BALTIMORE | The Florida A&M University football team, ranked No. 20 nationally, didn't need any late-game heroics on Saturday afternoon as the Rattlers extended their win streak to seven games with a 24-12 victory over Morgan State in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) game at Hughes Stadium.
On a cool dreary day, Rasean McKay started in replace of Ryan Stanley at quarterback and the redshirt freshman went 25 of 35 passing, with one touchdown and one interception. He completed passes to six different receivers as the Rattlers picked up the road victory.
After both teams traded punts to begin the game, Morgan State broke the early 0-0 tie as E'Munn Parker caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from DeAndre Harris to give the Bears a 7-0 lead with 9:21 left in the opening period.
Florida A&M (7-1 overall, 5-0 MEAC) responded with a 10-play, 70-yard drive as backup quarterback Rasean McKay completed a 3rd-and 13 to Xavier Smith for a first down, and two plays later, Davonne Kendrick scored on a 3-yard run, tying the game at 7 with 5:26 remaining in the first quarter.
After a big defensive stop on fourth down, the Rattlers marched 33 yards in seven plays as Yahia Aly booted a 50-yard field goal to give FAMU a 10-7 lead just four seconds into the second quarter.
Florida A&M's defense accounted for its next touchdown.
With the Bears moving into FAMU territory, Bob Jonjo was hit hard by Eric Smith and Terry Jefferson picked up the loose ball at the 50 and run down the left sideline for the score, giving the Rattlers a 17-7 advantage with 12:26 remaining in the first half.
Morgan State (1-7, 1-4) took advantage of a McKay interception as the Bears went 29 yards in 10 plays as Nicholas O'Shea booted a 22-yard field goal to close the gap to 17-10 with 3:13 left.
The Rattlers answered the MSU scoring drive with an 8-play, 72-yard drive, giving FAMU a 24-10 lead with 33 seconds remaining in the quarter.
During the drive, Smith rushed 17 yards as he received the ball going to his left, then cut back and reversed field and turning what would have been negative yardage into positive yards for a first down. FAMU capped the drive five plays later as McKay tossed a 21-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Jennings as the Rattlers extended the advantage to 24-10 with 33 seconds left in the quarter.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Rattlers were forced to punt, and Chris Faddoul's kick was blocked as the ball rolled out of the back of the endzone with Morgan State cutting the deficit to 24-12 with 14:50 remaining.
Turning Point
Florida A&M did all the damage in the first half as Rasean McKay was 13 of 17 passing for 141 yards.
After a slow start, the Rattlers scored 17 unanswered points and did not look back after a 17-7 second-quarter lead.
But the real turning point came after the Rattlers grabbed a 10-7 advantage after a Yahia Aly 50-yard field goal with 14:56 remaining in the first half.
Morgan State received the ball on the ensuing kickoff and moved into FAMU territory. However, Bob Jonjo, Jr. fumbled the ball on an explosive hit by Eric Smith, and the ball rolled free. Terry Jefferson picked up the loose ball and rumbled 50 yards for the score, which pushed the margin to 17-7 with 12:26 left in the second.
A 22-yard field goal by Nicholas O'Shea cut the deficit to 17-10 with just over three minutes left in the period, but McKay engineered an 8-play, 72-yard drive, capped by a 21-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Jennings.
With that score, Morgan State could not recover.
Inside the Numbers
> Florida A&M finished 19 first downs and 363 total yards of offense
> Terrell Jennings led the ground game with 51 yards on 18 carries
> Rasean McKay went 25 of 35 passing for 246 yards, with one touchdown and one interception
> George Webb caught six passes for 50 yards
> Xavier Smith registered 68 yards on five catches
> Chris Faddoul punted the ball four times for 198 yards, averaging 49.5 yards per punt
> Chris Faddoul had two punts inside the 20, one touchback and posted a long of 61 yards
> Elijah Richardson recorded 10 tackles, including six solo stops
> Morgan State finished with 19 first downs and 280 total yards
> Jabriel Johnson registered 22 yards on five carries
> DJ Golatt, Jr. was 11 of 25 passing for 138 yards
> DeAndre Harris went 5 of 13 passing for 56 yards, with one touchdown and one interception
> Marquise Thorns and Rico Kennedy each registered eight tackles
News & Notes
> This was the 32nd meeting between Florida A&M and Morgan State
> Florida A&M's win streak of seven straight games is the longest since the 1998 season when the team won 10 straight
> The Rattlers improved to 21-8 overall against Morgan State and won its second consecutive meeting against the Bears
> FAMU head coach Willie Simmons improved to 2-0 against Morgan State
> Rasean McKay made his first collegiate start at quarterback
> Florida A&M earned its first nationally ranking in a decade (2009)
> The Rattlers are ranked No. 1 in the SBN Black College Football Player, No. 1 in the BOXTOROW Coaches Poll, No. 20 in the STATS FCS Top 25 and No. 23 in the FCS Coaches Poll
> Punter Chris Faddoul was named the MEAC Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday
> Florida A&M came into the game ranking tops in the conference in pass offense, pass efficiency, PAT kicking, punting, sacks against, kickoff coverage and third-down conversions, while second in time of possession, kickoff returns, interceptions, first downs, scoring offense and total offense
> The Rattlers entered rank fourth in the FCS in sacks allowed, sixth in fumbles lost, 10th in third-down conversion percentage, 10th in passing offense, 10th in time of possession and 10th in turnover margin
> Markquese Bell is 11th in the FCS in passes defended
> Xavier Smith ranks 10th in the FCS in receptions per game and 12th in receiving yards per game
> Ryan Stanley, who did not play on Saturday, remains two touchdowns shy of breaking Quinn Gray's mark of 57
> Ryan Stanley also remains just 25 passing attempts away from the school record, currently held by Quinn Gray
> McKay's win was the first for a redshirt freshman quarterback since Ryan Stanley's victory over Savannah State in 2016
Up Next
Florida A&M returns to action on Nov. 2 and will play host to Delaware State. Kickoff against Delaware State is set for 4 p.m. from Bragg Memorial Stadium and the game will be streamed live on ESPN3.
The last time these two teams met was in 2016, but the 41-27 Florida A&M win was vacated due to NCAA sanctions.
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