FAMU football at Arkansas-Pine Bluff prediction, X-Factors for Week 11 SWAC game
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The homestretch of the college football season is in full swing.
This Saturday, Nov. 8, Florida A&M travels west to face Arkansas-Pine Bluff for a Week 11 Southwestern Athletic Conference game.
It’s the first of FAMU’s final four games of 2025, which are all on the road. Saturday is also just the Rattlers’ second game outside of Florida in their eight showings thus far.
The Rattlers (3-5, 2-2 in SWAC) will kick off versus the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (4-5, 2-3 in SWAC) on Simmons Bank Field at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. HBCU GO will televise the game, and additional commentary is available on Tallahassee’s radio airwaves via 96.1 JAMZ.
FAMU is coming off a 41-16 loss to SWAC East leader Jackson State last Saturday, Nov. 1. The loss likely put a stop to the Rattlers’ postseason hopes.
Meanwhile, Arkansas-Pine Bluff hosted and defeated Southern 40-21 last week.
FAMU football and Arkansas-Pine Bluff meet for the first time since 2022 and just the third time ever this Saturday.
In 2021, the Rattlers traveled to the Golden Lions and won 37-7. FAMU followed up the next year and hosted and beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 27-6.
Who will win it this year, though?
Let’s take a look at X-Factors and predict the final score for Saturday’s FAMU-Arkansas-Pine Bluff matchup.
FAMU quarterback RJ Johnson III
After back-to-back impressive performances, FAMU quarterback RJ Johnson III took a step back against Jackson State last week.
The redshirt sophomore completed 16 passes on 29 attempts for 132 yards and two touchdown passes in the blowout loss. Johnson led the Rattlers with seven carries for 31 rushing yards.
That comes after Johnson strung together two games where he combined for 48 of 70 completions for 610 yards and four total touchdowns, two passing and two rushing, versus Alcorn State and Southern.
Those games, both wins, were the Rattlers’ best offensive outputs this season.
The FAMU offense as a whole converted just one of 11 third downs, something that has troubled the Rattlers all season.
“Third and long for a young quarterback, that’s not the recipe for success,” said FAMU head coach James Colzie III. “So, we need to be much better on first and second down, as far as putting him in a better situation.”
In seven appearances, Johnson has gone 136-for-214 on passes for 1,552 yards and has thrown nine touchdowns. He has no interceptions.
“I love the quarterback. He’s smart. Don’t make a lot of mistakes,” Arkansas-Pine Bluff head coach Alonzo Hampton said of Johnson.
The Golden Lions may test Johnson’s interception-free stat this Saturday.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff is tied first in the SWAC for interceptions alongside Alabama State. The Golden Lions have 10 interceptions in nine games, with freshman defensive back Azayvonne Stribling leading the team with two.
“Very opportunistic group. And they finish plays,” the FAMU coach said about Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
“RJ doesn’t throw it in harm’s way. At times, that’s great. But then there are some times we’ve got some athletic guys on the outside that maybe we want to take a chance to see if our guys can make some plays as well. The biggest thing for us is just continue to improve what we’re doing weekly with him ― being able to expand our playbook for him.”
Arkansas-Pine Bluff quarterback Christian Peters
Golden Lions quarterback Christian Peters has completed 138 of 255 passing attempts for 1,632 yards, tossed 10 touchdowns, and thrown nine picks to opponents.
Last week versus Southern, Peters went 21 for 32 for 231 passing yards, had two touchdown passes, and threw an interception. It was one of his best performances as a passer this season.
“Our quarterback needs to deliver the ball where it needs to be,” Hampton said.
However, passing is not Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s strong suit, according to its coach.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff averages 155.8 rushing yards per game, seventh in the SWAC. In contrast, the Golden Lions average 210 passing yards per game, ranking sixth in the league.
Peters has shown he’s dangerous on the run, picking up 208 rushing yards on 62 carries this season.
Against Southern, the graduate student ran eight times for 43 yards and broke away for a 20-yard touchdown.
“We’re a run-first team. When you can run the football, then you get more guys in the box,” Hampton explained. “I want to do what we do best. We got a good offensive line, a quarterback [who] can run and throw. We just got to be more balanced.”
Mobile quarterbacks, who have weapons to throw to, can hurt FAMU.
The Golden Lions’ top receiver is Kareem Burke, a former Rattler from the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Burke is tied for first on the team with 30 receptions, leads with 415 receiving yards, and is second with two touchdowns.
“Their quarterbacks can run and throw the ball effectively,” Colzie said.
“They’ve got a very, very good group of wide receivers. We definitely take that into consideration. You look at the last four or five games they’ve played, see what they’ve done, and you want to make sure you take away what they’ve had success with. But you also have to understand that they’re going to leak and take some plays from previous teams that have had success against us.”
FAMU’s defensive line vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff rushing attack
In three of its four wins, Arkansas-Pine Bluff has had a 100-yard rusher, or close.
Golden Lions running back Jaylen Jennings is sixth in the SWAC in rushing yards. He’s gotten 123 carries for 629 rushing yards.
The junior also leads the SWAC in rushing touchdowns, with nine.
“You’ve got to be able to establish the run,” Hampton said. “That gives your team a mentality, a toughness about them. I think a lot of times, you drop back and pass the ball, it makes you soft. And that’s not what I want.”
Opponents have picked on FAMU’s run defense.
The Rattlers allow 199 yards on the ground per game. Last week versus Jackson State, FAMU gave up 392 rushing yards.
But Hampton isn’t underestimating the Rattlers.
FAMU defensive line’s top tacklers are James Gardner Jr. with 18 and Cameron Donald at 16. Antonio Camon leads the Rattlers’ defensive line with five tackles for loss.
“Their D-Line is good, don’t get me wrong,” Hampton said. “They may feel like they can stop the run.”
Gerald Thomas, III Official Score Prediction: FAMU 31, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 27
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 vs UAPB prediction, QB RJ Johnson III must play better
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