JACKSON, Miss. –– Florida A&M Rattlers dropped a tough road game, losing to Jackson State 35-21 after leading by one point late in the game.
The Rattlers fall to 3-3 on the season and 1-1 in SWAC play, with their previous 17-game SWAC winning streak coming to an end.
Daniel Richardson led Florida A&M's passing attack with 248 yards through the air, tossing three touchdowns and one interception.
Thad Franklin Jr. led all Rattlers rushers with 63 yards in the contest, picking up 4.2 yards per carry.
Richardson's most prolific target in the ballgame was A'ceon Cobb, who caught three passes for 92 yards and two scores. Jamari Gassett got in on the action in the passing game as well, hauling in four balls for 64 yards and one touchdown.
Kendall Bohler showed out for the Florida A&M defense, recording 1.0 TFL and one interception. Aric Horne added three tackles, 1.0 TFL, one forced fumble, and one recovered fumble and Chase Lloyd had five tackles and one recovered fumble in the loss.
The Rattlers won the turnover battle in Saturday's game, forcing four turnovers while coughing the ball up three times.
Defensively, Florida A&M held up fairly well against the Jackson State passing attack, holding the Tigers to 155 yards through the air.
How It Happened
The game started with an offensive shootout, as Jackson State struck first with a 4-yard touchdown run by Emari Matthews. Florida A&M responded quickly when Richardson connected with Cobb for a 70-yard bomb, tying the game at 7-7. Both teams exchanged touchdowns again in the first quarter, with Irv Mulligan's 54-yard dash putting Jackson State ahead before Richardson found Gassett for a 34-yard score, leveling the game at 14-14.
Florida A&M took the lead in the second quarter on Cobb's 8-yard touchdown reception, capping a 54-yard drive. Jackson State closed the gap with a field goal just before halftime, making it 21-20 in favor of the Rattlers.
The second half turned into a defensive battle until late in the fourth quarter when Jackson State capitalized on a fumble return by Phillip Webb, who raced 32 yards for a touchdown. Another short touchdown run by Matthews in the final minutes sealed the victory for Jackson State 35-21.
Game Notes
» Jackson State outgained Florida A&M 400-311 in the contest.
» Florida A&M won the turnover battle 4-3 after intercepting one pass and recovering three fumbles.
» Florida A&M tallied 14 points in the first quarter, accounting for 66.7% of their total score.
» Florida A&M converted 5 of 13 third downs while Jackson State was successful on 3 of 11.
» The Rattlers had two players with more than eight tackles in the ballgame led by Nay'Ron Jenkins, who had 10.
» The Rattlers took potential points off the board by forcing three turnovers on their own half of the field.
» The Rattlers racked up nine tackles for loss and added two sacks.
» Daniel Richardson completed 67.9% of his passes on the day, going 19-for-28 while averaging 8.9 yards per attempt.
» Jacobian Morgan led the Tigers passing attack, completing 15 of his 25 attempts for 155 yards with one interception.
» Irv Mulligan led the Jackson State rushing attack with 139 yards and one touchdown.
» Jackson State won the points off turnovers 15-7
The Rattlers return to Bragg next week to host the Southern Jaguars on Saturday, October 26, at 7 p.m. as they look to extend the nation's second-longest home game winning streak.
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