Florida A&M head coach James Colzie called the Rattlers performance so far “not acceptable” while placing the burden on himself to save the season.
“We’ve got to be more consistent,” Colzie said during his weekly media session. “1 and 3 is not acceptable here at this institution — not acceptable for myself, not acceptable for that locker room. To stay as the head coach at most universities, you’ve got to win and have success to keep that seat. I’m just putting some pressure on myself, making sure we understand what’s at stake.”
The Rattlers are currently in the midst of their worst stretch of football since joining the SWAC in 2021. They are 8-8 over the last 16 games, including 1-5 on the road.
Colzie noted that while the Rattlers have shown improvement in some statistical areas, such as turnover margin — they’ve committed just one offensive turnover all season — the on-field results have failed to match the progress.
FAMU has struggled offensively all season — averaging 17.5 points per game under the struggling RJ Johnson III and Jett Peddy, which is good for No. 9 in the SWAC. The Rattlers’ defense, which had been stout for years but faltered last season, is allowing 33.3 points per game and has recorded only three turnovers.
Rattlers have failing grade at season quarter point
“We’re in the plus range in turnovers compared to last year when we had a lot of giveaways, but we’re still not playing well enough in certain situations,” Colzie said. “To me, it’s a D across the board right now.”
The head coach was adamant that the blame does not fall solely on his players. Instead, he pointed to preparation and execution as areas requiring immediate improvement.
“I never blame the kids,” Colzie said. “If we only prepared them for something 15 times and it didn’t work, that means we should have prepared them 16 times. As coaches, we’ve got to do a better job getting them ready. When we play better, it means we’ve coached better.”
Florida A&M found itself with an unexpected bye week after its game versus Mississippi Valley State, scheduled for Atlanta, was moved, which Colzie said was used to sharpen fundamentals and prepare for a major test against MEAC power North Carolina Central.
“They’re a very, very good football team,” Colzie said. “We’ve got to play well in all three phases — offense, defense, special teams — and not just at home, but on the road, too. We just haven’t been able to put a complete game together yet.”
With the season nearing the midpoint, Colzie knows the margin for error is shrinking.
“The pressure is there,” he said. “We need to play faster, execute better, and put it together for four quarters. That’s the only way we get where we want to be.”
