FAMU football's adversity helped 'gather the troops' to escape Arkansas-Pine Bluff victorious

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One down, three more to go.

Florida A&M football fled Arkansas-Pine Bluff victorious, earning a 31-28 victory against the Southwestern Athletic Conference foe on Simmons Bank Field.

Saturday, Nov. 8’s victory over the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions was the first of FAMU’s final four regular-season games, all of which are away from Tallahassee.

“Excited to be leaving Pine Bluff with this win,” FAMU head coach James Colzie III told the Tallahassee Democrat on a postgame phone call.

“It’s great to get wins if you can do it on the road. Hopefully, we can make sure we finish these last few games,” he added.

The Rattlers now sit at 4-5 on the season with a 3-2 output in SWAC games.

The Rattlers have won three of their last four games. FAMU’s most recent loss came last week while hosting Jackson State, falling 41-16.

The loss essentially sealed the Rattlers’ fate in the SWAC postseason, as it would require strenuous and unlikely circumstances for FAMU to rejoin the playoff picture.

The FAMU football team used the reality of those circumstances throughout the week in preparation for Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

It propelled the Orange and Green to victory over the Golden Lions.

“Looking at the drawback from the loss, we gathered the troops and the coaching staff did a really, really good job of getting everybody going,” said Colzie, now 11-10 in his 21-game tenure as FAMU’s head football coach.

“We understand we still have a season left to play. And the way the Rattlers do it, even though we may not be in it, we’ve got to finish.”

FAMU football, led by RJ Johnson III outlasts Arkansas-Pine Bluff in nailbiter

Described as a “business trip,” FAMU traveled to Arkansas-Pine Bluff and accomplished its intended purpose.

“When you’re on the road, it’s so many things against you,” the FAMU coach said when asked about the pregame conversation with his team.

“I think we do a great job of how we handle them on the road,” Colzie added.

FAMU had one of its best offensive performances of the season, accruing 441 total yards.

Quarterback RJ Johnson III rebounded from his bad performance versus Jackson State. The completed 17 passes on 25 attempts for 235 yards, two touchdowns, but had his first interception of the season and his college football career.

Seven different receivers got touches, but Goldie Lawrence led the way with five catches for 95 yards and a touchdown.

FAMU graduate student running back Thad Franklin Jr. had a game he longed for. The preseason HBCU All-American got 26 carries for a season-high 122 yards and scored a 47-yard fourth-quarter touchdown as the Rattlers looked to ice the game.

It was “complementary” and “team” football, the FAMU coach said.

The Rattlers’ defense helped go on a 17-0 run, spanning from the second to the third quarter. Arkansas-Pine Bluff didn’t score in the middle half of the game.

FAMU forced three turnovers on downs in the first half.

However, Arkansas-Pine Bluff stormed back by scoring 21 fourth-quarter points behind a 333-yard performance by quarterback Christian Peters.

Down three after scoring a touchdown with 24 seconds left in the game, Arkansas-Pine Bluff attempted an onside kick. The Rattlers recovered the football to seal the game.

“Obviously, when you go in the locker room with a win, it’s a hell of a lot better than when you go in there with a loss,” Colzie said. “We’ve got to make sure we continue to play Rattler football. I think you saw a little bit of a glimpse of that tonight.”

FAMU football must win on the road again vs Alabama A&M next week

Colzie’s Rattlers still have a pulse despite dampened postseason hopes.

“They’ve been fighting for me since before I got the job. Those guys understand the deal,” Colzie said.

Next up for the Rattlers is a trip to the Alabama A&M Bulldogs next Saturday, Nov. 15, for a Week 12 SWAC game. FAMU enters the Alabama A&M game with a 2-0 record in SWAC games on the road.

Conversely, FAMU is 2-3 on its Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium, with those three losses all being blowouts versus Alabama State (42-14), North Carolina Central (45-7), and Jackson State.

“We’re not going to be where we love to be, Bragg Stadium. It may not appear that we love to be there, but it’s much, much better to be at home than on the road,” Colzie said. “But excited to get wins on the road as well,” he added.

Alabama A&M, fresh off catching a 48-5 homefield beatdown versus SWAC West leader Prairie View A&M, hosts FAMU at 3 p.m. Eastern Time at Huntsville’s Louis Crews Stadium next Saturday.

SWAC TV will broadcast the FAMU at Alabama A&M game.

Florida A&M Football’s Remaining 2025 Schedule

All times listed are in Eastern Standard Time.

• Week 12: Saturday, Nov. 15 ― at Alabama A&M (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV
• Week 13: Saturday, Nov. 22 ― vs. Bethune-Cookman (SWAC/Florida Classic at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium), 3:30 p.m., ESPN Plus
• Makeup Game: Saturday, Nov. 29 ― at Mississippi Valley State (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV
• Saturday, Dec. 6 ― SWAC Championship Game (If Necessary)
• Saturday, Dec. 13 ― Celebration Bowl at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium (If Necessary)

Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time award-winning journalist for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.

Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU football remembered to ‘finish’ in close road win vs UAPB

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