Tennessee State holds on to win Merritt Classic

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Coach Rod Reed wanted Tennessee State to have the opportunity to overcome some adversity in its season-opening game Saturday night. He wanted to test the Tigers’ toughness and resolve to play as well at the end of the game as it did at the start.

Reed got his wish in the 14th annual John Merritt Classic, where TSU put up a goal-line stand in the final minute and held on to beat Florida A&M 17-14.
A crowd of 15,652 at LP Field went silent after Rattlers quarterback Damien Fleming ran a second sneak from just inches away from the goal line.

The crowd finally erupted in a roar after the referees signaled Fleming had been stopped short and gave the ball to TSU with 42 seconds remaining.

The Tigers allowed leads to slip away in three losses last year on the way to posting a 5-6 record.

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FAMU Rattlers stopped inches short

NASHVILLE, TENN. — The ending was so dramatic that it would be easy to forget how lethargic the effort was from FAMU for three quarters Saturday at LP Field.

Of all the drama that unfolded in the final six minutes, none was as stunning as the last-ditch scramble for the end zone by quarterback Damien Fleming in the closing seconds. A wild scrum formed after he dashed for the end zone with 42 seconds remaining for a touchdown that would have given the Rattlers the victory.

When it cleared the referees ruled that Fleming hadn’t crossed into the end zone, assuring the Rattlers of a 17-14 loss.

“I don’t know how you take that touchdown away,” coach Joe Taylor said, his voice choking up. “They just stole that. He was in the end zone.”

It wouldn’t have come down to that if the Rattlers didn’t make it an evening of squandered opportunities as both the offense and defense lost huge chances to a penalty plagued Tennessee State team. In the end, the Rattlers fell for the second consecutive time to the Tigers, their first time losing in Nashville since 1997.



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