Going into their homecoming matchup against a winless Delaware State ball club, the Florida A&M University football team is hopeful for their first win on the 2015 season.
Upon returning home after a record shattering loss to Savannah State, FAMU added another loss to their record with a devastating loss to the North Carolina Central Eagles.
With 15 seconds left on the clock, the NCCU Eagles kicked a game-winning field goal to go up 27-24, adding another “L” to the Rattlers schedule list.
“It was a hard fought game. Close game, obviously. It came down to the last seconds to decide the winner,” said head Coach Alex Wood in Tuesday’s press conference. “The bottom line is that they were able to kick a field goal at the end with seconds left and we just couldn’t match those points.
The Rattlers outweighed the Eagles the whole night attributing 396 total yards on offense, as well as adding some key stops on defense, but their efforts weren’t enough to secure a much-needed win.
In the fourth quarter alone, the Rattlers had possession of the ball four times without converting for a first down having to punt three times and giving up a fumble on the final play of the game.
Moving forward, the Rattlers next game will be their homecoming game as many fans will be in attendance with hopes for a win.
The Rattlers will face a conference team whose testimony is similar to their own; winless.
“It’ll be exciting. It’ll be a good game,” Wood said. “We’re not taking anything for granted and we’ll be prepared and ready to go.”
After a game where the Rattlers saw some of their best play and all-around effort from their guys, they feel amped up and ready to capitalize on their overall gameplay with a big homecoming win.
Running back Devondrick Nealy, who is a new addition to the Rattler ball club after transferring from Iowa State, said that he is no stranger to FAMU homecoming games and all of the excitement around it, being that he is from Monticello, Fla., which is a neighboring city to Tallahassee.
“I know the atmosphere. I know how important it is to get this win and to try and get on the right track to a winning season.” Nealy said.
Defensive Back Jacques Bryant, said that he doesn’t feel any different about this upcoming game compared to others and that the team knows what they have to do when they step onto the field.
“It’s nothing different. We just have to go out there and make plays,” Bryant said.
The Rattlers will kick-off their homecoming game at 3 p.m. at Bragg Memorial Stadium as they look to earn their first win of the 2015 season for a MEAC conference matchup against the Delaware State Hornets.