Rattlers play for Pride in Florida Classic

Nothing quite prepared Rubin Carter for all the hype and pagentry of the Florida Classic in his first year as Rattler coach last year.

"I was extremely surprised," said Carter, during a teleconference yesterday. "I had never been in that type of setting, that type of atmosphere in a while. It's a totally different atmosphere."

Carter will be more prepared this year when the Rattlers (6-4, 4-3 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) play Bethune-Cookman College (5-5, 3-4) in the 27th Florida Classic at the Florida Citrus Bowl on Saturday.

Despite being surprised by the intensity of the game, Carter coached FAMU to a 26-23 overtime victory last year.

"There's so much momentum changing [during the game]," Carter said. "Anytime there's a big game, momentum changes, [and the coaches] have to keep players calm in the process."

Carter compared the Florida Classic to the Miami-Florida State rivalry, but with a better halftime show.

"This is the game," Carter said. "Before we even start our season, people are already talking about our last game."

On the other side of the ball

Bethune-Cookman coach Alvin Wyatt wasn't hiding his feeling after the Wildcats' offensive line allowed seven sacks during a 28-0 loss to Howard.

Wyatt called the game "unacceptable" and said he was extremely "disappointed."

It was the fourth game in which Bethune-Cookman gave up at least four sacks.

The apparent lack of urgency is of special concern as the Wildcats face their biggest rival, Florida A&M, on Saturday.

"They've just got to focus," Wyatt said during a teleconference. "We have to be prepared when the whistle blows. Hopefully, that has become yesterday for us, and those tapes FAMU is looking at are false imitations of our past."