TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –– Florida A&M put together a nine-play, 84-yard drive, culminating in a six-yard touchdown reception from Daniel Richardson to Thad Franklin Jr. with 5:39 left in the ballgame to give the Rattlers a 22-18 win over South Carolina State on Saturday night at Bragg Memorial.
The victory improved Florida A&M's record to 2-0 on the season while the Bulldogs fell to 0-1.
Daniel Richardson led Florida A&M's passing attack with 282 yards through the air, tossing three touchdowns without throwing an interception.
Levontai Summersett led all Rattlers rushers with 62 yards in the contest, picking up 5.6 yards per carry. Kelvin Dean also added 23 yards on the ground, averaging 7.7 yards per carry.
Koby Gross hauled in five catches for 94 yards and one score. Karter Johnson made his presence felt in the passing game, recording six receptions for 68 yards and one touchdown.
James Gardner Jr led the Florida A&M defensive effort, totaling 1.0 TFL and one sack. Deco Wilson added five tackles, 1.0 TFL, and one sack in the win.
Florida A&M converted on 60 percent of third-down attempts on the day. The Rattlers also went 1-for-1 on fourth down.
Florida A&M's defense held up against South Carolina State's offense, giving up 286 total yards.
How It Happened
The Rattlers were down early 3-0, but fired back to take a 7-3 lead with 10:52 remaining in the second quarter. South Carolina State then scored to take an 18-7 lead before the Rattlers put a touchdown on the board to narrow the gap and make it an 18-15 game.
Florida A&M followed with a six-yard touchdown reception from Richardson to Franklin at the 5:39 mark in the fourth quarter and grabbed a 22-18 lead in the process. Neither team scored again in the game.
Game Notes
» Florida A&M outgained South Carolina State 415-286, including a 282-132 advantage through the air.
» Florida A&M tallied 15 points in the fourth quarter, accounting for 68.2% of their total score.
» Florida A&M converted 9 of 15 third downs while South Carolina State was successful on 3 of 10.
» Trey Wilhoit punted three times for the Rattlers with an average of 48 yards per punt while pinning the Bulldogs inside their own 20 two times.
» Florida A&M went 1-for-1 on fourth down, converting on 100 percent of attempts.
» Florida A&M won the time of possession battle 31:31 to 27:21.
» The Rattlers ended the game on a strong note, scoring 15 unanswered points to close out the contest.
» Eric Phoenix led the Bulldogs passing attack, completing 12 of his 25 attempts for 132 yards and one touchdown.
» Deondra Duehart led the South Carolina State rushing attack with 74 yards.
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