NORMAL — Alabama A&M dropped a heartbreaker Saturday to end its home campaign, falling 26-23, against Florida A&M in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game during Senior Day at Louis Crews Stadium.
The Bulldogs (4-7 overall, 1-6 SWAC) trailed 26-23 in the final minute and had the ball, but quarterback Eric Handley was sacked as time expired to give the Rattlers the road victory.
Florida A&M (5-5, 4-2) could not take advantage of a Handley interception early in the game as Daniel Porto’s 50-yard field goal attempt was wide right, keeping the game tied at 0 with 11:52 remaining in the opening quarter.
Alabama A&M responded by driving to the FAMU 11, but David Faulk’s 29-yard field goal attempt was wide left with 5:42 left.
The Rattlers completed an 11-play, 80-yard drive on their next offensive series, which including a fourth-down conversion, as RJ Johnson II found Kenari Wilcher for a 27-yard touchdown as FAMU grabbed a 6-0 lead with 49 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
The Bulldogs closed the gap to 6-3 with 5:27 remaining in the second quarter as AAMU went 45 yards in eight plays, with Faulk tying a career-best 47-yard field goal.
After a Florida A&M punt, the Maroon & White needed just one play as Ryan Morrow busted free for a career-best 80-yard touchdown run as Alabama A&M grabbed a 10-6 advantage with 1:50 left in the half.
However, the Rattlers went right to work with their two-minute offense as Johnson scored on a 7-yard keeper, as Florida A&M took a 12-10 lead with 22 seconds remaining in the period.
Back came AAMU as Isaiah Nwokenkwo picked up 16 yards on the first play, along with a late hit penalty and Handley connected over the middle with Donovan Payne to push the ball to the FAMU 5 with 1 seconds left. Faulk booted his second field goal, a 23-yarder to send the Bulldogs into the break with a 13-12 advantage.
After AAMU’s defense stopped Florida A&M on its opening series of the second half, the Bulldogs went right to work, taking more than seven minutes off the clock and moving the ball to the Rattlers’ 12 before settling on a 29-yard field goal by Faulk to extend Alabama A&M’s lead to 16-12 with 5:24 remaining.
The Rattlers quickly answered on their next drive, marching 75 yards in seven plays with Johnson connecting with Wilcher for a 16-yard touchdown as Florida A&M grabbed the 19-16 lead with 1:39 left.
Alabama A&M slowly moved the ball into FAMU territory and on fourth down, Handley connected with Daveon Walker for a 36-yard touchdown strike as the Bulldogs jumped back on top, 23-19, with just over 10 minutes to play.
But the lead was short-lived as Florida A&M went 56 yards in just three plays as Johnson found Jalen Rogers for a 27-yard touchdown as the Rattlers took a 26-23 lead with 8:50 remaining.
The Bulldogs were forced to punt the ball with 4:39 left and FAMU attempted a 44-yard field goal, but Porto’s kick was blocked, turning the ball over to Alabama A&M with 55 seconds left.
AAMU had one final opportunity, putting together a drive as Handley was sacked at the Florida A&M 33 to end the game.
The Bulldogs conclude the season next Saturday with a trip to Houston to take on Texas Southern. Kickoff against the Tigers is scheduled for 2 p.m. and streamed on HBCU GO.
CHECKING THE BOX SCORE
- Alabama A&M finished with 460 total yards, including 233 on the ground
- The Bulldogs racked up 24 first downs
- Eric Handley went 20 of 33 passing for 227 yards, with one touchdown and one interception
- Ryan Morrow rushed 18 times for 136 yards, with one score
- Daveon Walker caught four passes for a team-high 63 yards and one touchdown
- Robert Cole punted the ball three times, averaging 38.3 yards per punt
- David Faulk went 3-for-4 on field goals
- Jordan Milton recorded nine tackles, including seven solo stops
- Florida A&M finished with 392 total yards, with 299 coming through the air
- The Rattlers registered 20 first downs
- RJ Johnson went 20 of 24 passing for 299 yards and three touchdowns
- Thad Franklin Jr. rushed 16 times for 65 yards
- Kenari Wilcher had 91 yards on four receptions
- Nay’Ron Jenkins posted 14 total tackles
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