ATLANTA — Reigning HBCU champion Florida A&M stuffed out a potential go-ahead two-point play with six minutes left in the game to preserve a thrilling 24-23 come-from-behind victory over pesky Norfolk State in the season-opening Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge before 22,210 fans at Center Parc Stadium this evening. Florida AM quarterback Daniel Richardson completed 22-of-30 passes (73%) for 286 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for 32 yards on three attempts, to earn Most Valuable Player honors in the contest.
The Rattlers trailed 14-0 after Norfolk State scored touchdowns on its first two possessions of the game before striking quickly in the second half to take its first lead of the game. Richardson connected with Jamari Gassett for a touchdown on a 55-yard catch and run on the fifth play of the third quarter to give the Rattlers their first lead at 17-14. A 29-yard field goal by Grandon Willcox tied the score at 17-17 at the 9:04 mark of the third quarter.
The Rattlers responded with their longest drive of the game to regain the lead. The Richardson-to-Gassett connection struck again, this time on a nine-yard touchdown pass to the back of the endzone to cap off the 10-play, 75-yard drive, giving Florida A&M a 24-17 lead with 3:27 to play in the third quarter.
Norfolk State was still down seven early in the fourth quarter when its defense provided a much-needed spark. Spartan tackle Levontae Jacobs forced a fumble by Florida A&M’s Kelvin Dean on a run play. Safety Ivory Dean recovered the ball for Norfolk State at its 27-yard line with 11:31 left to play.
The Spartans offense capitalized on the turnover with a touchdown to give them a chance to tie the score or regain the lead.
Norfolk drove 73 yards on nine plays, capped off by a two-yard touchdown run by King, to cut Florida A&M’s lead to 24-23 with 6:09 left in regulation. The potential tying extra point kick was blocked by the Rattlers, but Florida A&M was flagged with a penalty on the play.
After calling a time out, Norfolk State elected to try a go-ahead two-point play on a run by Daniels instead. Florida A&M linebacker Aric Horne stuffed out the play, stopping Daniels behind the line of scrimmage to preserve the Rattlers’ one-point lead.
The Rattlers presented first-year head coach James Colzie III with a win in his debut. The victory by Florida A&M was the third in a row for the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), cutting the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) lead to 11-7 in the history of the challenge.
