The Florida A&M [FAMU] Rattlers’ football team are having a tough season on and off the field.
The Rattlers are 0-5 for a second time, within the last two years. They are currently under the NCAA Level Two sanction derived from low multi-year Academic Progress Rate scores. The Rattler fans are anticipating a big turn around soon.
Tracked by the NCAA, the scores are averaged over four years to create a multi-year report. Teams need multi-year scores of 930 to engage in the 2015-2016 postseason.
According to head coach Alex Wood, FAMU’s 2014-2015 football Academic Progress Rate is 930. However, due to previous years having 900, the scores will be averaged.
“We came into this semester knowing what we were facing and we have to change that,” Wood said. “We will change this for the better.”
The Rattlers’ sanction means the team is banned from the postseason, cannot practice in the spring and normally would have to skip Monday’s practice due to bounded hours in the fall.
With the loss of practice time, junior redshirt quarterback Carson Royal expressed that the Rattlers cannot allow their school work to keep them from the field and they will have a turnaround for the better.
“It starts with us,” Royal said. “We have to get our scores up and make FAMU proud.”
Running back, Devondrick Nealy, a graduate transfer from Iowa State University said after last week’s game, he is hoping for a win.
“It’s not a one day or a next game or a one-year process,” Nealy said. “We can still make it better if we work at it and continue to grow as a team. The coaches are trying their best, it’s not easy to get everyone on one accord, it’s a process.”
The Rattlers will face off against North Carolina Central Eagles Saturday, 5 p.m., at Bragg Memorial Stadium.