Why FAMU football's comeback fell short in SWAC opener vs Alabama A&M
· Yahoo Sports
Florida A&M football's skid continued in Saturday's Southwestern Athletic Conference opener.
The Rattlers (1-4, 0-1 in SWAC) fell to the visiting Alabama A&M Bulldogs (4-1, 1-0 in SWAC) 40-21 on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
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FAMU football offense starts on fire, cools down with QB Armond Parker
It was the true freshman Armond Parker's first start as the FAMU quarterback. He replaced Dustin Fletcher, who injured his thumb last week against Tennessee State.
He began on fire, with a 4-for-4 drive in the game's opening drive. He tossed a 40-yard touchdown to wide receiver Kieren Jackson to cap off the drive.
Parker added two more passing touchdowns to receiver Corey 'Deuce' Petty and tight end Lawrence Wright.
But the quarterback also threw two late interceptions during FAMU's comeback bid.
FAMU football has no answer for Alabama A&M QB Quad Brown
The Rattlers were tasked with handling one of the top SWAC offenses and the most experienced college football quarterbacks, Cornelious "Quad" Brown IV.
Brown was surgical against the Rattlers, picking apart the secondary.
After halftime, Brown didn't start with the offense, and the Bulldogs instead had Mac Armstrong under center for the third quarter.
Brown returned in the fourth quarter and finished the game.
Alabama A&M also had a pretty good rushing attack.
A bright spot for the FAMU defense was an interception by safety Justin Bostic, and also a touchdown-saving forced fumble by cornerback Isiah Davis.
FAMU football beat itself at times against Alabama A&M
Mistakes ultimately killed FAMU's comeback.
When FAMU scored its second touchdown, the Parker-to-Petty pass, the extra-point protection broke down, and Alabama A&M blocked the kick. The Bulldogs recovered the block and returned it for two points, moving their lead to 23-13.
Another flag that hurt FAMU was an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on defensive end Caden Brown, who shoved a scrambling Quad Brown as he gave himself up in out-of-bounds territory. It led to an automatic first down on a drive that looked dormant. Alabama A&M scored soon after.
Parker's late two interceptions also basically ended FAMU's comeback.
Florida A&M football scores and full 2026 schedule
Current record: 1-4 (0-1 in SWAC)
All times are Eastern
- Saturday, Aug. 29: FAMU 20, Albany State 7
- Sunday, Sept. 6 (Orange Blossom Classic): South Carolina State 31, FAMU 13
- Thursday, Sept. 10: Miami 77, FAMU 7
- Saturday, Sept. 19: Tennessee State 29, FAMU 26
- Saturday, Sept. 26: Alabama A&M 40, FAMU 21
- Saturday, Oct. 3: BYE
- Saturday, Oct. 10: at Alabama State (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
- Saturday, Oct. 17: at Jackson State (SWAC), 3 p.m., ESPN Network
- Saturday, Oct. 24: vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC/Homecoming), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
- Saturday, Oct. 31: vs. Southern (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
- Saturday, Nov. 7: at Alcorn State (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV
- Saturday, Nov. 14: vs. Mississippi Valley State (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV
- Saturday, Nov. 21: vs. Bethune-Cookman (SWAC/Florida Classic), 3:30 p.m., ESPN+
Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat under the USA TODAY Network.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at [email protected] or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Why FAMU football's comeback fell short in SWAC opener vs Alabama A&M