Rattler Nation expects MEAC championship season

Florida A&M University head football coach Joe Taylor's Rattlers have enough maturity and talent in key positions to challenge conference power South Carolina State Bulldogs for MEAC supremacy.

FAMU defense gets best of offense in scrimmage

Defense ruled during the first preseason scrimmage for the Florida A&M football team, but the unit was overshadowed by two interceptions thrown by quarterback Martin Ukpai and high snaps that left coach Joe Taylor scolding his offense.

"The fact of it is we've got to get more protection," Taylor said following Saturday's scrimmage that was witnessed by a larger than usual crowd from the parking lot adjacent to FAMU's practice field. "Everything starts with the snap (and) when you get a bad snap nothing behind is going to go good. You just can't have miscues and expect to win. No matter how good you are you just can't give extra opportunities to the opponent."

Photo Gallery: Rattler football scrimmage

FAMU's Ojo overcomes tough injury

The excruciating pain began to feel more familiar the longer Oye Ojo waited on the sidelines for it to subside. He was in his first college football game and wanted to be a part of the Florida A&M special teams unit until the end. He wouldn't return after finding out midway through the fourth quarter that the ankle he'd fractured once before in high school was broken.

Stewart has potential as fan favorite

If there is one player who will be on the radar of every fan of Florida A&M football, it has to be Jerral Stewart. He is the heir apparent to LeRoy Vann, who set multiple NCAA and school records in his senior year as a punt and kickoff returner. Fair or not, Stewart knew it was coming because of the excitement that Vann created whenever he touched the ball. He was so effective that last season ESPN sent a crew to dissect his every move.

New faces add plenty of spice to FAMU

With the loss of 24 players who played their final game last season, Florida A&M football coach Joe Taylor turned to transfers to reload both on offense and defense. In the mix are a few who never played a down of college football and some who played sparingly. But while all of the newcomers bring different strengths to the Rattlers program, they all have one thing in common — they want to contribute.

Rattlers beef up along the offensive line

During his end-of-the-season rewind, FAMU coach Joe Taylor made an observation from game film that he suspected was the reason that Florida A&M struggled in some games and suffered a season-defining loss to South Carolina State. He noticed that the Rattlers gave up too much on the offensive line.

"We knew the assignment," Taylor said. "We were into our responsibilities; we made contact but at some point I didn't think we had great mobility."

Ukpai back under center to lead Rattlers this year

Martin Ukpai got his first shot at playing quarterback because the starter on his high school team was suspended.

Up until the Florida Classic last season, it seemed he would have to wait at least two full seasons before he got a chance to compete for the starting job at Florida A&M. But when Curtis Pulley couldn't make the start in the season finale, coach Joe Taylor summoned Ukpai to another stand-in role. His performance was so dominating that it earned him the game's MVP trophy.

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Taylor sees quality from FAMU at football practice

University of Florida transfer wide receiver T.J. Lawrence reported to the Rattlers football camp Thursday, and was introduced to the team by Coach Joe Taylor. The redshirt sophomore Lawrence is expected to play both WR and centerfielder on the Rattlers baseball team.

Dropped balls and other mistakes were so few by the first and second offensive units that Florida A&M coach Joe Taylor seemed almost amazed by what he saw on a muggy, soggy Thursday afternoon.

"This is just quality work," Taylor said, following the Rattlers' second day of workout. "People get a chance to just learn. Even on the sidelines, we tell them these are mental reps (and) if you're not in, you still look at the play (and) look at your position; look at what's going on so when you get there you know."

Backup quarterbacks Eddie Battle and Austin Trainor took all of the snaps during the walkthrough drills, while starter Martin Ukpai was given the first week of practice off to recover from a medical condition. He's been attending team meetings and will return to practice Monday when the Rattlers suit up in pads.

At the pace that the offense ran through plays without many flaws, next Saturday's first scrimmage could be a better gauge. Taylor said he was especially impressed Thursday with the interaction between players on the offensive line to make sure that plays were executed.

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Help Wanted (FAMU): Division I Transfer QB

Coach Joe Taylor, looks over his players in the FAMU athletic complex weight room.

If Martin Ukpai is "the man" coming out of Spring football practice, Rattler football fans just as well take out "Help Wanted Ads" in Division I Collegiate newspapers around the nation.

The Rattlers are in trouble--Ukpai is the man with no reliable back up or experience in the quarterbacking corps. Is there another talented strong armed Curtis Pulley type running/throwing quarterback available? What other team in the MEAC could Ukpai, Eddie Battle and Austin Trainor sit at 1-2-3?

It's a safe bet to say not at Hampton; not at Morgan State and definitely not at two-time MEAC champion South Carolina State. Maybe, North Carolina A&T because the Aggies have a Blue Death, lights-out defense. The others, doesn't matter. They are all perennial losers going no where fast toward a conference championship.

But with one bad hit or a high ankle sprain in the season opener at the University of Miami, the Rattlers may be in for a long, losing season, unless transfer quarterback help is on the way. Remember, both Curtis Pulley and Eddie Battle were injured last season and the Rattlers lost 0-25 in a blowout to lowly Hampton (5-6, 3-5 MEAC), whereas, a Rattlers win over the Pirates would have placed a possible 9-2 Rattler team in an at-large NCAA FCS Playoffs spot.

Why risk the 2010 season on a weak quarterbacking corps that may not make it past Miami. Is Coach Joe Taylor becoming a gambling man? I have all the admiration and respect for Coach Taylor, the 3rd ranked winningest coach in Division I FCS football, even though he has not won one playoff game in his career and last won the MEAC championship in 2006.

With a five year contract at $237,000 annually (which is really pocket change for all Division I FBS head coaches at Miami, Florida, Florida State, U Central Florida, S. Florida, Florida International, Florida Atlantic, etc.), Coach Taylor gets paid for winning championships and graduating student-athletes. A career record of 214-84-4 is very impressive; however, with no playoff wins or an NCAA championship on this resume, it doesn't say much to the Rattler Nation. Legendary status in Rattlers lore is gained by winning championships, like previous FAMU coaches named Gaither and Hubbard.

However, Coach Taylor and his staff are to be commended for graduating nearly all of its student-athletes on time in employable major fields of study. Definitely, in the classroom the Rattlers are well on their way to become national academic champions.

As the Marching 100 plays Janet Jackson's "What have you done for me lately," it makes you scream -- "talented Division I quarterback wanted for 2010 Rattler football team that has all other pieces in place for a 2010 MEAC and NCAA Division I FCS championship run." One stud quarterback like Curtis Pulley at FAMU, deserves another....an another.

I am beyond being patient or hoping we make it with one young, talented quarterback named Ukpai. Too much is at stake in 2010; next year is this year and April is like September. Time for Rattler Nation to rise up and demand championships from this highly paid coaching staff. Season records of 8-3 and 9-2 are no longer acceptable if it guarantees a seat at home during the NCAA national championship playoffs.

Aren't you tired of watching other brands named Appalachian State, Elon, William and Mary, Richmond, Villanova, Delaware, Montana, Weber State, McNeese State and New Hampshire in the championship race, while we are not even in the conversation? If you are not, there were more than 6,500 die hard Rattler fans out for the Spring game that want the FAMU Rattlers to join the 2010 championship race.

If we don't join the race soon, upstarts like Old Dominion, Georgia State and MEAC newcomer North Carolina Central will be knocking on the championship doors before our coaching staff can ask, what happened? (beepbeep)

Will Martin Ukpai go where no other Rattlers quarterback has gone since 1978, or will he become just another name soon to be forgotten in Rattlers history? Ukpai will pen his own football legacy beginning on Sept. 4, 2010 against the University of Miami Hurricanes at Landshark Stadium.

We celebrate you winning the starting quarterback role, Mr. Ukpai. This 1978 National Championship Coke drink is for you (with me drinking it) and the 2010 Rattlers who aspire to win championships.

Ukpai earns starting QB role for the Rattlers

With just two more practices remaining before Florida A&M wraps up spring workouts, coach Joe Taylor came away from Saturday morning's scrimmage naming Martin Ukpai as the team's starting quarterback. Taylor said he also saw huge improvements with the rest of the team, which had left several questions after last Saturday's spring game. "I thought we ran the ball better, Ukpai had did a better job, I saw leadership from (Chris) Sands and the offense line communicating," Taylor said. "We really got better as a result of that spring game last weekend."

Ukpai, who spent the spring competing with Eddie Battle and Austin Trainor, looked like the one to beat from the opening series of plays. A part from a high snap to start an 80-yard drive that ended with a deep pass to walk-on receiver Brian Tyms, Ukpai was almost flawless working against the second-team defense. "He has so much athleticism; he just has to learn how to use it," Taylor said. "We have to get him to tuck that ball away. He has to stop dancing because when you start dancing you're 5-5, but when you keep running you're 4-6."

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