Game-winning TD lifts FAMU over Howard in Celebration Bowl

^{title image via Florida A&M Athletics}

Courtesy of Florida A&M Athletics

26

HU

30

Winner FAM

Florida A&M got a 38-yard touchdown reception from Jeremy Moussa to Jah’Marae Sheread with 5:46 left in the ballgame to give the Rattlers a 30-26 win over Howard on Saturday afternoon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The triumph improved Florida A&M’s record to 12-1 on the season while the Bison fell to 6-6.

Jeremy Moussa led Florida A&M’s passing attack with 289 yards through the air, tossing three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Terrell Jennings paced the Rattlers’ rushing attack by accumulating 68 yards and one touchdown over the course of the game. Kelvin Dean also added 10 yards on the ground, as well as 87 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Florida A&M also got a significant contribution from Kamari Young, who caught three passes for 78 yards. Jah’Marae Sheread got in on the action in the passing game as well, hauling in five balls for 56 yards and one touchdown.

Isaiah Major paced the Florida A&M defensive effort, totaling six tackles, 1.0 TFL, and one interception. Kendall Bohler added one interception and Deco Wilson had seven tackles and one interception in the win.

Both Florida A&M and Howard forced three turnovers in Saturday’s contest, with Florida A&M turning those takeaways into three points.

Florida A&M’s defense limited Howard’s offense, giving up 187 total yards. The Rattlers kept Howard under 150 yards on both the ground and through the air, allowing 106 passing and 81 rushing yards. The Rattlers’ defense disrupted the Howard passing attack on the way to recording three interceptions and breaking up three Bison passes.

How It Happened

Florida A&M responded to an early 14-0 Howard lead with a second-quarter touchdown to narrow the deficit to 14-7. Howard increased its lead to 16-7, but the Rattlers answered with a field goal to close the gap to 16-10.

Florida A&M followed with a 21-yard touchdown reception from Dean at the 13:45 mark in the fourth quarter and took a 17-16 lead in the process. The Rattlers continued to expand their lead, scoring again to go on top 24-16.

After Howard scored to take a 26-24 lead, Florida A&M scored again with a 38-yard touchdown pass from to to retake the lead at 30-26 with 5:46 left in the fourth quarter. Neither team scored again in the game.

Game Notes

» Florida A&M outgained Howard 357-187, including a 289-106 advantage through the air.
» Florida A&M tallied 20 points in the fourth quarter, accounting for 66.7% of their total score.
» Florida A&M converted 4 of 12 third downs while Howard was successful on 5 of 14.
» Johnny Chaney Jr. led the Rattlers with 11 tackles.
» Trey Wilhoit punted two times for the Rattlers with an average of 46.5 yards per punt.
» Florida A&M scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
» Florida A&M went 1-for-2 on fourth down, converting on 50 percent of attempts.
» The Rattlers took potential points off the board by forcing two turnovers on their own half of the field.
» Florida A&M won the time of possession battle 32:48 to 27:12.
» The Rattlers offense came out of halftime firing on all cylinders, scoring 14 unanswered until the Bison got on the board again.
» Quinton Williams led the Bison passing attack, completing 14 of his 27 attempts for 106 yards with three interceptions.
» Eden James led the Howard rushing attack with 55 yards.