Rattlers look to find motivation in home opener against Albany State
Photo by Glenn Beil
By St. Clair Murraine
Outlook Staff Writer
Both teams needed an emotional lift after enduring nearly two weeks of adversity.
Jackson State couldn’t hold regular practices because of flooding that devastated the city. FAMU started the season short-handed because more than 20 players weren’t certified.
The Orange Blossom Classic was the perfect stage for both teams to show they had overcome the unexpected turn of events this early in the season. A close game was predicted to take place Sunday at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
It wasn’t that, though, as Jackson State proved the prognosticators wrong with a 59-3 victory that raised concern about how the events of the last two weeks might have impacted the Rattlers’ performance.
The outcome left FAMU with a 0-2 start, similar to last season. The Rattlers went on to win nine straight games, a feat that head coach Willie Simmons believes his team could repeat.
It could start Saturday when the Rattlers face Division II Albany State, defending SIAC champion. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start at Bragg Stadium.
“There is a lot left on the table,” Simmons said. “Last year we were in a similar situation and we reeled off nine straight and ended up going to the playoffs. It’s about us doing some soul-searching, doing some gut-checks and figure out if we are going to be committed.”
Lethargic is one way of putting Sunday’s performance – players looked as if they couldn’t get their heads into the game. Understandably so.
Just days earlier the Rattler met with President Larry Robinson to voice their concern about having to go into their first game with more than 20 of them not certified by the NCAA to play.
Two players even called on an attorney to help their cause. And, a little more than 48 hours before kickoff Robinson was called to an emergency meeting with Board of Trustees members who told him they wanted better accountability for the welfare of student-athletes.
Even with all that hovering around, Simmons took the blame for the subpar performance.
“This loss falls squarely on my shoulders,” he said during a post-game press conference. “This is by far my worst coaching job as a head football coach.”
Simmons couldn’t even find an area where the Rattlers looked like the team that held Jackson State to a one-point win last season. What the Rattlers demonstrated on offense, defense and special teams against the University of North Carolina just a week earlier wasn’t there either.
“We just didn’t play well enough, Simmons said. “I tip my hat to Jackson State. They made the plays that needed to be made. We didn’t.”
The only FAMU score was a 43-yard field goal by Jose-Romo Martinez. In all, the Rattlers had just 155 yards of total offense compared to 471 for JSU.
Converting third downs was a challenge for the Rattlers, something they did just twice, while JSU had six conversions.
The Tigers made it their show after going into intermission holding a 24-3 lead. Mistakes plagued the Rattlers as JSU cornerback Ke’vric Wiggins returned an interception 35 yards for a score. Add to that linebacker Aubrey Miller’s 19-yard return of a fumble for a touchdown, and a blocked punt that safety Herman Smith took back 17 yards for a score.
JSU quarterback Shedeur Sanders accounted for 323 yards of the Tiger’s total offense. He connected on 29 of 33 attempts for a career high five-touchdown afternoon. Twice he found Shane Hooks for touchdowns.
That was in contrast to the kind of day that FAMU starting quarterback Jeremy Moussa had, completing 11 of 27 for 102 yards. Rasean McKay who carried the Rattlers last season, came on in the fourth quarter but mustered a completion rate of 2 of 7 for 19 yards.
“We’re going to make sure nobody holds their heads (down), said receiver Xavier Smith, “but you will never see FAMU play this type of football ever again. I promise you that.”
Simmons didn’t call a starter for Saturday’s game when he spoke following Sunday’s game, but said McKay and Moussa will get plenty of work this season.
“We will need both guys to be successful this season,” he said. “We will have dynamic quarterback play for the rest of the season.”
Like last season, Sunday’s game carried implications for the SWAC East Division title. However, the magnitude of the loss raised questions whether the Rattlers could have anything near the previous season when they finished with a trip to the NCAA playoffs.
Repeating that didn’t seem too farfetched for linebacker Nadarius Fagan.
“We are going to continue to hold our heads high,” Fagan said. “We can only get motivated by this. It’s a long season. We just have to win out.”
