This road game brings challenges for Rattlers
Photo by Kyrease Desseau/FAMU athletics
By St. Clair Murraine
Outlook Staff Writer
Going on the road for a conference game is tough enough. Having to take that trip to Itta Bena, Miss., brings a different set of challenge that the FAMU football team will have to navigate on Saturday.
The Rattlers travel to the small rural town with a population of just under 3,000 to face Mississippi State. Hotels are scarce and the size of the crowd is expected to be one of the smallest the Rattlers play in front of this season.
The Delta Devils are also winless and will be making their home debut for the season. Yet, it’s not expected to be a slam dunk for FAMU.
“We definitely have to prepare ourselves mentally for what we are about to experience with this away trip,” said coach Willie Simmons during his Monday press conference. “I don’t use the words trap game. I don’t believe in them. Every game is important. It the biggest game we will ever coach in because it’s the next one out there for us.”
The game comes after the Rattlers defeated Alabama State 23-10 last Saturday on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Stadium. An estimated 18,535 fans were there to witness the Rattles extend their home win streak to 17 games.
FAMU needed a nine-point fourth quarter to stave off the Hornets. The decisive blow was Isaiah Major’s interception of Damon Stewart, which he returned it 40 yards for the scored with just under four minutes left to play.
The nine points that FAMU scored in the fourth quarter marked a first this season for the Rattlers. Quarterback Jeremy Moussa completed 25 of 40 passes for 294 yards and his leading receiver was Jah’Marae Sheread with nine catches for 72 yards.
The win improved the Rattlers’ record to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play to solidify their hold on first place in the SWAC’s East Division. Alabama State dropped to 1-2, 0-1.
For the second consecutive week the Rattlers held their opponent to just three points in the first half. This time they were up 14-3.
Even if the Rattlers were to take an early lead in Itta Bena, Simmons said his team shouldn’t get too comfortable. Even as the Delta Devils are entering the game with a 0-3 record.
“To be a championship team you have to learn how to win on the road,” Simmons said. “You’re in somebody else’s backyard, you’re getting dressed in somebody else’s locker room in a hostile environment. If we are mentally locked in like I think we are capable of it shouldn’t be an issue.”
The challenge of a road game is something that the team prepared for, said linebacker Isaiah Major.
“We would rather have the pain of discipline in doing everything that’s right in practice days to day, which leads to the game,” said Major, who led the defense with 12 tackles against the Hornets. “It doesn’t matter if you are home or away or in another country. If you practice every day the same way with the same energy and intensity it will show itself on game day.”
