Rattlers Come Back From Halftime Deficit to Take Down Norfolk State 24-23

Courtesy of FAMU Athletics

ATLANTA, Ga. –– Florida A&M rallied from a four-point halftime deficit to beat Norfolk State 24-23 on the road on Saturday night.

The win improved Florida A&M’s record to 1-0 on the season while the Spartans fell to 0-1.

Daniel Richardson led Florida A&M’s passing attack with 286 yards through the air, tossing three touchdowns without throwing an interception as he was named the game’s most valuable player.

Kelvin Dean totaled 49 yards to lead the Rattlers’ ground attack in the game, picking up 4.5 yards per carry along the way. Thad Franklin Jr. also tacked on 38 yards on the ground, picking up 4.8 yards per carry, as well as 39 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Jamari Gassett reeled in eight catches for 110 yards and two scores.

Nay’Ron Jenkins showed out for the Florida A&M defense, totaling six tackles, 1.5 TFL, and one sack.

The Florida A&M offense did a good job extending drives, converting on 50 percent of third-down attempts.

Defensively, Florida A&M held up fairly well against the Norfolk State passing attack, holding the Spartans to 142 yards through the air.

How It Happened

After Norfolk State jumped out to a 14-0 lead, Florida A&M responded with :55 remaining in the first quarter to narrow the margin to 14-7 after Richardson connected with Franklin Jr. on a 20-yard touchdown.The Rattlers then scored again, narrowing their deficit to 14-10.

Florida A&M followed with a 55-yard touchdown reception from to Gassett at the 12:37 mark in the third quarter and took a 17-14 lead in the process.Norfolk State came back to tie the game at 17-17, but the Rattlers answered back with a nine-yard touchdown pass from to Gassett to retake the lead at 24-17. Florida A&M defense stepped up stopping the Spartans on a 2-point conversion after giving up a touchdown to hold on to a 24-23 lead.

Game Notes

» Florida A&M outgained Norfolk State 403-369, including a 286-142 advantage through the air.
» Florida A&M had their highest scoring quarter in the third period, when they put up 14 points.
» Florida A&M converted 4 of 8 third downs while Norfolk State was successful on 6 of 11.
» The Rattlers had two players with more than eight tackles in the ballgame led by Andre Powell Jr., who had eight.
» The Rattlers didn’t allow a sack in the contest.
» Daniel Richardson completed 73.3% of his passes on the day, going 22-for-30 while averaging 9.5 yards per attempt.
» Jalen Daniels led the Spartans passing attack, completing seven of his nine attempts for 142 yards.
» Kevon King led the Norfolk State rushing attack with 146 yards and two touchdowns.

Follow Florida A&M Athletics 
For complete coverage of Florida A&M athletics, download the official Florida A&M Rattler app and follow the Rattlers on social media at @FAMUAthletics (X), FAMUAth (Facebook), and @famuathletics (Instagram).