Three Key Takeaways
- Strength against strength: FAMU brings the SWAC’s top pass rush and third-down defense against an Alabama A&M offense averaging 466.5 yards per game.
- The trenches could decide it: The Rattlers have 14 sacks, while Alabama A&M has allowed only four through four games.
- FAMU needs more offense: The Rattlers’ defense and special teams have been strengths, but FAMU will need points against a Bulldogs team allowing a SWAC-low 15 per game.
The FAMU football team begins Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play, this evening, with a matchup that should provide an early measure of where the Rattlers stand.
FAMU (1-3) hosts Alabama A&M (3-1) at 7 p.m. at Bragg Memorial Stadium, pitting one of the SWAC’s most disruptive defenses against one of its most productive offenses.
The Rattlers lead the conference with 14 sacks and have held opponents to a league-low 27 percent conversion rate on third down. Alabama A&M, meanwhile, is averaging 466.5 yards and 34.3 points per game while converting 53.5 percent of its third downs.
That contrast could define the night.
Antonio Camon leads the Rattlers with three sacks and five tackles for loss, while Paul Gatley and Isaiah Morrison have two sacks apiece. As a team, FAMU has recorded 26 tackles for loss.
But getting to Alabama A&M quarterback Cornelious Brown IV will not be easy. The Bulldogs have surrendered only four sacks this season.
Brown has completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 1,111 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions. His top target, Jarel Williams, has 23 catches for 358 yards and three touchdowns.
The matchup on third down may be even more important. Alabama A&M converts more than half of its opportunities; FAMU allows opponents to convert barely more than a quarter.
Linebacker Denzel Johnson has been at the center of the Rattlers’ defensive effort, leading the team with 28 tackles while adding a forced fumble, fumble recovery and blocked kick. He earned SWAC Defensive Player of the Week honors after recording 12 tackles against Tennessee State.
FAMU has also forced five turnovers and ranks third in the conference in red-zone defense.
Punter Bobby Engstler leads a unit that ranks first in the SWAC in gross and net punting. He has placed nine punts inside the 20 and was named SWAC Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging nearly 43 yards per punt against Tennessee State.
FAMU is also a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals.
That could become particularly important in a close game, especially against an Alabama A&M team that ranks last in the conference in kickoff coverage.
Armond Parker has completed 17 of 32 passes for 304 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in two appearances. Dustin Fletcher has thrown for 149 yards and a touchdown without an interception.
Jaquan Lee has been FAMU’s primary big-play threat, with 151 receiving yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yard reception. Chase Gillespie leads the rushing attack with 94 yards and a touchdown.
The Rattlers have protected the football through the air, throwing just one interception in 118 attempts, and have scored on eight of nine trips inside the red zone.
But Alabama A&M presents a difficult test. The Bulldogs lead the SWAC in scoring defense, allowing just 15 points per game.
For FAMU, Saturday represents an opportunity to reset after a 1-3 start as the games that count toward the conference race begin.
The formula is clear: pressure Brown, get off the field on third down, win the field-position battle and turn red-zone opportunities into points.
FAMU’s defense has already shown it can disrupt opposing offenses. Against Alabama A&M, the Rattlers will find out whether that defense — paired with enough offensive production — can carry them into SWAC play.
Florida A&M vs. Alabama A&M