For first-year Florida A&M head coach James Colzie, the standard in one important area of the Rattlers on-field football operation has yet to be met.
Though the first two games of the regular season, it has been noticeable that the defense has been unable to shackle opponents’ rushing attacks.
In the season opener against what was considered a pedestrian Norfolk State offense, FAMU allowed 227 yards on 5.3 yards per attempt. And between Kevon King and X’Zavion Evans, they combined to average 7.5 yards per carry alone for the Spartans.
While the run defense was not gashed as often against South Carolina State last Saturday, it still allowed 154 yards in a 22-18 win over the Bulldogs.
Colzie explained that the Rattlers’ defensive linemen were either out of alignment or creating rushing lanes by shooting out of their designated gaps along the line of scrimmage.
Whatever the case, the performance through eight quarters did not sit well with the coach.
“There is a standard around here where we make sure they (the opposition) are under 100 (rushing) yards,” said Colzie on Tuesday. “We haven’t done that yet. So the first two games, we are below our standard as far as what we want to be doing defensively.”
How far off the standard are the Rattlers so far? In the 13-game HBCU national championship season, the Florida A&M defense allowed an average of 95.4 per game to opposing rushers. Though two games are a small sample size, FAMU has given up 190 yards on the ground.
As a result, Colzie indicated adjustments to personnel and how they are deployed will be made. The plan ahead of its matchup with No. 12 Miami (Fla.) is to rotate defensive linemen to keep the unit fresh. There will also be an emphasis on tackling and proper alignment against a Hurricanes offense that reeled off 144 rushing yards in a 41-17 win at Florida.
“We have to make sure we take care of the run before we take of the pass,” said Colzie. “We still have some things to work on.”
