The Florida A&M Rattlers will face the North Carolina A&T Aggies Saturday at Bragg Memorial Stadium with kickoff at 6 p.m.
This is the last home game of the season for the Rattlers before they’re off to North Carolina Central for their 7th MEAC game and 9th game of the season.
“I’m satisfied at what I see as a coach, that these men are really locked in,” said head coach Joe Taylor.
Taylor said the players have been showing good energy levels at practice and are reviewing game footage.
The Rattlers (5-3, 3-2 MEAC) are coming off a 27-24 win against the South Carolina State Bulldogs, a win that took the Rattlers eight years to accomplish. The Aggies (4-4, 3-2 MEAC) are coming off a second consecutive loss, in a 14-10 showdown against Norfolk State.
“After homecoming, we started playing better. It’s a conference game so we know how important it is,” Eddie Rocker, a junior starting running back from Ocala, Fla., said.
Both teams have 3-2 records in the MEAC, and each team is looking to pick up a fourth conference win.
The Rattlers will have an opportunity to advance to the Football Championship Series playoffs if they are able to pull out wins in the next three games.
“As long as we go out as a team, have faith and push hard, we should dominate,” Kawika Pieper, a freshman center offensive lineman from Hawaii, said.
Pieper said the team has been able to properly prepare for the game thanks to a bye week that offered the team two long weeks of practice.
“We’ve been staying focused and we realize the goal we’re trying to reach, so I feel like we’re going to win,” said Bobby Jackson, junior linebacker from Miami.
Last year, the Rattlers gained the win 22-19 over the Aggies in overtime. If the Rattlers pull out a win against the Aggies, it will be the Rattlers seventh straight win. The Rattlers’ next game will be against North Carolina Central on Nov. 12 with kickoff scheduled for 2 p.m.