Subscribe
Follow Us
The Florida A&M Rattlers will travel to Alabama on Saturday for their second FBS matchup against the Troy Trojans of Troy University.
With a record of 2-1 this season, this game will be the Rattlers' last chance to prove they can compete with FBS programs in the NCAA.
In a report by Gerald Thomas III of the Tallahassee Democrat, Rattlers head coach James Colzie emphasized the significance of these FBS opportunities for his players.
“It’s important to the scouts because when they grade the film and go through their evaluations with general managers and the front office, they will look at the film against Miami and Troy. They’ll consider our other SWAC opponents, but normally those games will feature more players who are in the NFL, and they’ll focus on how our guys perform against those individuals,” Colzie said. “Regardless of who we play, we always want to make sure we put good film out there.”
The Rattlers fell to the Miami Hurricanes in their last game, suffering a disappointing 56-9 defeat in which they scored only field goals.
This week, they face a Troy team that is winless in three games this season, making a victory seem more attainable for the Rattlers.
In their last outing, the Trojans lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes, 38-21, with an underwhelming rushing attack that gained just 59 yards. Junior quarterback Matthew Caldwell and sophomore quarterback Tucker Kilcrease combined for 229 passing yards, completing 16 of 26 passes and each throwing a touchdown.
Junior wide receiver Devontae Ross was a key player for Troy, scoring all three of the team's touchdowns—two receiving and one on a punt return in the second quarter. He totaled 142 receiving yards on five receptions. The Rattlers are likely to assign redshirt senior defensive back Kendall Bohler, a member of the Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List and a preseason All-American, to limit Ross's impact on Saturday.
Bohler discussed his feelings about the upcoming FBS matchup, viewing it as a prime opportunity for scouts to evaluate his skills.
“It’s a big opportunity for me to showcase my talent and go against the best of the best. I’m looking forward to it,” Bohler said. “This is the game all scouts want to see if you can play with the big dogs.”
They are currently ranked fifth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in total offensive yards with 1008.
FBS transfer quarterback Daniel Richardsson is second in passing yards with 699 on the year.Last game he had 131 yards passing and completed 76.5% of his throws completing 13 out of 17.
Their rushing attack only gained 90 total yards on the ground last game, and for the Rattlers offense it will be imperative to get into the endzone if they want to have any chance at winning this game
The game is set to kick off at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
