> FAMU is looking for its first win over Southern since the 2011 season (38-33)
> There have been 26 games decided by one score
> The lone tie, a scoreless 0-0 game, came in 1950
> The longest winning streak in the series came from Florida A&M (1977-1981)
> The two teams combined to score 118 points last week, including both teams leading 40-0 at the half
> Florida A&M and Southern each have played a member of the American Athletic Conference and both those members played in the conference championship game last season (FAMU at #17 Central Florida; Southern at Memphis)
> > The Clear Bag Policy will be in effect and all outside containers (drinks, cups and food) will not be allow inside Bragg Memorial Stadium
Inside the Rankings
> Florida A&M is unranked in the STATS FCS Top 25 and FCS Coaches Poll
> The Rattlers are receiving votes in the BOXTOROW Coaches Poll
> Southern enters the matchup unranked in all polls
> The Jaguars are ranked fourth in the latest BOXTOROW Coaches Poll
> Southern was predicted to finish first in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Western Division
About Florida A&M
> The Rattlers enter the matchup off a 57-20 victory over Fort Valley State last week
> Florida A&M held the Wildcats to just 169 total yards, including minus-15 yards rushing
> FAMU registered 28 first downs and amassed 583 total yards of offense on 87 plays (6.7 yards per play)
> Ryan Stanley started at quarterback and threw three touchdown passes and did not play in the second half
> Rasean McKay played most of the second half and threw touchdown passes and one interception
> Willie Simmons is just two victories shy of 30 for his collegiate coaching career
About Southern
> After two straight weeks on the road, the Jaguars had its home opener last week, a 61-0 rout of Edward Waters in the Pete Richardson Classic
> Southern amassed 407 yards rushing in the win over the Tigers
> The Jaguar defense forced four turnovers in the win
> SU has outscored its opponents, 113-89
> Dawson Odums will be coaching his 83rd game as head coach and has a 51-31 overall record
Last Time Against Southern
> The Jaguars picked up a 21-14 victory to claim the 2012 Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic title at the Atlanta Georgia Dome
> Florida A&M scored first as Travis Harvey caught a 7-yard pass from Damien Fleming to give the Rattlers a 7-0 first-quarter lead
> Southern tied the game midway through the third quarter, but a Fleming to Harvey 51-yard touchdown gave FAMU a 14-7 advantage with 2:10left in the quarter
> The Jaguars scored the final 14 points to earn the 21-14 win
> Southern quarterback Dray Joseph and Florida A&M defensive back Devan Roberts were selected Classic MVPs
> Both teams finished with 13 first downs
Inside The Numbers
> Florida A&M quarterback Ryan Stanley is approaching a major statistically milestone in the FAMU record books. The redshirt senior needs just 1,300 yards this season to become the all-time career passing leader. Stanley enters the season currently in fifth place and will need 222 yards to surpass Tony Ezell for fourth place
> Florida A&M’s 57-20 win last weekend against Fort Valley State was the most points the Rattlers had scored at home since scoring 60 in a 60-10 win over Norfolk State on Oct. 25, 2003
> In addition, the last time a Willie Simmons-led team scored 57 points was on Nov. 19, 2016 at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
> Florida A&M is averaging 28.5 points through two games, while surrendering 41.0 points
> Southern is averaging 37.7 points and giving up 29.7 points in games against McNeese State, Memphis and Edward Waters
> Florida A&M head coach Willie Simmons is 1-2 all-time as a head coach against Southern
> It has been 2,547 days since the two teams last played and 2,919 days since the last Florida A&M win over rival Southern
Up Next
After the matchup with the Jaguars, Florida A&M takes to the road to open Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play as the Rattlers face off against Norfolk State on Saturday, Sept. 28. The last time FAMU met Norfolk State was in 2018 with the Rattlers winning, 17-0, in Tallahassee, Fla.
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