FLORIDA A&M HOLDS OFF NORFOLK STATE IN CRICKET MEAC/SWAC CHALLENGE

Reigning HBCU national champion Florida A&M stuffed out a potential go-ahead two-point play with six minutes left in the game to preserve a thrilling 24-23 come-from-behind victory over pesky Norfolk State in the season-opening Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge before 22,210 fans at Center Parc Stadium this evening. 

Florida AM quarterback Daniel Richardson completed 22-of-30 passes (73%) for 286 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for 32 yards on three attempts, to earn Most Valuable Playerhonors in the contest. The Rattlers also presented first-year head coach James Colzie III with a win in his debut. 

The victory by Florida A&M was the third in a row for the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), cutting the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) lead to 11-7 in the history of the challenge. 

The Rattlers trailed 14-0 after Norfolk State scored touchdowns on its first two possessions of the game before striking quickly in the second half to take its first lead of the game. Richardson connected with Jamari Gassett for a touchdown on a 55-yard catch and run on the fifth play of the third quarter to give the Rattlers their first lead at 17-14.

Highlighted by a 49-yard pass from Jalen Daniels to Kam’rynThomas, Norfolk State advanced to the Florida AM 11 on its next possession, but the Spartans had to settle for a 29-yard field goal by Grandon Willcox to tie the score at 17-17 at the 9:04 mark of the third quarter. 

The Rattlers responded with their longest drive of the game to regain the lead. The Richardson-to-Gassett connection struck again, this time on a nine-yard touchdown pass to the back of the endzone to cap off the 10-play, 75-yard drive, giving Florida A&M a 24-17 lead with 3:27 to play in the third quarter. The five-minute-37-second drive was also highlighted by third down conversions on Richardson passes to Koby Gross (12 yards) and Jaylen Ward (11). 

Norfolk State was still down seven early in the fourth quarter when its defense provided a much-needed spark. Spartan tackle Levontae Jacobs forced a fumble by Florida A&M’s Kelvin Dean on a run play. Safety Ivory Dean recovered the ball for Norfolk State at its 27-yard line with 11:31 left to play. 

The Spartans offense capitalized on the turnover with a touchdown to give them a chance to tie the score or regain the lead. 

Norfolk drove 73 yards on nine plays, capped off by a two-yard touchdown run by King, to cut Florida A&M’s lead to 24-23 with 6:09 left in regulation. The potential tying extra point kick was blocked by the Rattlers, but Florida A&M was flagged with a penalty on the play.

After calling a time out, Norfolk State elected to try a go-ahead two-point play on a run by Daniels instead. Florida A&M linebacker Aric Horne stuffed out the play, stopping Daniels behind the line of scrimmage to preserve the Rattlers’ one-point lead. 

The Florida A&M offense drove to the Norfolk State 12 on 11 plays to run out the clock and end the game. 

Norfolk State wasted little time to start the scoring when Kevon King (jr.) darted 82 yards for a touchdown run on the game’s third play from scrimmage. 

The Spartans doubled their lead to 14-0 when Daniels (so.) surged into the endzone from the one-yard line to cap off a 12-play, 73-yard drive that consumed six-minutes-47 seconds. 

Florida A&M needed just seven plays to answer Norfolk State’s score with a touchdown of its own on the ensuing possession. The Rattlers seven-play, 75-yard drive was capped off by a 20-yard scoring pass from Richardson to Thad Franklin with 55 seconds to go in the first quarter.

Richardson also connected on a 28-yard pass to Gross for a first down and scrambled for 17 yards to move the chains during the scoring drive.

After Florida A&M forced Norfolk State to punt on the ensuing possession, the Rattlers shaved three more points off the Spartans’ lead on a 33-yard field goal by Cameron Gillis at the 11:02 mark of the second quarter.

Norfolk State marched 52 yards on 10 plays to the Florida A&M 28 later in the second quarter, but came up empty after muffing a field goal attempt on a bad snap.

The Spartans held a 14-10 lead at the half.

Florida A&M won the total yardage battle 403-369. In addition to the 286 passing yards, the Rattlers collected 117 on the ground. Norfolk State rushed for 227 yards, led by a game-high 146 from King, although he was held to just 41 in the second half.  

NOTABLES

The attendance was the third highest since the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge moved to Atlanta in 2018, and the fifth-most all-time

Florida A&M was crowned 2023 HBCU National Champions with a victory over Howard in the Cricket Celebration Bowl at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta last December

The Rattlers hold a 16-3 lead in the series between the teams

Norfolk State appeared in the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge for the first time

The game was televised nationally on the ABC network