FAMU's football struggles continued Saturday night as the Rattlers were routed 54-14 by Florida Atlantic University in a non-conference matchup, marking their first 0-2 start since the 2022 season.
The Owls (1-1) dominated from the opening whistle, exploding for 22 first-quarter points and adding 17 more in the second to take a commanding 39-0 halftime lead. FAMU’s defense, overwhelmed early, allowed FAU to rack up 553 total yards, including 193 rushing yards, while the Rattlers managed just 296 yards and 69 rushing yards. FAU’s 34 first downs dwarfed FAMU’s 16, underscoring the lopsided possession battle.
Though the Rattlers showed flashes of resilience after halftime—holding FAU scoreless in the third quarter—the deficit proved insurmountable. Linebacker Jason Riles Jr. anchored the defense with a game-high 11 tackles, while defensive lineman Antonio Camon recorded a sack.
“We’ve got to be much better than what we showed tonight,” said second-year head coach James Colzie III, whose team now faces heightened pressure ahead of Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play. “The goal is to win the SWAC. But for us to do that, we’re going to have to play a hell of a lot better.”
The game marked a classic “money game” matchup, with FCS-level FAMU accepting a payout to face FBS opponent FAU. Such contests are often financial boosts for smaller programs but pose steep competitive challenges.
Fourteen games into James Colzie III’s tenure as head coach, the once-promising steady hand has devolved into a muddle of mediocrity. With a 7-7 record and back-to-back humiliations to open this season—including Saturday’s 54-14 shellacking at FAU— Rattler Nation’s faith in Colzie’s leadership is eroding by the week. Barring a dramatic turnaround, his three-year contract, set to expire after next season, may come to an abrupt end much earlier.
All we have heard since spring practice was that FAMU was on the right track, depth charts brimming with FCS/SWAC-ready talent, a roster lauded for accountability, and a culture primed to weather adversity. The reality? A disjointed, lackluster offensive squad that has showcased none of those qualities. Against Howard and FAU, the Rattlers looked unprepared, outschemed, and alarmingly fragile in critical moments—a damning indictment of coaching.
Colzie’s team this year has shown few flashes of competence, instead what we have seen is low energy and of self-inflicted chaos. While they “mostly play with poise,” as he insists, again Saturday the offense was lethargic, defensive lapses exposed a program stuck in neutral, and for the second week in a row we missed what should have been an easy field goal. SWAC contenders don’t hemorrhage 553 yards to bottom-tier FBS opponents. They don’t trail 39-0 at halftime. And they certainly don’t squander preseason hype with performances this anemic.
The Rattlers’ efforts in this first two games of this his season have been routinely unprepared, outworked, and outcoached—fall squarely on Colzie. Athletic departments tolerate growing pains, but not stagnation. With FAMU’s ambitions floundering and patience thinning, the clock is ticking louder than ever on Colzie's tenure in Tallahassee.
Up next, the Rattlers look to rebound this Saturday, September 13, when they host Division 2, Albany State at 7 p.m. ET at Bragg Memorial Stadium. Which for most Rattlers is a must win game for Colzie's Rattlers. Colzie, and his staff, must now shift its focus to regrouping this week defensively and reigniting an offense that has yet to find its rhythm in 2025.
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