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The Florida A&M Rattlers will travel to Alabama for a homecoming matchup against Alabama State University, as well as a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game.
In the most recent SWAC coaches meeting, head coaches James Cozie III and Eddie Robinson Jr. emphasized the significance of the upcoming matchup and praised each other's programs.
“You have to really defend everything; they’re well-coached and disciplined. Those guys are going to play hard,” Robinson said.
“It’s college football. You gotta go out there and play hard and play smart; it’s just the way the calendar falls. Whoever falls on the calendar that week, that’s who you have to play,” he added.
FAMU Athletics announced last Tuesday that the football team's game against Alabama A&M, originally scheduled for last weekend, has been rescheduled due to Hurricane Helene. The game will now take place on Friday, Nov. 29, at Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
“Ultimately, for the safety of not just our players but the university and everyone affiliated with the university and the city of Tallahassee, we thought it would be a great idea not to play,” Cozie said.
The Rattlers haven't played a home game since August and haven’t played since their loss to Troy University on Sept. 21. They now face seven consecutive games without a bye week after these next two weeks.
Cozie acknowledged the challenges but expressed confidence in his team's preparation for Saturday's game at Alabama State.
“We knew this upcoming Saturday we were going to have to travel to Montgomery and play a good football team, so we’ve got to go with what the schedule is,” he said.
The Rattlers are currently ranked 22nd in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll and will be looking for their first SWAC win of the season.
They will need to contain Alabama State's strong rushing attack, which gained 335 yards in their last game against Bethune-Cookman. True freshman Jamarie Hostzclaw led all rushers with 123 yards, averaging eight yards per carry. He and Daquon Kincey rank third and fourth, respectively, in the SWAC for rushing yards.
With Alabama State's defense ranking first in the conference, allowing only 67 total points through four games, it will be up to FAU transfer Daniel Richardson to lead the Rattlers’ offense and overcome the homecoming crowd.
In the matchup against Troy, Richardson threw for 288 yards, completing 25 of 39 passes without an interception.
“They’re okay with punting, and they’re really good on defense, so they’re going to play sound football. They’re going to play fundamental football, they’re going to play tough football, and they’re going to run the ball,” Cozie said.
The game is scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
