Title image via Florida A&M football
Despite being down double digits in the fourth quarter, Florida A&M rallied for two scores in the period to pull out a 22-17 home win.
South Carolina State drew first blood near the end of the first quarter, scoring on a Kyle Gallegos 35-yard field, that put the Bulldogs up 3-0. Florida A&M responded with an 11-play, 80-yard drive that ended when Daniel Richardson connected with Koby Goss on a 29-yard pass that pulled the Rattlers in front 7-3.
A missed Cameron Gillis field goal left the FAMU lead at 7-3 with 1:48 left in the half. Aided by two FAMU penalties, Eric Phoenix and the SCSU were able to get into field goal position, which Kyle Gallegos was able to accomplish by converting his second kick of the half, this one from 37 yards to trim the Rattler lead to 7-6 at the half.
FAMU seemed to be poised to add to their lead, but deep in Bulldogs territory, a Daniel Richardson fumble ended the threat, as it was recovered by SCSU’s Jayden Broughton at the 18-yard line. The Rattler defense was able to Force a 3-and-out on the ensuing drive, limiting the damage.
The Bulldogs regained the lead late in the third after their defense forced a FAMU three-and-out SCSU marched 80 yards in 13 plays, culminating in an 8-yard scoring toss from Eric Phoenix to KZ Adams, the PAT was no good, leaving the score 12-7.
After the South Carolina State defense forced another quick Florida A&M punt, 8 plays and 48 yards later, the Bulldogs extended their lead to 18-7 on Josh Shaw’s 1-yard touchdown run; a subsequent two-point conversion was unsuccessful.
Florida A&M answered back on their next drive, which was the Daniel Richardson show, as the quarterback completed all 7 of his passes, including a 7-yard touchdown pass to Karter Johnson and the subsequent 2-point conversion to Koby Goss that pulled the Rattler to within three at 18-15.
FAMU’s defense forced a 3-and-out on the Bulldogs’ next possession, the Rattlers completed a 9-play, 84-yard drive, that gave them the lead back when Richardson found Thad Franklin Jr on a 6-yard scoring toss to make the score 22-17 with 5:39 left in the contest.
The FAMU defense was able to quickly stymie the subsequent South Carolina State offensive possession and as was the case against Norfolk State last week, the offense was able to salt the clock away to preserve the victory.
The win moves FAMU to 2-0 on the season and faces a sizable challenge on September 7 when they head to Miami to take on the University of Miami.
South Carolina State seeks to get on track when they take on in-state foe, The Citadel on September 7.
Next Game:
at University of Miami
9/7/2024 | 6 PM ET
Team Statistics
| Game Stats | SCS | FAM |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 286 | 415 |
| Pass Yards | 132 | 282 |
| Rushing Yards | 154 | 133 |
| Penalty Yards | 10-65 | 6-65 |
| 1st Downs | 19 | 26 |
| 3rd Downs | 3-10 | 9-15 |
| 4th Downs | 0-0 | 1-1 |
| TOP | 27:21 | 31:31 |
| 1ST QUARTER | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 00:49 – SCS – Gallegos,Kyle 35 yd field goal 12 plays, 73 yards, TOP 07:17 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2ND QUARTER | |||
 10:52 – FAM – Gross,Koby 29 yd pass from Richardson,Daniel (Gillis,Cameron kick) 11 plays, 80 yards, TOP 04:53 | 3 | 7 | |
| 00:00 – SCS – Gallegos,Kyle 37 yd field goal 9 plays, 61 yards, TOP 01:48 | 6 | 7 | |
| 3RD QUARTER | |||
| 01:08 – SCS – Adams,KZ 8 yd pass from Phoenix,Eric ( ) 12 plays, 80 yards, TOP 05:15 | 12 | 7 | |
| 4TH QUARTER | |||
| 12:14 – SCS – Shaw,Josh 1 yd run ( ), 7 plays, 48 yards, TOP 03:01 | 18 | 7 | |
| 10:32 – FAM – Johnson,Karter 7 yd pass from Richardson,Daniel (Gross,Koby pass) 4 plays, 74 yards, TOP 01:34 | 18 | 15 | |
| 05:39 – FAM – Franklin, Jr.,Thad 6 yd pass from Richardson,Daniel (Gillis,Cameron kick) 9 plays, 84 yards, TOP 03: | |||
