FAMU, Southern have long history

By Heath A. Smith, DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Florida A&M and Southern had two of the premier programs in Black College Football during the mid to late '90s.

When those teams faced each other then, sparks flew and the scoreboard lit up. Some of the classic battles during that era include Southern's two wins during the 1995 season, a 52-38 win in Tallahassee and a 30-25 win at the Heritage Bowl in the Atlanta Georgia Dome.

Then there was the 50-48 shootout at Southern, when the Rattlers escaped with a victory in 1998. The Rattlers repeated the feat in 2000, escaping Baton Rouge, La. with a 50-49 victory.

Florida A&M and Southern haven't played each other since the 2001 season, meaning the history of this series may be lost on the current players who are set to face each other Saturday at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.

"I really don't think they understand," said Southern head football coach Pete Richardson about his current players' understanding of the history of this series. "We haven't played FAMU in fives years. This game means a lot to each school and the fans."

This game also means a lot to both programs - which are in rebuilding modes. This is year three in the rebuilding process for FAMU under head coach Rubin Carter, while Southern is trying to pick up the pieces from a 5-6 finish in 2006.

"I think their coach (Carter) has built their program back up and they appear ready to go," Richardson said. "They have some outstanding receivers and they have a huge offensive line as usual. Defensively, they are attacking. They also have an All-America kicker. Those are going to be the challenges for us."

Like most head coaches, Richardson is more concerned about what his team is or isn't doing than what the opponent has waiting for them.

One of Richardson's concerns heading into Saturday's game is the state of the Jaguars' running game.

"That was our nemesis last year," Richardson said. "I think running the ball will be important for our quarterback. He is young and we want to take some of the pressure off of him."

Last year's leading rusher Kendall Addison is gone, leaving redshirt-sophomore quarterback Bryant Lee as the Jaguars' leading returner (302 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns).

Senior Darren Coates, who rushed for 119 yards and one touchdown in 2006, is listed as the Jaguars' starting running back.

If you think Carter has any sympathy for Southern's rushing issues, think again - especially after seeing his defense give up more than 250 yards rushing a game in 2006.

"We definitely want to make sure it doesn't happen on us," Carter said about Southern running the ball. "I believe we'll be more organized as far as the schemes are concerned defensively against the run.

"The players will be more in sync with a year of experience. We had a lot of young players that didn't understand their responsibilities or their roles. They were just trying to make plays."