TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida A&M plays its final home game of the season Saturday when Mississippi Valley State visits Bragg Memorial Stadium, with both teams trying to snap losing streaks in a SWAC East Division matchup. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. EST. The game will stream on SWAC TV.
Florida A&M (2-8, 1-5 SWAC) has lost four straight, most recently a 38-20 setback at Alcorn State on Nov. 7 in which the Rattlers led 14-0 after one quarter. Mississippi Valley State (3-7, 2-4) has dropped three in a row, including a 38-7 loss at Jackson State last week.
The Delta Devils have won the last two meetings, 24-21 in Tallahassee in 2024 and 35-31 in Itta Bena, Mississippi, last season. Florida A&M won the first six games in the series and leads it 6-2.
HOW TO FOLLOW
| Item |
Details |
| Kickoff |
Saturday, Nov. 14, 3 p.m. EST |
| Site |
Bragg Memorial Stadium, Tallahassee, Fla. |
| Stream |
SWAC TV: Jared Oliver (play-by-play), Vaughn Wilson (analyst) |
| Radio |
Rattler Sports Network: Bryan Fulford (play-by-play), Al Chester (analyst) |
| Live stats |
famuathletics.com |
LAST WEEK
Armond Parker threw touchdown passes of 16 yards to
Corey Petty and 84 yards to
Kieren Jackson as Florida A&M jumped ahead 14-0 at Alcorn State. The game was tied at 17 late in the third quarter before Alcorn scored on the final play of the period, and the Braves pulled away behind four touchdown passes from Jaylon Tolbert.
Parker finished 20 of 36 for 283 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Petty caught nine passes for 100 yards, and Jackson had four catches for 133 yards.
Gabriel Perez made field goals of 25 and 34 yards, and
Denzel Johnson had 16 tackles, the most by a Rattler this season. FAMU was penalized just three times for 15 yards.
Mississippi Valley State has scored 38 points in its three-game losing streak.
SERIES HISTORY
| Date |
Site |
Result |
| Nov. 29, 2025 |
Itta Bena |
MVSU, 35-31 |
| Nov. 16, 2024 |
Tallahassee |
MVSU, 24-21 |
| Sept. 30, 2023 |
Itta Bena |
FAMU, 31-7 |
| Oct. 1, 2022 |
Tallahassee |
FAMU, 34-7 |
| Oct. 23, 2021 |
Itta Bena |
FAMU, 31-28 |
| Sept. 1, 2013 |
Orlando |
FAMU, 27-10 |
| Sept. 15, 1990 |
Jacksonville |
FAMU, 28-13 |
| Sept. 19, 1987 |
Tallahassee |
FAMU, 10-0 |
Last season's meeting turned late. FAMU led 31-28 in the fourth quarter before Mississippi Valley State scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 9-yard pass, and Jamari Stokes sealed it with his second interception of the game with 1:23 left. Stokes is back for the Delta Devils with 35 tackles and an interception this season.
RATTLERS TO WATCH
QB Armond Parker. Parker has thrown for at least 263 yards in three straight games and has 1,790 yards and 14 touchdowns in eight games (223.8 per game). FAMU averages 224.2 passing yards.
WR Corey Petty. Petty has back-to-back 100-yard receiving games and leads the team with 38 catches, 471 yards and four touchdown receptions.
WR Kieren Jackson. Jackson leads FAMU with 860 all-purpose yards (86.0 per game) and averages 19.6 yards per catch.
LB Denzel Johnson. Johnson leads the team with 71 tackles. His 16 tackles at Alcorn were the most in a game by a Rattler since 2021.
Special teams. FAMU is 10 of 12 on field goals (.833), and
Bobby Engstler averages 40.6 yards per punt with 19 downed inside the 20.
SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE
Mississippi Valley State is in its second season under coach Terrell Buckley. The Delta Devils beat Lincoln (Pa.) at the Chicago Football Classic and won SWAC games against Prairie View A&M (28-27) and at Texas Southern (38-34).
Quarterback Josh Brown runs the offense. He has completed 126 of 238 passes for 1,331 yards with nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and he leads the team with 407 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. Dayvian Bluitt has 540 receiving yards at 19.3 per catch and 1,262 all-purpose yards, and Jaylen King leads with 33 receptions.
Javieane Stevens has 9.0 sacks and 14.0 tackles for loss, a concern for an FAMU line that has allowed 30 sacks. Kamsi Arinze leads the Delta Devils with 53 tackles, and Tyrell Johnson returned one of his two interceptions 95 yards for a touchdown. Mississippi Valley State allows 36.3 points and 376.0 yards per game.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Win the turnover battle. Mississippi Valley State has turned the ball over 23 times and is minus-8 in turnover margin. Extra possessions would go a long way for an FAMU offense averaging 19.4 points.
2. Keep Parker upright. Stevens has 9.0 sacks, and Alcorn sacked Parker four times last week. Clean pockets have produced big plays for Petty and Jackson.
3. Contain Brown. Brown accounts for 1,738 of Mississippi Valley State's 2,735 yards of total offense. Keeping him in the pocket limits the Delta Devils' most dangerous threat.
4. Stay disciplined. FAMU is averaging 56.2 penalty yards per game and had just 15 at Alcorn. Mississippi Valley State is averaging 103.5.
BY THE NUMBERS
| Per game |
FAMU |
Mississippi Valley State |
| Points scored |
19.4 |
16.6 |
| Points allowed |
34.9 |
36.3 |
| Total offense |
296.5 |
273.5 |
| Passing offense |
224.2 |
149.0 |
| Rushing offense |
72.3 |
124.5 |
| Total defense |
444.7 |
376.0 |
| Turnover margin |
-3 |
-8 |
| Field goals |
10-12 |
7-12 |
| Net punting |
39.3 |
31.3 |
| Penalty yards |
56.2 |
103.5 |
THE SWAC PICTURE AND WHAT'S NEXT
Jackson State and Alabama A&M share the East Division lead at 4-2, and Jackson State entered the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll at No. 22 this week. In the West, Prairie View A&M, Alcorn State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff are tied at 4-2.
Florida A&M closes the regular season against Bethune-Cookman in Orlando on Nov. 21 (3:30 p.m., ESPN+). Mississippi Valley State finishes at home against Alabama A&M the same day.
