The Florida A&M Rattlers rattle off their ninth straight victory with a 24-7 win against the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats in the Florida Blue Florida Classic. The Rattlers end the year 10-1 as they prepare to compete for the SWAC Championship. Meanwhile, Bethune-Cookman finishes with a 3-8 record, a slight improvement from the 2-9 record last season.
The opening drives for both teams started out rough. Florida A&M punted immediately after a three-and-out, though the holding penalty on first down certainly didn't help. Bethune-Cookman converted a third-and-15 on their own five-yard line, but they fumbled on the subsequent third down. Rattler Isaiah Major recovered the ball on the Wildcat's 22-yard line.
Giving the ball to the best team in the SWAC right outside the red zone is not conducive to winning games. Runs from quarterback Jeremy Moussa and running back Jaquez Yant set up Florida A&M at the goal line. Yant rushed for the touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.
Bethune-Cookman's next possession displayed some promise, but they were helped out by a couple Rattler penalties. On two third downs, Florida A&M committed offsides penalties, giving the Wildcats multiple chances. They ended up punting, but they got the ball back quickly after another Rattler three-and-out.
Bethune-Cookman punted on the first play of the second quarter. Even though they got back into Florida A&M territory, they tried to run the ball on a third-and-seven. The play went nowhere, forcing them to punt. Despite positioning the Rattlers inside their own 10-yard line, Florida A&M had no problem scoring on this drive. They went all the way down the field, and without any particularly big explosive plays. They did have back to back 19 yard gains; one was a rush from Kelvin Dean, while the other was a completion to Jamari Gassett. Dean helped get Florida A&M down the field, but it was Terrell Jennings to ended the drive with a short touchdown run, taking the 14-0 advantage.
Florida A&M's offense trotted back onto the field after their big drive. Bethune-Cookman had the ball, but on their first play, quarterback Walter Simons III threw an interception. The Rattlers, however, did not score a touchdown on this drive. Instead, they were forced to settle for a field goal.
The next shift on the scoreboard didn't occur until the third quarter nearly ended. Following a Rattler three-and-out, the Wildcats put together a drive from about midfield. They entered field goal territory after a 20-yard rush from running back Jimmy Robinson III, but they ended up facing a fourth down. Coming out of a timeout, the Wildcats went for it, running Simmons out of the pocket for a 15-yard gain. Multiple times, Bethune-Cookman was almost forced to punt. However, Florida A&M bailed them out with two pass interference calls. Finally on third down, Simmons ran for a seven-yard touchdown.
Bethune-Cookman had an opportunity to strike at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The Rattlers punted again, but back to back incomplete passes forced the Wildcats to punt as well. Unfortunately for Bethune-Cookman, Jeremy Moussa and Florida A&M decided to put together another incredible drive. This time, from their own two-yard line, the Rattlers went on a 98-yard scoring drive. Moussa connected with his receivers for three big completions over 10 yards. Terrell Jennings had a 13-yard rush, then he finished the drive with a 35-yard touchdown run to give his team a 24-7 lead.
Disaster struck on Bethune-Cookman's final two possessions. After the touchdown, the Wildcats struggled to make much progress due to a false start and a fumble out of bounds, setting up a fourth-and-28. The Rattlers ran clock, not focused on scoring themselves. They punted the ball back to Bethune-Cookman, but on this possession, Dominiq Ponder checked in at quarterback. He completed a few passes, but he was intercepted by Eric Smith to end the game.
The Wildcat's offense struggled to gain much ground in this game. Walter Simmons III completed just nine of his 24 passing attempts for 79 yards and an interception. Dominiq Ponder completed two of six passing attempts for 33 yards and an interception. Simmons, however, found success on the ground, running for 45 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Jimmie Robinson III led all rushers with 74 yards on 21 carries. Daveno Ellington had two receptions for 60 yards.
Florida A&M didn't have a great game, but it was more than enough to get the win. Jeremy Moussa went 14-21 and threw for 150 yards. Jah'Marae Sheread was the lead receptionist, catching five passes for 38 yards. Terrell Jennings had a good day on the ground, running for 62 yards and a touchdown on just eight carries.
The Rattlers get a week off before matching up against Prairie View A&M in the SWAC Championship on Dec. 2. The two are not only competing for the conference championship, but also a spot in the Celebration Bowl.
Follow Us
Subscribe