Florida A&M

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Armand Burris caught touchdown passes of 88 and 89 yards just over five minutes apart in the fourth quarter, and Florida A&M survived a frantic finish to beat Alabama State 28-27 on Friday afternoon in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Football action on an ASU Homecoming weekend at ASU Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama.
 
The game was moved to an 11 a.m. CDT kickoff on Friday due to the impending Hurricane Isaias barreling down on the Tallahassee-Leon County area and entire Gulf Coast region of Florida and extending well into Alabama. A special thanks to Alabama State Vice President and Director of Athletics Dr. Jason Cable and his staff for working closely with FAMU officials to move the game and help the Rattlers with travel and the necessary precautions.
 
With Alabama State (3-3, 1-2 SWAC) setting up for the possible game-winning field goal, the game ended when Isiah Davis blocked a 47-yard field goal attempt from the Hornets Andrew Abu-Akel as time expired, preserving the Rattlers first win of the league campaign.
 
FAMU (2-4, 1-1 SWAC) trailed 27-14 with 12:18 left in the fourth quarter.
 
Freshman quarterback Armond Parker, who threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns, hit Armand Burris twice on deep balls to erase the deficit. His 89-yarder at 6:03 was followed by a successful two-point conversion pass to Tamez Young, putting FAMU in front for the first time since halftime, 28-27.
 
The Orange and Green then needed its defense to close it out.
 
Justin Bostic stopped Hornets freshman quarterback Aaron Frye, playing for the third consecutive game in place of the injured Andrew Body, for no gain on fourth-and-1 at the Alabama State 49 with 4:07 left. Andre Powell Jr. forced a fumble that Caden Brown recovered at the Alabama State 15 with 1:35 to go. And it was Davis's block ending the Hornets' last gasp as the clock hit all zeros.
 
Burris finished with four catches for 216 yards. Parker also ran for 49 yards and a touchdown. Jamal Hailey added 44 yards on 12 carries and caught a 19-yard touchdown pass just before halftime.
 
FAMU was outgained on the ground, 274 yards to 96, and ran only 43 plays to Alabama State's 70. The Hornets held the ball for a commanding 38 minutes and had 22 first downs on the day. But the Rattlers' big plays flipped the math. They finished with 386 total yards to Alabama State's 381, averaging 9.0 yards per play, respectfully.
 
FAMU took the opening kickoff and drove 33 yards in seven plays to the Hornets' 32. Gabriel Caison then attempted a 50-yard field goal attempt before Thad Parson blocked it, and Zion Crawford scooped it up at the Alabama State 9 and returned it 91 yards for a touchdown with 12:13 left in the first quarter.
 
The Rattlers' next possession began with Kieren Jackson's 50-yard kickoff return, but a holding penalty wiped it out and left the Rattlers at their own 15. Parker called his own number and scampered 36 yards up the middle for an Orange and Green touchdown to cap the drive. Caison's kick tied it 7-7 with 6:16 left in the quarter, capping an eight-play, 85-yard drive that took 5:49.
 
The Hornets then leaned on Jamarie Hostzclaw, who had a 26-yard run on a 15-play, 81-yard drive that consumed 8:55 off the clock – a common theme throughout the day for homestanding ASU. FAMU's defense stiffened inside its own 12. Hostzclaw lost a yard on third-and-4 at the 6 when Isaiah Morrison and Bostic met him in the backfield, and Abu-Akel kicked a 24-yard field goal with 3:08 left to make it 10-7.
 
Backed up to its own 9 after a holding penalty, ASU ran the ball three straight times on its next possession. On second-and-5 at the 24, Dante Howell intercepted Frye's pass and returned it 5 yards to the Alabama State 19 with 39 seconds left in the half. One play later, Parker found Hailey over the middle for a 19-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left, and Caison's kick made it 14-10 at the break. The scoring drive took five seconds.
 
ASU took control in the third quarter.
 
After a holding penalty negated a 42-yard kickoff return by Nehemiah Hixon, the Hornets started at their own 18 and ground out 82 yards in 14 plays. Frye ran for 17, 10 and 12 yards on keepers, and Hostzclaw plunged in from the 1 with 7:39 left for a 17-14 lead.
 
FAMU's response went wrong immediately.
 
Parker's next pass was intercepted by Omari Russell at the Alabama State 45, and Russell returned it 55 yards for a touchdown to make it 24-14 with 6:49 left in the third.
 
The visitor's ensuing drive ended in another turnover.
 
Parker connected with Corey Petty for 18 yards, but on fourth-and-1 from its own 48, his deep pass was intercepted by Crawford. The Hornets turned the miscue into a 10-play, 36-yard drive.
 
Hostzclaw rushed for five yards at the start, and Jareese Howard broke a 16-yard run. The Rattlers held at their own 10, pushing Abu-Akel back, but he drilled a 32-yard field goal with 12:18 left in the fourth for a 27-14 lead.
 
The Rattlers pulled the game back on the next play from scrimmage that mattered.
 
Parker dropped back and fired deep down the middle to Burris, who caught it at the Hornets' 46 and carried it the rest of the way for an 88-yard touchdown with 11:13 left in the contest. Hixon blocked Caison's extra-point attempt, leaving FAMU down 27-20.
 
On third-and-7 from the 11, Parker once again went deep to Burris, who caught it at the ASU 45 and raced the rest of the way for an 89-yard scoring connection with 6:03 remaining. Tight end Young caught the two-point pass for a 28-27 lead.
 
The Hornets had one last possession after a turnover on downs deep in ASU territory with 32 seconds remaining in the contest.
 
Frye hit Israel Tate for 20 yards, spiked the ball and, after a FAMU illegal substitution penalty, hit Kareem Keye for 29 yards to the FAMU 37. Frye scrambled for seven yards and out of bounds, and Abu-Akel lined up from 47 yards.
 
Davis got a hand on the kick, and the clock ran out.
 
Denzel Johnson led the Rattlers with 10 tackles, and Bostic provided seven of his own for the Orange and Green.
 
Offensively, Parker finished 13 of 20 with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Burris' 216 yards came on only four receptions, and Petty added three catches for 37 yards.
 
For ASU, Hostzclaw rushed 28 times for a game-high 128 yards and a touchdown, and Frye was 10 of 15 passing for 107 yards while adding 76 yards on the ground.
 
Mitchell Robinson Jr. had nine tackles to lead the team's defensive exploits. Coincidentally, 14 of the Hornets' 27 points came on the blocked-kick and interception returns.
 
FAMU is back in action Saturday, Oct. 17, when traveling to Jackson State in Jackson, Mississippi, for a 3 p.m. EDT (2 p.m. CDT) kickoff.
 
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