Florida A&M wins Atlanta Football Classic

By STAN AWTREY, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta Football Classic: Attendance - 56,990

Tennessee State misses late field goal attempt

Rubin Carter better be in church this morning.

After seeing his opponent rip 90 yards down the field with no timeouts in less than a minute, the Florida A&M coach knew it was time to put his trust in a higher power.

As he watched Tennessee State's sure-footed kicker Eric Benson lined up for the go-ahead 27-yard field goal with eight seconds left, Carter's only thought was, "Lord, I sure hope he misses this kick."

He did.

Photo: Tennessee State kicker Eric Benson (left) watches his field goal attempt sail wide left, while Florida A&M defensive back LeRoy Vann (right) celebrates.

Benson, who hadn't missed a kick all year, shanked it wide left. The missed kick, which never had a chance, enabled Florida A&M to escape the Georgia Dome with an 18-17 win over rival Tennessee State in the 19th annual Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic.

It was the fifth straight year the game has been decided in the final period and the sixth straight time FAMU has beaten TSU. Tennessee State leads the series 25-22, but FAMU is now 11-3 against the Tigers in the Atlanta Football Classic.

"I had all the confidence in the world that he was going to make that kick," said Tennessee State coach James Webster. "I thought when he lined up, game over, end of the streak. I was already starting to think about how we were going to squib the kickoff."

Carter admitted, "It didn't look real good with eight seconds left."

Tennessee State took possession with 50 seconds left, having spent its final timeout on FAMU's previous possession. The Tigers (2-3) began on their own 5 after a holding penalty on the punt return.

But quarterback Antonio Heffner put Tennessee State in position to win the game with a pair of clutch passes, a 25-yarder to Ronald Evans and a 55-yarder to Chris Johnson, who almost scored before being gang tackled at the 5. Tennessee State suffered a 5-yard penalty for illegal procedure, then waited through a FAMU timeout before Benson attempted the kick.

"He's a very poised young man," Webster said. "He just didn't kick it right."

FAMU (2-2) won the game with a strong second half. The Rattlers, who trailed 14-5 at halftime, were more aggressive on defense and became more effective on offense after Leon Camel replaced starter Albert Chester late in the third quarter.

"We played awful football in the first half, not up to game tempo," Carter said. "At halftime we talked about the urgency we needed to have in the second half."

Photo: The Rattlers' Philip Sylvester, left, stiff arms the Tigers' #10, Reno Thompson for extra yardage.

Freshman Qier Hall came up with the big plays the Rattlers needed in the third quarter. He returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown, then returned the next punt 20 yards to set up the go-ahead score.

"We told the special teams last night that we needed to make a big play and they did," Carter said. "That turned it around for us."

Webster agreed. "You take that [touchdown] away and we win the game," he said. "Those were two critical plays on the punt coverage team."

FAMU's Philip Sylvester provided the offensive stability needed. The freshman rushed 25 times for 131 yards and caught two passes. He was named the team's MVP.

Heffner, voted Tennessee State's MVP, led the Tigers by completing 12 of 22 passes for 309 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 67 yards and one touchdown. But Heffner was pursued more aggressively by the FAMU defense in the second half and could not produce another touchdown.

"They started taking more chances," Webster said. "The first half they sat back and let things happen. The second half they started blitzing and take chances.

The FAMU defense had only two sacks, but made eight tackles behind the line. Carlos Rolle led the Rattlers with nine tackles.