Grambling's young talent still has growing up to do

GRAMBLING, LA — Grambling traveled to Reno, Nevada on Saturday to play a game it wasn’t supposed to win. And to little surprise, Nevada easily beat the visiting Tigers, 49-13. Though the game may not have been competitive, it gave Grambling coach Rod Broadway and his coaching staff a great opportunity to evaluate their football team.

The consensus? The Tigers have playmaking ability, but they’re inexperienced, and have a lot of growing to do. “We traveled with 62 guys, and 44 of those are freshmen and sophomores,” Broadway said. “There’s a learning curve there. Our problem is simple. We’re young and we’re talented. We just need some senior leadership, and we only have six guys in our senior class. Our guys are going to be okay.”

VIEW PHOTO GALLERY: Grambling at Nevada, 8/30

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Rattlers a mystery without game film

Hornets' Lavan suspects ploy by new coach

DOVER -- There is a new football coach at Florida A&M, which almost certainly means a new look when the Rattlers visit Alumni Stadium Thursday night to take on Delaware State. But the Hornets don't know exactly what that new look is. Hornets coach Al Lavan revealed Tuesday that he had not received the Rattlers' game film from their season-opening 30-20 win Saturday over Alabama State.

College football has a long history of tapes getting lost in the mail or being unavailable because of broken equipment. But the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference requires teams to exchange film and has created a Web-based system to eliminate such gamesmanship, which Lavan reluctantly suspects in the case of FAMU. "There is a procedure to get the tape," Lavan said. "They know they haven't sent it."

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Band Showcase 8/30/08: ASU, NCA&T, PVAMU, FAMU, NSU and SCSU

Alabama State University Hornets Marching Band

North Carolina A&T State University Marching Machine Band

Prairie View A&M University Marching Storm & Black Foxes

Prairie View A&M University Marching Storm & Black Foxes

Prairie View A&M University Marching Storm & Black Foxes

FAMU Marching 100- Pre-Game

Norfolk State University Spartan Legion Marching Band

Alabama State University Hornets Marching Band

South Carolina State University Marching 101

Howard U: Brothers in Arms

His Dream Deferred but Not His Duty, McElrathbey Carries On

Ray Ray McElrathbey allows a moment to consider the consequences of growth. He can smile about how three years ago teenage exuberance filled his mind with football fancy. Now he sits gazing at the suburban sprawl from a friend's eighth-floor apartment in Hyattsville as a college graduate, a father, a former Clemson reserve running back, a Howard graduate student and a survivor. He's a changed man.

It's crazy, because I'm in D.C.," McElrathbey said, staring into the late-afternoon haze. "The first time I got in a plane to go to D.C., it wasn't that bad. The second time when I came back, and I knew this was the place I was going to stay for at least the next two years, it was real strange. I wouldn't put myself in D.C. No way would I put myself in D.C. That's just what life is. It's unpredictable."

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N.C. A.&T. Aggies put celebration behind them

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Lee Fobbs allowed himself to enjoy the first win of his tenure at N.C. A&T late Saturday night. Once the clock struck midnight, he turned into a football coach again. "We're not going to discard winning the game," Fobbs said Monday of the 44-12 verdict over Division II Johnson C. Smith, "but it's all over now. We've got to get ready for our next opponent."

That's Winston-Salem State, which was idle over the weekend and owns a two-game winning streak in the series entering Saturday's 6 p.m. game in Aggie Stadium. Along those lines, the best thing the coaches heard all night -- save the declaration of the final score -- was the mind-set of the players, who quelled the celebration with admonitions of dire consequences to anybody who showed up late to Sunday's weight-training session. There were no reports of tardiness.



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FAMU linemen protective of Battle

FAMU quarterback Eddie Battle isn't going to come away from any game without grass stains on his uniform. His offensive linemen would like to make sure that's not the case too often, though. If Saturday's game is a gauge, they're trying real hard.
Battle was sacked twice and hurried twice in a stubborn stance by the Rattlers offensive line, which has just one senior and which paved the way for two quick opening touchdowns in a 30-20 victory over Alabama State.

"We take it very personal when our quarterback gets hit," said junior left tackle Robert Okeafor. "We want him to stand up right, clean jersey and clean pants. We don't want him to get dirty unless he slides somewhere. "When somebody sacks my quarterback or hits my quarterback I take it personally because I feel like I let him down."

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Joe Taylor (FAMU) Chris Poole (FSU) Make Impressive Debuts

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DSU's McBride named to Eagles practice squad

Former Delaware State wideout Shaheer McBride was among eight signed to the Eagles' practice squad. McBride said he found out Saturday in a phone call that the Eagles had released him, but was told he could be called Sunday by noon to find out if he made the practice squad.

Noon came and went without a call. Then came 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. before the phone finally rang. The voice told him to report to the NovaCare Complex and sign a contract. He had made the practice squad. "It's just the beginning of hopefully a long career with the Philadelphia Eagles," said McBride, a Chester, Pa., native.

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Fayetteville State takes advantage of NCCU mistakes

Durham, N.C. — North Carolina Central University committed five turnovers and two special teams blunders that led to a 33-22 Fayetteville State University upset victory, ruining the Eagles home-opener in front of 8,853 fans at NCCU’s O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium. FSU (1-0) scored its first four touchdowns following NCCU mistakes, including two fumbles, a blocked punt and a snap that sailed over the punter’s head.

On the day, NCCU (0-1) fumbled six times, four of which were recovered by the visiting Broncos, and threw an interception. The host Eagles amassed 339 yards of total offense, including 284 yards passing by senior quarterback Stadford Brown, but managed only 55 rushing yards as a team. FSU only needed 257 total yards with 172 through the air and 85 on the ground. The Broncos longest scoring drive of the contest was 26 yards, with two others covering 21 and 11 yards.

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Attendance: 8, 853 @ Durham, N.C. O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium (Capacity: 10,000)

Royster-Crockett continues career

Courtesy, Latasha Edwards, The FAMUAN

Student travels overseas to pursue professional dream in league

After being kicked off the Florida A&M University's volleyball team, Marrita Royster-Crocket could have wasted her talents, but instead she decided to take them overseas to Switzerland to pursue her dreams. Royster-Crockett was dismissed by the athletic department after being classified as academically ineligible last year.

"They told us we have to declare a major after August of our junior year to be academically eligible," said Royster-Crockett, a 20 year old, senior broadcast student from Tallahassee. "My transcript read pre-journalism instead of broadcast journalism. It was a technical error." That error cost Royster-Crockett both academically and athletically. She lost her scholarship because she was not allowed to practice and she was still unable to be a part of the team. She missed the whole season.

According to Alvin Hollins, assistant athletic director of media relations, the Athletic Department could not comment because the information is confidential. In October 2007, she was told her ineligibility was a mistake but she already missed half of the season. Royster-Crockett asked to be red shirted following the mix-up. A red shirt is when a player has five academic years, but skips a year of play without losing a year of eligibility.

Marrita Royster-Crockett was a sophomore Florida State University transfer student-athlete who earned First Team All-MEAC honors in her first season with the Lady Rattlers and made an appearance in the 2006 NCAA Championship at Florida. The 6-0/outside hitter averaged averaged 4.72 kills per game while hitting .270 and averaging 1.96 digs per game in her last season with the Lady Rattlers.

"They ended up giving me my red shirt and my coach stop contacting me," Royster-Crockett said. "They told me not to practice with the team and wait until next fall."

With a burning desire to continue her career on the court, Royster-Crockett turned to her mother Rita Buck-Crockett, a volleyball agent and two-time Olympian. Buck-Crockett decided to contact Techlaser in Cheseaux, a national team in Switzerland to prevent her daughter from ending her volleyball career.

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FAMU Lady Rattlers Nip Stetson In Tough Match

Courtesy: Stetson University

FAMU vs. Stetson Box Score

Tallahassee, FL – The Stetson volleyball team (0-2) battled hard Saturday morning against Florida A&M (1-1) but fell to the Rattlers in four sets. FAMU edged the Hatters three times by two points en route to a 26-24, 17-25, 25-23, 26-24 victory in the FSU Invitational at Tully Gymnasium.

The Hatters came back from a seven-point deficit midway through the first set to tie the score 24-24 on a kill from senior outside hitter Rebecca Orzechowicz (Miami, Fla.) but couldn’t get over the hump as Florida A&M scored the next two points for the win.

Set Two went much better for Stetson. Orzechowicz started the set with a kill and the Hatters never trailed en route to a 25-17 victory, finishing with a 7-2 run and a punctuating kill from junior right side Sarah Sears (Ashburn, Va.)
























FAMU Lady Rattlers Maria Gomez, OH 6-2 Jr. Guayaquil, Eucador/Nuevo Mundo.

Just as in the first set, the third and fourth stanzas saw the Rattlers just manage to hold off the Hatters. Down 8-3 early in Set Three, Stetson went on a 7-1 run to take the lead. Later, Stetson would go ahead 22-21 on an Orzechowicz kill and seemed poised to go ahead in the match, but FAMU once again snuck back ahead and won 26-24.

Set Four was a see-saw affair in which neither team had a lead of more than three points. Once again, the Hatters had a 22-21 lead they could not hold as FAMU’s Joanna Blazeski tallied kills for three of her team’s final four points and the Rattlers walked off the court with the victory.

Orzechowicz finished the match with a team-high 13 kills while freshman outside hitter Kaylee Ream (Venice, Fla.) had seven kills and just one error, hitting .273 in the process. Senior libero Melanie Boyer (New Holland, Ill.) recorded 19 digs while freshman setter Jennica Hagberg (Niceville, Fla.) gave the Hatters 33 assists and eight digs. Sears and junior middle blocker Laura Boyd (La Crescenta, Calif.) contributed six block assists each.

Blazeski had 23 kills and 18 digs to lead the Rattlers. Samara Ferraz had 19 kills while Maria Gomez (11 kills, 11 digs) joined Blazeski in the double-double category.

FAMU's Sept. 1st game with Tulane University was cancelled due to Hurricane Gustav landfall on the Louisiana Coast today.

Attendance: 136 (Capacity: 2,500) Lucy McDaniel Court at Tully Gym, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

More Battle of the Bands - FAMU, NSU, Tenn St.

FAMU gets right back to work

Rattlers have short week with Thursday game at Delaware State

During the next three days, there will be plenty of cramming around the Galimore Fieldhouse, where Florida A&M plans its pre-game strategies. Following their 30-20 victory Saturday over Alabama State, the Rattlers have just 72 hours to prepare for Delaware State. FAMU's first opening day win in eight seasons comes at a cost, as coach Joe Taylor tries to ride the momentum into their meeting with the defending MEAC champions Thursday night.

The team will review its game plan today and then practice in Bragg Stadium. Their only practice in pads will take place Tuesday, followed by a light workout early Wednesday morning before traveling to Delaware later in the day. DSU didn't play Saturday and FAMU's game plan will be derived from film of the Hornets' spring game. "It puts a little more challenge into it and that's why I was saying last night about building on what happened," Taylor said.

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Taylor's special hunch on Vann pays dividends

FAMU coach's intuition results in 99-yard return

Somehow, Florida A&M football coach Joe Taylor knew LeRoy Vann had it in him. And when it mattered most, the junior delivered — in a big way. Vann's 99-yard kickoff return went a long way toward helping FAMU knock down Alabama State 30-20 in the season opener Saturday night.

Less than 30 seconds after the visiting Hornets tied the Rattlers 14-14 in the second quarter, Vann tore through the turf on Bragg Memorial Stadium behind a perfectly executed wedge for an explosive 99-yard touchdown dash. The score was one of those handful of plays that Taylor calls "game changers." It was a play that helped alter the momentum as FAMU went on to win 30-20. The win was Taylor's first as the new Rattlers head coach.

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Stillman rolls past short-handed Miles College

The Billy Joe Era at Miles College that was launched with such hope two weeks before Christmas got off to a dismal start on Sunday night at Legion Field.

The Golden Bears played without more than half their roster in a 38-12 loss to Stillman College before a crowd of 25,370. Joe said he found out on Saturday that he would be able to dress only 40 of his 85-man roster for the Labor Day Golden Classic due to concerns the Miles administration raised about eligibility issues.

"In my 31 years as a head coach," Joe said, "I've never, ever been confronted with that issue before. I thought our guys played a great game with their hands tied behind their backs. "We had to change our special teams around, our offense, our defense. We were very, very, very - how many `verys' can I use? - short." The new coaching staff held meetings with their players until late Saturday evening, making changes in the game plan.

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Attendance: 25,370 @ Legion Field, Birmingham, AL (Capacity: 83,091)

Hampton hangs on in Holmes' debut over JSU Tigers

The Pirates overcome a slugglish start to top Jackson State in their season opener.

ORLANDO, FL - Just 10 minutes after walking off the Florida Citrus Bowl field, a stunning 17-13 MEAC/SWAC Challenge win over Jackson State still dancing through his head, victorious first-year Hampton coach Jerry Holmes tried to hold back his smile as he sat down at the post-game news conference. That attempt was the first loss of his career. Coming off a disappointing 6-5 season and fourth-place finish in the MEAC, the former Bethel star led the Pirates to their third straight win over the Tigers.

Coach Jerry Holmes and the Pirates will face Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL on the road this Satudary at 6 p.m. CST.

"It's exciting," he said. "Especially to get that first leading lady on the schedule as you try to forge some momentum for the season. It's a great feeling." Hampton trailed 7-3 at the half, but used plays on both sides of the ball to take control. JSU got the opening kickoff in the second half and looked as if it was about to blow the game open after driving all the way to the Pirates' 6. But Hampton's Rasoul Wilson picked off Trae Rutland in the end zone to end the threat.

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Attendance: 10,723, Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL (Capacity: 74,635)

Bethune-Cookman seeking return to former glory

The team's progress last season and new players are generating excitement

DAYTONA BEACH -- Bethune-Cookman finished 5-6 for the second year in a row last season and lost two All-Americans, yet the feeling of urgency is not the same as a year ago. In fact, coach Alvin Wyatt seems pretty relaxed these days. Part of the reason was the way 2007 ended. The Wildcats won three of their last four games and put an exclamation point on the turnaround with a 34-7 trouncing of archrival Florida A&M in the Florida Classic. A win over FAMU has a way of soothing the alumni, even after two losing seasons.

Coach Alvin Wyatt will have an uphill battle to improve the Wildcats standings with improving programs at DSU, SCSU, NSU, Hampton, Morgan and FAMU.

''One of our problems last year was we were weak in the third and fourth quarter,'' Wyatt said. ``Once we got a full-time strength coach [Britt Patton] we began playing better football. We nearly won our last five games. We just had a mistake here and a mistake there. ''Against Winston-Salem, we were driving to win the game, but we [threw] an interception. Hampton, we had them on the ropes.''

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Season Opener: BCU (0-0) vs. Alabama State University (0-1), Saturday, 4:00 p.m. ET, September 6, 2008 @ Daytona Beach, FL Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 10,000) Radio Coverage: WELE 1380am and Game Tracker.

Transfer receiver sparkles in TSU win over AAMU

Spillman scores twice against Alabama A&M

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — JaJuan Spillman isn't asked to do too much for Tennessee State. Since he's still new to the program, all that's expected of the Louisville transfer is that he score touchdowns. He does that well. The lightning-fast receiver touched the football three times through the first three quarters of Saturday night's game at Alabama A&M and scored twice. Spillman's big plays set the stage for a 34-13 win before a crowd of 10,072. The victory helped TSU snap a three-game losing streak to the Southwestern Athletic Conference power.

The last time TSU won its opener was in 2004, when the Tigers beat A&M 42-7. Finally beating the Bulldogs would have been more difficult without Spillman's heroics. After returning the opening kickoff for a short gain, Spillman got wide open early in the second quarter deep down field and caught a 65-yard pass from Antonio Heffner for a touchdown. The next time he touched the ball, 6½ minutes later, Spillman broke loose for a 94-yard kickoff return and another score.

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Attendance: 10,072, Lewis Crew Stadium, Huntsville, AL (Capacity: 21,000)

MEAC/SWAC Battle of the Bands 8/30-31/2008

FAMU Marching 100 Drill

FAMU Marching 100 Dance Routine

Hampton University Marching Force Band
Jackson State University Sonic Boom of the South Marching Band
Texas Southern University Ocean of Soul Marching Band
Alabama A&M University Maroon and White Marching Band

Weevils surprise UAPB Golden Lions

PINE BLUFF, AK — Is it too early to assume there’s more to the Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils than previously thought? UAM’s 21-7 season opening victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Saturday at Golden Lion Stadium in Pine Bluff suggests as much. The NCAA Division II Boll Weevils entered Saturday having won six games in the past three seasons, and were picked to finish last in the 11-team Gulf South Conference in a preseason poll. But that didn’t keep UAM from manhandling the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA ) Golden Lions offensively and defensively.

Sophomore quarterback Scott Buisson ran for 95 yards and a touchdown and added 193 passing yards and two touchdown passes for the Boll Weevils. “This ain’t a last-place team,” UAM Coach Gwaine Mathews said. “Defensively, I thought we had something to prove. I thought tonight, we did.” A defensive unit that surrendered more than 40 points per game in 2007 limited UAPB to 183 yards passing and intercepted Golden Lions quarterback Jonathan Moore three times.

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Attendance: 8,126 @ Golden Lion Stadium, Pine Bluff, AK (Capacity: 12,500)

SE Louisiana Lions stave off Alcorn Braves to spoil Jones' debut

LORMAN, MS - Ernest Jones saw his share of amazing comebacks in his playing days at Alcorn State during the Steve McNair era. In his head coaching debut at his alma mater, Jones came oh-so-close to seeing another one. Tim Buckley's fourth-down pass with six seconds left was just out of the grasp of Channin Pugh and Alcorn dropped a 34-28 heart breaker to Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday night in the season opener at Jack Spinks Stadium.

"I marched up and down the field during that drive and told my guys that we have a chance," said Jones, who replaced Johnny Thomas. "I played with a miracle-maker. Steve McNair made miracles happen and games like that we were in all the time. The expectations were that we were going to drive down the field and win the football game." And the Braves almost did that.

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Attendance: 3,000, Jack Spinks Stadium, Lorman, MS (Capacity: 22,500)

NSU Spartans turn it on, rout Virginia State

NORFOLK, VA - Slow start, fast finish. How fast? Usain Bolt kind of fast. The Spartans didn't just win, they overpowered their rivals from Division II Virginia State in the Labor Day Classic on Saturday 47-7 before a festive crowd announced at 17,132 at Price Stadium that appeared far larger. Speaking of big, the 40-point margin of victory was the greatest in the annual series that dates to 1963.

The Spartans (1-0) rang up the first 47, with 28 of those points earned in the second half. Virginia State's lone score came with 1:34 left in the game when NSU had a collection of backups on defense. After missing all of the 2007 season due to eligibility issues, running back DeAngelo Branche showed as much rust as a shiny new vehicle. A white towel hanging from his gold pants exclaimed "I'm back!" in colored marker, and the Trojans couldn't argue. Scoring three touchdowns, which matched his previous high from the entire 2006 season, the sophomore showed off elusive moves that should make him the MEAC's best.

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Attendance 17,132 @ Dick Price Stadium, Norfolk, VA (Capacity: 30,000)

Nevada Wolf Pack off to fast start with 49-13 win over Grambling State

The Grambling State marching band opened its halftime show with Earth, Wind and Fire's "Let's Groove Tonight." The Nevada football team took it literally. The Wolf Pack made the expected first-game miscues -- and a few unexpected bumbles -- but otherwise had a fairly crisp and ground-dominating start to the 2008 season with a 49-13 victory over Grambling State before 20,078 fans at Mackay Stadium on Saturday night. It marked the first time since 2003 that the Wolf Pack opened the season with a victory.

"It's great to get that first win under our belt," said sophomore quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who rushed for three touchdowns. "We haven't had that in the past few years. "(We) still had a lot of mistakes, though, and we need to improve those for next week." Nevada dominated the running game on both sides of the ball, totaling 426 yards and seven rushing touchdowns, averaging a whopping eight yards per carry. Four hundred yards rushing is amazing," Kaepernick said. "That tells you right there the kind of work our offensive line has put in the offseason and the kind of work they put in tonight.

Grambling State University Tigers Marching Band


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Attendance: 20,078 @ MacKay Stadium, Reno, NV (Capacity: 31,545)

Jacksonville Third quarter does in Savannah State

SSU Coach Robby Wells starts Tiger career at 0-1, as he learned Saturday morning that 11 players were ineligible to play against Jacksonville because of NCAA Clearinghouse issues. The Dolphins are a non-scholarship program in the Pioneer League.

Jacksonville (Fla.) University cornerback Robson Noel guaranteed a victory against Savannah State University and his teammates delivered Saturday night. After a scoreless first half, Jacksonville scored 17 points in the third quarter and held on for a 20-7 victory. A Memorial Stadium crowd of 4,441 watched as the Dolphins spoiled the head coaching debut of SSU's Robby Wells, and gave JU second-year head coach Kerwin Bell his first road win.

"I just knew our team was ready to play," said Noel, who made four tackles. "I'm very relieved. I owe it all to my teammates." Jacksonville, which does not offer athletic scholarships, is a member of both the Football Championship Subdivision and the Pioneer Conference. The Dolphins won their season opener for the first time since 2002, when they beat Lenoir-Rhyne, 37-27. SSU has not won its season opener since 2004, a 41-34 double-overtime victory at Norfolk (Va.) State.

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Attendance: 4,441@ Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 15,000).

North Carolina A&T Aggies rediscover that winning feeling

Photo Gallery of N.C. A&T record breaking win

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- After searching for almost three years, N.C. A&T finally found somebody it could beat. After losing 27 straight games, the fourth-longest streak in NCAA Division I-AA history, the Aggies and coach Lee Fobbs defeated Johnson C. Smith 44-12 Saturday in the first game of Fobbs' third season at A&T.

And there was great rejoicing. Maybe too much. A&T's band was admonished by officials in the first quarter, presumably because the Marching Machine was bothering its own team. The fans had no idea how much time was left on the malfunctioning scoreboard clock, so they just enjoyed the long evening as if it would last forever. By the end, it was the Smith band being chided by officials for making too much noise, and the Aggies taunting the opponents the way winning programs can taunt opponents.

It had been a long time.

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Attendance: 11,552 @ Aggie Stadium (Capacity: 22,500)

Joe Taylor Era at FAMU starts with a dominating victory

Make no mistake about it: Rattler Nation is buzzing.

The curtain rose on the Joe Taylor Era on Saturday, and the opening night revues are calling it a smash-mouth hit. Playing before an enthusiastic crowd of 18,088, Florida A&M turned back Alabama State 30-20 in its season-opener. "Everybody is excited for this football team," FAMU linebacker and team captain Vernon Wilder said. "We have a chance to be great.

"It was real electric here tonight." The Rattlers played opportunistic football. Alabama State won the statistical battle, putting up 378 yards of total offense to FAMU's 201. But the only numbers that count after the final horn are the ones on the scoreboard, and that's where the Rattlers were the undisputed champions.

FAMU vs. ASU Hornets Photo Gallery

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Attendance: 18,088 Bragg Memorial Stadium, Tallahassee, FL (Capacity: 25,500)