ITTA BENA, Miss. -- Mississippi Valley State defeated Florida A&M 35-31 in the season finale Satuurday afternoon.
The Delta Devils improved to 2-10 on the year and 1-7 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play, while the Rattlers fell to 5-7 overall and 4-4 in conference matchups.
RJ Johnson III led Florida A&M's passing attack with 283 yards through the air, tossing two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Thad Franklin Jr. paced the Rattlers rushing attack by accumulating 101 yards and one touchdown over the course of the game, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. Franklin also tacked on 41 receiving yards. Jamal Hailey also added 74 yards and one touchdown on the ground, averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
Goldie Lawrence pulled in three catches for 65 yards. Kenari Wilcher made his presence felt in the passing game, recording three receptions for 57 yards and one touchdown.
Chase Lloyd led the Florida A&M defensive effort, collecting one interception. Team added and Cameron Donald had 0.5 TFL in the loss.
Florida A&M's defense was tough against the run, limiting Mississippi Valley State to only 67 yards on the ground. Florida A&M out-rushed Mississippi Valley State by 105 yards.
How It Happened
Florida A&M got on the scoreboard first and jumped out to a 7-0 lead with :09 left in the first quarter.Mississippi Valley State scored to go ahead 14-7 before the Rattlers got on the scoreboard again to tie it up at 14-14.
Florida A&M followed with a 35-yard field goal from at the :00 mark in the second quarter and grabbed a 17-14 lead in the process.The Rattlers continued to extend their lead, scoring again to go on top 24-14.
After Mississippi Valley State grabbed a 28-24 lead, Florida A&M responded with to a 34-yard touchdown pass from Johnson III to Wilcher to jump back ahead 31-28 with 13:24 left in the fourth quarter. Florida A&M didn't score again and Mississippi Valley State added seven more points to finish off the scoring.
Game Notes
» Florida A&M outgained Mississippi Valley State 455-425, including a 172-67 advantage on the ground.
» Florida A&M had their highest scoring quarter in the second period, when they put up 10 points.
» Florida A&M converted 3 of 13 third downs while Mississippi Valley State was successful on 3 of 11.
» Florida A&M went 2-for-2 on fourth down, converting on 100 percent of attempts.
» Florida A&M won the time of possession battle 31:49 to 28:11.
