Florida A&M couldn’t pull off back-to-back homecoming upsets this Saturday, falling 27-17 to Jackson State in a crucial Week 7 Southwestern Athletic Conference showdown. After spoiling Alabama State’s party last week, the Rattlers traveled to JSU hoping to make a serious statement against one of Black College Football’s top teams, but the late-game spiral meant they left with a tough loss.
Parker’s Picks Spoil Offensive Flashes
The Rattlers’ offense had its moments, but quarterback Armond Parker’s three interceptions were absolute back-breakers. Right out of the gate, on their first possession, Parker overthrew Corey ‘Deuce’ Petty as FAMU neared midfield. JSU defensive back B.J. Washington picked it off and returned it 37 yards to the 10-yard line, setting up an easy Tigers score just plays later. Ouch. Parker did bounce back on the next drive, leading the team downfield and rushing in a five-yard touchdown himself.
But the miscues kept coming. In the fourth quarter, a miscommunication between Parker and center Tommy Bridgewater Jr. led to a fumbled shotgun snap that JSU recovered, and of course, they scored after that turnover too. Then, Washington got his second pick of the day when the ball deflected off Petty’s hands. The final nail in the coffin was Parker’s third interception, a shot to the endzone on a corner route to Luke Collins that Mikey Johnson grabbed to seal the game. It’s brutal to see those drives end that way. On the bright side, running back Jamal Hailey provided a huge spark for what had been the NCAA Division I Football Championship-worst rushing attack, exploding for an 81-yard rush and finishing with 111 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Overall, FAMU racked up a season-high 164 rushing yards.
Defense Fights Hard, But The Run Game Bites
FAMU’s defense had their hands full with JSU, who even swapped between quarterbacks Jared Lockhart and Caron Tyler. Lockhart, who had been battling a back injury and left last week’s Grambling State game at halftime, was still out there. The Rattlers showed some grit, with Andre Powell Jr. forcing Lockhart to fumble after a nine-yard rush and Anthony Baxter picking off Lockhart for the first time all season. They even held their own decently against JSU’s FCS-leading third-down offense for a while.
But the grind of being put in tight spots eventually wore them down. When it came down to it, they just couldn’t stop the run. JSU absolutely gashed them for 228 rushing yards, led by Li’Darious Pryor’s 80 yards and Nate Blount’s 63 yards and a touchdown on 11 attempts. JSU was up 12-10 at halftime and then just wore the Rattlers down, outscoring them 15-7 in the second half with back-to-back touchdowns that truly sealed the deal in front of a massive homecoming crowd of 44,173.
The Rattlers missed a huge opportunity to grab a statement win against a top program. And if that wasn’t enough, while there were no blocked kicks for the first time since September 10th’s game at Miami, the special teams woes clearly continued to plague them. It’s a tough pill to swallow when you’re fighting for that big win and things just don’t click.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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