Senior QB now No. 2 on the career passing charts
DOVER, Del. (Nov. 15) – FAMU Senior quarterback Damien Fleming was on fire Saturday despite chilly conditions here, passing for 337 yards and four touchdowns to spark visiting Rattlers to a 41-7 rout of Delaware State at Alumni Stadium in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play.
Fleming, who struggled early in the season, has staged an impressive career finishing flurry over the last six games, throwing for 1,464 yards and 14 TDs, vaulting into second place all-time among FAMU quarterbacks.
On Saturday, he leaped past Tony Ezell (6,620 yards from 1988-91) and Oteman Sampson-Delancy (6,836 yards from 1996 to 1997) into second place on the FAMU Career Passing Charts with 6,868 yards, trailing Quinn Gray (7.376 yards from 1998 to 2001).
The Jacksonville, Florida native got the ball rolling early Saturday, scoring on a one-yard run for a 7-0 lead with 11:39 left, capping a six play, 67-yard drive, the he took to the air, tossing scoring strikes of 40 yards (to Montavious Williams), 10 yards (to Zachary Webster), 11 yards (to Brandon Norwood) and 11 yards (to Desmond Noird) to seal the Rattler victory.
Senior kicker Chase Varnadore also booted field goals of 23 and 45 yards to add to the Rattler offensive blitz on Saturday.
Delaware State (2-9, 2-5 in MEAC), scored their only points of the day in the third period, when quarterback Marion Kelly scored on a two-yard run with 3:13 left in the period to make the score 31-7.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: FAMU racked up 464 total yards Saturday, the most of the season, while allowing 313 to Delaware State…. Fleming's 337 yards came on 23 of 30 passing, with one interception…. Tysean Holloway led the FAMU ground attack with 52 yards on seven carries, while Lemond Buice (6 for 30) and Gerald Hearns (9 for 25) also got their licks in…. Kareen Smith led the Rattlers with four receptions for 49 yards, followed by Montavious Williams with three grabs for 91 yards and a TD… Freshman Brandon Norwood, the club's leading receiver, caught his first TD strike, an 11-yarder late in the second period… LB William Helms had seven tackles, one for loss to lead the Rattler defense… LB Akil Blount had a blocked field goal in the second period which led Norwood's 11-yard TD catch eight plays later.
WHAT'S NEXT: The Rattlers (3-8, 3-4 in MEAC) will close the 2014 regular season next Saturday in Orlando against archrival Bethune-Cookman (8-3, 5-2) in the Florida Blue Florida Classic at the Florida Citrus Bowl. Kickoff will be 2 p.m. for the nationally televised (ESPN Classic) contest.
