 |
| Damien Fleming catches a touchdown pass |
Savannah State (0-6, 0-3 in MEAC) scored on its second
possession of the contest and kicked an extra point to take an early 7-0 lead.
It was the first time all season that SSU led in a game.
FAMU scored touchdowns on its next two series to grab a 14-7
advantage. The Rattlers later scored a third touchdown with six seconds left in
the second quarter top increase their lead to 21-7.
Neither team scored in the third quarter.
In the final quarter, both teams scored points. The Tigers connected on a five-yard touchdown pass with 7:58 left in the game while Chase Varnadoe kicked a 40-yard field goal for FAMU with 1:16 remaining.
Quarterback Damien Fleming led the Rattler offense, passing for 268 yards and
two TDs (14 of 27, 3 INTs). Junior linebacker Akil Blount led the way for the
Rattlers defensively with 12 tackles (9 solos) with one sack and 1.5 tackles
for loss.
Saturday’s victory kept the Rattlers in the hunt for the
MEAC title at 1-1 following a wild Saturday which saw both first place teams –
South Carolina State and Norfolk State – lose at home.
North Carolina Central upset South Carolina State 48-35
while Delaware State edged Nortolk, 13-10 in overtime. That put NCCU and
defending champ Bethune-Cookman at the head of the class at 2-0, followed by a
quintet of SCSU, Norfolk State, idle Morgan State, North Carolina A&T and
Delaware State tied for third at 2-1, with the 1-1 Rattlers within one game of
the lead.
Savannah State (0-3) and Howard University (0-4) are at the
bottom of the heap.
The Rattlers will take on the winless Howard Bison next week
in the nation’s capital.