Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s coaching change presents some unknown for Rattlers

By St. Clair Murraine
Outlook Staff Writer

 As if homecoming didn’t come with enough distractions coach Willie Simmons has to get his FAMU football team ready to face the unknown that Arkansas-Pine Bluff brings to town.

The Golden Lions are coming to Bragg Stadium with a new head coach, following the termination of Doc Gamble last Wednesday. Arkansas-Pine Bluff is winless in four SWAC games and 2-5 overall.

Don Treadwell, who served as a receivers coach, was named interim coach.

The Rattlers have won five straight games and will be looking to also extend their unbeaten home win streak to 13. 

But even with the Lions’ struggles and a coaching change in the middle of the season, Simmons said too much is on the line for his players to overlook what will be in front of them on Saturday.

“On paper, yes. We are probably heavily favored against this bunch,” Simmons said Monday. “And so if you look and see that on any given Saturday you can be beat if you don’t come ready to play, if you don’t protect the ball (and) do the little things right.

“We don’t look at it as a trap game or anything like that. It’s the biggest game of our season. We’re in playoff mode. We know we have to have quality wins to continue our push toward the post season and this is the next one up.”

FAMU easily handled the Lions 37-7 last season in their stadium. But with the coaching change comes the unknown that Simmons and his staff has to be prepared for.

“That could be a very challenging thing for a football team to take on a team with a coaching change in the middle of the season; not knowing if there would be significant changes with their schematics and philosophy on either sides of the ball,” Simmons said. “But we are excited about the challenge and we are happy to be at home.”

 Simmons said his players seemed focused during their Sunday meeting when he reiterated the importance of the game.   

“For us, it’s keeping the main thing the main thing, understanding that everyone wants to leave to go back to their respective places on Sunday with a great feeling and that feeling comes by winning homecoming so we definitely have to make sure we take care of business,” he said. “That means keeping the distractions to a minimum.”

Both teams are coming off a bye week. The focus for the Rattlers was being prepared academically and physically. Some starters who have been injured also had a chance to rest.

The bye week also provided opportunities for those on the practice squad and some of the younger players.

 “We gave them a chance to tee it up a little bit and get some good work on film so that they don’t feel this year is a waste,” Simmons said.