Florida A&M routs Fort Valley State, Willie Simmons earns first win

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida A&M beat Division II Fort Valley State 41-7 on Saturday in the season opener for both teams on Saturday.

During the debut of Rattlers coach Willie Simmons, Ricky Henrilus' 1-yard dive with 10:50 left in the first quarter gave FAMU a 7-0 lead. The play was set up when Wildcats punter Eli Mashburn mishandled the snap and the Rattlers recovered the ball at the 8-yard line.

Yahia Aly — who set a school record with six field goals — connected on field goals of 38 and 45 yards respectively to put the Rattlers up 13-0 before the game was suspended with 5:05 before halftime due to lightning.

Upon returning to the field 30 minutes later, Fort Valley State's Lorenzo Smothers struck for a 92-yard run to reduce the deficit to 13-7.

FAMU responded on its next drive and Ryan Stanley threw a 28-yard scoring strike to ...

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