TALLAHASSEE, Fla. | The Florida A&M University football team, ranked No. 12 in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) started out of the gate slowly on Saturday against Howard, but pulled away with 22 straight third-quarter points to defeat the Bison, 39-7, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) game at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
The Rattlers (9-1 overall, 7-0 MEAC) celebrated Senior Day on Saturday and concluded their home campaign with a perfect 6-0 mark, the first in the program in 10 years, when FAMU went 4-0.
Florida A&M got a 46-yard field goal by Yahia Aly with 10:44 remaining in the first quarter to grab an early 3-0 lead.
The Rattlers, who were off last week, shook off the rust midway through the second quarter when Azende Rey, running the Wildcat offense, scored on a 2-yard run, giving FAMU a 10-0 lead with 8:31 remaining in the first half.
A Markquese Bell interception sparked Florida A&M's next score.
On the very next offensive series, Howard quarterback Ramar Williams was picked off by Bell and two plays later, Ryan Stanley connected with Xavier Smith for an 18-yard touchdown strike as the Rattlers extended the lead to 17-0 with 7:52 left in the second.
Florida A&M took the opening kickoff of the second half and went 56 yards in five plays with Bishop Bonnett scoring on a 25-yard touchdown run, pushing the margin to 25-0 as Chris Faddoul converted the 2-point conversion with 12:40 left.
The Rattlers continued to move the ball on their next possession and went 80 yards in nine plays as Terrell Jennings scored on a 3-yard run, giving FAMU a 32-0 advantage with 6:42 remaining.
Florida A&M put the game away with 40 seconds left in the third when Rey caught a 22-yard pass from Rasean McKay, extending the lead to 39-0.
Howard (1-10, 1-6) cut the deficit to 39-7 as Josiah Cruite scored on a 4-yard run with 6:20 remaining.
Turning Point
The Rattlers got off to a slow start, but that was expected off coming off a bye last week.
Florida A&M led 17-0 at the half, but broke the game open with 22 points in the third quarter.
The Rattlers got touchdowns by Bishop Bonnett, Terrell Jennings and Azende Rey and did not look back against the Bison.
Inside the Numbers
> Florida A&M finished with 21 first downs and 396 total yard of offense
> Bishop Bonnet led the ground game with 59 yards on six carrries and one touchdown
> Davonne Kendrick added eight carries for 54 yards
> Ryan Stanley went 15 of 28 passing for 172 yards, along with one touchdown and one interception
> Rasean McKay was 4 of 5 passing with one touchdown
> Xavier Smith caught seven passes for 120 yards and one touchdown
> Marcus Williams added six receptions for 67 yards
> Elijah Richardson paced the Rattler defense with eight tackles, including three solo stops, one sack and 1.5 tackles for loss
> Terry Jefferson and Markquese Bell each registered seven tackles
> Howard finished with 15 first downs and 263 total yards
> Dedrick Parson and Josiah Crute each tallied 41 yards rushing
> Ramar Williams went 18 of 31 passing for 154 yards and two interceptions
> Kyle Anthony recorded eight catches for 45 yards
> Casaan Dixson registered seven tackles, including six solo stops
News & Notes
> This was the 40th meeting in the series between Florida A&M and Howard
> The Rattlers improved to 27-11 all-time against the Bison
> FAMU extends winning streak to nine games
> The Rattlers came into the game ranked No. 12 in the STATS FCS Top 25 and No. 14 in the FCS Coaches Poll
> FAMU is ranked unanimously first in the SBN Black College Football Poll and BOXTOROW Coaches Poll
> Florida A&M finished unbeaten at home for the first time since 2009 (4-0)
> This is the first nine-win season since 2009 (9-3 under Joe Taylor)
> Willie Simmons now joins Rattler coaching legends Rudy Hubbard (9-2 in 1975) and Billy Joe (9-3 in 1995) to reach nine wins in their second season as head coach
> The Rattlers extended their win streak to nine games, leaving them one win from equaling the 1998 squad's 10-game regular season win streak after dropping their season opener
> Xavier Smith moved into third place in FAMU history with his 11th touchdown reception
> Xavier Smith surpassed the 1,000-yard plateau with a catch early in the third quarter
> A win in next week's season finale against BCC would give the Rattlers their first perfect conference record since 1995 (8-0 under Billy Joe)
> Florida A&M honored 15 seniors prior to Saturday's game – Jacques Penney, Tyrell Reed, Keenan Anderson, Andrew Hines, Doyle Grimes, Marquan Cromartie, Deshawn Smith, Rufus Barfield, Cameron Burton, Demontre Moore, Marcus Williams, Yahia Aly, Terry Jefferson, Elijah Richardson and Ryan Stanley
Up Next
Florida A&M concludes the season next Saturday in the 40th Annual Florida Blue Florida Classic against rival BCC. Kickoff against the Wildcats is set for 3:30 p.m. from Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. and the game will be televised live on ESPN News.
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