In its third year in the SWAC, the Florida A&M Rattlers have finally reached the top of the mountain, defeating the Prairie View A&M Panthers 35-14 to capture their first-ever SWAC championship.
The win makes Florida A&M the first HBCU football team to win conference championships in three of the big four HBCU conferences (SIAC, MEAC, and SWAC).
The Rattlers’ ‘Dark Cloud’ defense put constant pressure on the Panthers’ offense, forcing three turnovers, including two turnovers by Javan Morgan.
On offense, Terrell Jennings gave the team a massive boost in the backfield, tallying 113 rushing yards in 17 attempts and scoring two touchdowns.
Jeremy Moussa completed 13 22 pass attempts for 188 passing yards and a touchdown. Marcus Riley was the team’s top receiver, catching five passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. He also had 28 rushing yards on two attempts.
For Prairie View A&M, Trazon Connley had his night cut short after getting hurt on a hit in the second quarter. He finished with just 91 passing yards, completing 7 of 14 attempts.
Backup quarterback Chris Herron came in the game to lead the team with 70 rushing yards on seven attempts.
Caleb Johnson contributed 56 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Ahmad Antoine had 52 rushing yards and a touchdown.
In the game’s first possession, Florida A&M’s defense immediately turned the momentum in their favor, forcing an interception on what was a positive drive by the PV offense.
From there, they scored touchdowns on back-to-back drives to take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. They would extend their lead in the second quarter, taking a 21-0 lead.
On the ensuing Prairie View possession, Connley was hurt after being sacked by Gentle Hunt, putting him out of the game, although he returned later in the quarter.
When he returned, he captained a Panthers’ scoring drive capped off by an eight-yard touchdown by Johnson, making the score 21-7 at the half.
After Florida A&M’s possession ended in a missed field goal, in the third quarter, the game was halted by a lightning delay that lasted over an hour.
When the game returned, Prairie View would cut the lead to one possession after taking advantage of an errant fourth-down conversion attempt by FAMU.
Florida A&M quickly answered, scoring on a 32-yard touchdown pass from Moussa to Riley, leading to the team’s eventual victory.
The Rattlers will now advance to the Celebration Bowl, facing the MEAC champion Howard Bison.
Florida A&M is looking to become the first SWAC school to win the Celebration Bowl since Grambling State won it in 2016.
