How FAMU football's final four away games can mend 'embarrassment' of home blowouts
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Maybe being away from home is better.
Florida A&M football has gone 2-3 on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium this season.
The two wins were close ones in September’s season opener versus Albany State (33-25) and October’s homecoming game against Alcorn State (33-28).
On the flip side, FAMU hosted and was on the receiving end of blowout losses to top HBCU teams, including Alabama State (42-14), North Carolina Central (45-7), and most recently, Jackson State (41-16) last Saturday, Nov. 1.
Those blowouts are a far cry from FAMU’s performances at Bragg in recent years. The Rattlers were once unbeatable on the Highest of Seven Hills when they were on a 23-game home winning streak from 2019 to 2024, one of the longest in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
“Extremely embarrassed with how we played here at home,” said second-year FAMU head football coach James Colzie III.
The Rattlers, at 3-5 overall with a 2-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference record, will play their final four games of the 2025 regular season on the road.
It starts this Saturday, Nov. 8, when FAMU heads to Arkansas-Pine Bluff (4-5, 2-3 in SWAC) for a Week 11 SWAC matchup.
Following that, FAMU’s remaining games will be at Alabama A&M (Nov. 15), a neutral-site game versus Bethune-Cookman in Orlando’s Florida Classic (Nov. 22), and a makeup game to face Mississippi Valley State in Itta Bena (Nov. 29).
“We can’t look at the four weeks,” said Colzie. “We’ve got to make sure we take care of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.”
Success in those away games could help the Rattlers in “getting past the embarrassment” of those home blowouts, says the FAMU coach.
The Rattlers are 1-1 in road games this season, with the lone win coming in their best offensive performance in a 43-35 victory over the Southern Jaguars two weeks ago. In September, FAMU lost its only other traditional away game to a Football Bowl Subdivision team, Florida Atlantic, in Boca Raton (56-14).
Additionally, FAMU lost August’s neutral site contest versus Howard (10-9) in the Orange Blossom Classic.
“It is tough going on the road,” Colzie explained. “We’re going to be in a possible environment that we’re not accustomed to.”
FAMU football in pursuit of strong start as postseason hopes deteriorate
The Rattlers are unlikely to compete for a SWAC Championship this season.
Suffering two conference losses is detrimental in the SWAC and makes it nearly impossible to recover in the standings.
FAMU’s shortfall to Jackson State, the SWAC East leader, kept the Rattlers at No. 4 in the division. A win would have placed FAMU in the top spot, moving into the final month of games.
In theory, the Rattlers aren’t playing for anything.
But Colzie isn’t approaching it that way.
He aims to guide his FAMU football team to a four-game winning streak, turning around a turbulent season that saw the Rattlers open the year 1-4, their worst start since 2016.
“We want to make sure we finish the last four games as strong as possible,” said Colzie, who’s 10-12 in his 22-game tenure as FAMU football’s head coach.
“Obviously, some crazy things have to happen for us to put ourselves back into contention. If we could finish 6-2 in the conference, with the season that we’ve might’ve had, it’ll still be considered a success.”
Standing in the way of Colzie’s optimism for FAMU’s final four games is Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Golden Lions are fresh off a 40-21 win over Southern last Saturday.
It’ll be FAMU’s offense, led by quarterback RJ Johnson III, versus the Arkansas-Pine-Bluff defense that is tied for first in the SWAC with 10 interceptions.
“As a staff, we can’t lie back and act like the season’s over,” Colzie said. “We got four more we got to play. It starts with Pine Bluff. Whenever we play a team, we know we’re going to get their best. As a staff, we’re going to continue to work hard, make sure we get these guys ready to go, and try to make sure we put the best product on the field.”
The Rattlers and the Golden Lions kick off at 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Simmons Bank Field. HBCU GO will televise the game, and additional commentary will be available on Tallahassee’s local airwaves via 96.1 JAMZ.
Florida A&M (3-5, 2-2 in SWAC) at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (4-5, 2-3 in SWAC)
- When: Saturday, Nov. 8 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time
- Where: Simmons Bank Field in Pine Bluff, Arkansas
- TV/Radio: HBCU GO, 96.1 JAMZ
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 must be road warriors in four-game gauntlet to end season
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