FAMU football aiming for cleaner performance in home opener: ‘We still have work to do.’

Florida A&M began its 2024 football season triumphant in Atlanta.

Now it’s time for the Rattlers to come home.

On Saturday, the Rattlers (1-0) host their home opener on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Week 1’s game versus South Carolina State Bulldogs (0-0).

FAMU and South Carolina State kick off at 6 p.m. on ESPN Plus.

Bragg Stadium is where the Rattlers have produced the Football Championship Subdivision’s second-longest winning streak with 19 consecutive victories behind South Dakota State’s 21. FAMU hasn’t been defeated at home since 2018 when it lost to South Carolina State 44-21.

The Rattlers’ home opener coincides with FAMU’s first week of classes. So, first-year FAMU head football coach James Colzie III expects large numbers at Bragg on Saturday.

“We’ll be at full capacity, I’m sure. It’s a lot of things at stake. I want us to play well and show tremendous pride in what we do and how we do it,” Colzie said at Monday’s Week 1 Zoom press conference.

“We got convocation and the pep rally, but we can’t forget what’s important ― the product we put on the field on Saturday. I like our chances as long as we play the right way and do the right things.”

The Rattlers are fresh off a narrow 24-23 victory over the Norfolk State Spartans last Saturday in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge. FAMU, which hadn’t faced Norfolk State since 2019, had to erase a 14-0 first-quarter deficit to capture the victory in Colzie’s head coaching debut.

“Going 1-0 was the end goal we intended to hope for. After watching the film and looking at some of our mistakes, I think we’re excited but also extremely lucky to be at that point,” Colzie said. “Extremely excited about our team persevering.”

Now, Colzie is preparing his 25th-ranked FCS Coaches Poll Rattlers for another unfamiliar foe in the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/famu-football-aiming-cleaner-performance-162134662.html

Author : Tallahassee Democrat

Publish date : 2024-08-26 16:21:34

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