The Florida A&M University football team won its second consecutive game on Saturday, improving its record to 2-2 with a gritty 24-22 victory on the road against the Delaware State University Hornets.
Sophomore QB Damien Fleming played very well completing 30 of his 37 passes for 399 yards and 3 touchdowns.
“He’s extremely intelligent,” said head football coach Joe Taylor. “He studies the film and has a great work ethic. And when you combine that with the athleticism that he has, it allows him to make big plays.”
The Rattlers finished the game with 519 total yards and held the ball almost 11 minutes longer than the Hornets, but the game was much more competitive than the stats imply.
“This team (Delaware State) was a lot more physical,” said RB James Owens.
We were having trouble with Delaware State’s defense in the first half, but we made the necessary adjustments in the second half said Owens.
The Hornets scored the first touchdown of the game on a six-play, 66-yard drive.
The Rattlers’ defense improved each possession, forcing the Hornets to expend more energy and gain fewer yards on each drive.
Although the Rattlers would give up touchdowns late in the 3rd and 4th quarters, it would be their defense on two 2-point conversions that would ultimately give the ball back to the FAMU offense for a chance to seal the game.
Down 24-22 with 6 minutes and 39 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Hornets attempted a 2-point conversion to tie the game, but Nick Elko’s pass fell incomplete, giving the ball back to Fleming and the FAMU offense with a lead.
The Rattlers then drove 58 yards down the field on 15 plays from their own 16-yard line to eat up the remaining time on the clock.
The drive did more than just seal the game for the Rattlers, it displayed a mental toughness that the team possesses.