Sunday, August 26, 2007

Rattlers taking stock for season


By Heath A. Smith, DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Rubin Carter said Florida A&M's depth chart heading into Saturday's season opener against Southern in Birmingham, Ala., could be set before Monday.

FAMU's third-year head football coach also said that he should know who's eligible to play for the season opener by Tuesday.

"We'll make our evaluations on the individuals that will be traveling with us to Birmingham by the completion of the weekend," Carter said Friday.

Carter also said that any injured players need to be able to practice by Wednesday if he is going to allow them to play Saturday.

"That will give them an opportunity to get some reps in," Carter said. "We also need to make sure that they are in the correct conditioning level to make sure that they are ready to play."

Several key players have been out with injuries during preseason camp, including linebacker Michael McMillan (hamstring) and running backs Anthony Edwards (arthritis in foot) and Demitric Henry (hamstring).

Said Carter: "They need to be ready by Wednesday to see if they will be ready to play."

Being self-centered

As the Rattlers prepare for their first opponent of the season, the team's focus appears to be turning inward.

"We're not really focusing in on them," said senior backup quarterback Leon Camel. "We are focusing on what we need to do as an offense."

Redshirt-junior free safety Jason Beach echoed that sentiment.

"It's going to be a challenge, but like coach Carter said it's going to be about us, not what they do," Beach said. "We're getting better as a defense. I think everybody right now is honing in on getting better at what they are doing."

Get your season tickets

If you live in Leon County and have purchased season tickets, you can go to the FAMU athletic ticket office and pick them up Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Picture identification will be needed upon pickup. You may pick up only the tickets you purchased unless you bring a notarized letter from another ticket holder allowing you to pick up their tickets.

If you live outside of Leon County, the ticket office will ship your tickets to you through UPS starting on Monday. A signature will be required at time of delivery.

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