TALLAHASSEE, FL (Aug. 27) - If this weekend was any indication of what is to come, FAMU football fans are not fazed by the absence of the Marching "100." "At this point, we've accepted the reality that they won't be around. There is nothing we can do about it now, but the season starts this week," interim sports information director Vaughn Wilson said. A solid indication of fan support was the roughly 6,000 people who attended the Orange & Green Scrimmage on Saturday and the hundreds of supporters who attended Sunday's Rattler Booster kickoff luncheon at The Moon. Both groups were spirited, even with the absence of the band.

Head coach Joe Taylor, when asked for comments after the scrimmage, paused to note the mass audience that came out to see the players scrimmage. "First off, I want to say I was pleasantly surprised with the turnout of Rattler faithful. One thing we know for sure is that these people came out here to see football," Taylor said. "Football and marching bands are like hotdogs and mustard, in that they go together. We will miss the presence of our band because they did more than halftime, but we know we have the support of Rattler faithful," Taylor added.

The Rattler football team responded, putting on a very entertaining game that kept the attention of all of the patrons. Interim FAMU president Dr. Larry Robinson attended the game and said he was pleased with what he saw. "I hadn't planned to stay as long as I did, but every time I got ready to go there was a big play or a big hit and I just couldn't leave," he told the audience at The Moon. Robinson had a busy weekend supporting FAMU Athletics and the Rattler Boosters.

The Rattlers open this weekend in Nashville, Tenn., against the Tigers of Tennessee State University in the annual John Merritt Classic. Next week they travel to Norman, Ok., to face the Sooners of Oklahoma University. The curtain falls on the home slate on Sept.15, as the Rattlers open MEAC play against the Hampton Pirates.

In the absence of the Marching "100," a committee representing a cross section of the university has devised an enhanced fan experience. Hosting the games will be radio personality Joe Bullard. Bullard will regulate a "battle of the djs," as DJ Neaux and movie producer/MC Will Packer will represent the old school and DJ Demp will represent the new school during the game. At halftime, national recording artist FUTURE will perform a mini-concert.

Tickets for the Hampton game and all Rattler home football games are available at the FAMU ticket office. For more information, or to purchase tickets, please call (850)599-3141.