TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Aug. 18) - While the Rattler Football Team was preparing for its first game against the Fort Valley State Wildcats, the MEAC released its 2011 football broadcast schedule on its television partner ESPN. Combined with other television appearances for the Rattlers, the Rattlers will be seen five times on television in 2011.

The Rattlers open their television appearances with a Thursday night ESPNU game on Sept. 8, against Hampton University in Hampton, Va. The next week, the Rattlers will face the University of South Florida in Tampa, Sept. 17, on the Brighthouse Network. Making it three weeks in a row, the Bank of America Football Classic against Southern University, will be broadcast on the Versus network on Sept. 24 in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

On Oct. 22, the Rattlers will face off against the Bulldogs of South Carolina State at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg, SC on ESPNU. Capping the broadcast season, will cap the regular season as the Rattlers square off against arch-rival Bethune-Cookman University in the Blue Cross Blue Shield Florida Classic in Orlando. The game will be broadcast on ESPN Classic.

In today's football practice, the emphasis was on technique. Offensive coordinator /offensive line coach, Lawrence Kershaw, put a premium on basic blocking drills for the offensive linemen. The same followed suit for the defensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs, who worked heavily on proper tackling technique.