Green, Orange, Royal Blue and Old Gold filled the stands of Bragg Stadium, in Tallahassee, Florida as the Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University Rattlers hosted the Fort Valley State University Wildcats on September 3, 2011.
The tension between then teams and the fans of both schools could be felt miles away, Fans were greeted by the smell of bar-b-que chicken, turkey legs, and burgers as they entered the stadium. Greeting fans before the kickoff, the Marching 100 Band of FAMU played Lift Every Voice and Sing and the Star Spangled Banner. The FAMU Rattlers won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball to start this tension filled game. With the Rattlers having possession of the ball, the Wildcats defense was able to stop them from scoring and the Rattlers had to bring out their punt team.
When the Wildcats received possession of the ball on their second drive, the first touchdown pass was completed to Wide Receiver Chris Slaughter from Quarterback Antonio Henton. As the first quarter came to an end the Wildcats were up against the Rattlers 7-0. As the second quarter started the Rattlers held possession of the ball. Quarterback Austin Trainor ran a 1-yard touchdown
The Wildcats took possession of the ball and made it downfield just to stopped by the Rattlers defense. The Wildcats kicker Justin Rosenbaum attempted a 47-yard field goal, he came up just short. Wildcat fans awed in disappointment. When the Rattlers took possession of the ball after the Wildcats attempted field goal, Noseguard Courtney Davis intercepted it. Once the Wildcats received possession of the ball, Henton threw an interception right into rattler hands. The score was now 14-7 with 7:23 left in the first half.
The Wildcat fans were starting to get disappointed but kept their spirits high as they took possession of the ball once again. FVSU receiver Demario Barber made some big plays and gained major yards for the Wildcats offense. As the Wildcats moved down the field they were stopped on 3rd down and 8. Kicker Justin Rosenbaum returned for another field goal. This time the kick was good. With five minutes left in the half the score was 14-12, the Rattlers were still up.
The game was still very intense and the ball was in Rattlers possession. Trainor threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Receiver Elliot. The Rattlers field goal was good and the Wildcats took possession of the ball again. The score was 21-12 with minutes to spare in the first half, the Rattlers defense tried to stop the Wildcats but they made it to the 42-yard line before being stopped. Kicker Justin Rosenbaum kicked a 42 yard field goal that was good. At the end of the first half the score was 21-15, the Rattlers were up.
The Blue Machine Marching Band of FVSU and the Marching 100 of FAMU put on a musical showdown for halftime. All of the players ran back to the field in excitement ready to start the second half of the game. Once the 3rd quarter started there was a lot of rumbling and tumbling on the field. Both teams defenses were so good that neither team was able to score. This was a great look for the Wildcats and their fans as they were looking for a comeback in the 4th quarter to try and beat the Rattlers once again.
As the 4th quarter got underway, you could tell that the Wildcats really came to play. Both defenses were still playing their hearts out on the field up until the last three minutes of the game. FVSU had possession of the ball, it was 3rd down and 5 and FVSU decided to go. Henton threw the ball long to Barber, it was caught at the 20-yard line for a Wildcats first down. Wildcat fans stood on their feet as they screamed OFFENSE while the Rattler fans stood on their feet-screaming DEFENSE. Henton threw the ball to Barber again, touchdown Wildcats! Fans cheered in excitement as there was 1:59 left in the game, it looked as if the Wildcats were going to take home another victory. It was Rattlers ball and the Wildcats Defense didn’t let them get any yards. It was 3rd a long and the Rattlers were going for it. Trainor threw the ball long to Lennon, the ball bounced off of Lennon’s helmet and into another Rattlers hands and securing the win for the Rattlers 28-22.
FVSU had 28 first downs compared to 13 for FAMU. The Wildcats edged the Rattlers in rushing, 55 yards to just 24 yards. And while just two yards separated the teams in passing offense (FAMU finished with 348 yards and FVSU closed with 346 yards), the Wildcats posted 401 yards of total offense compared to 372 yards for FAMU.
By Tena Grant
HBCU Buzz Staff
