NCAAF

Florida A&M Rattlers at Norfolk State Spartans

· Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff
1-0, 0-0 Away
Final
24 - 23

Daniel Richardson has three TD passes in debut for Florida A&M as Rattlers top Norfolk State 24-23

Florida A&M outlasts Norfolk State to open season

It was the first game at Florida A&M for Richardson, who previously played at Florida Atlantic and Central Michigan. It was also the debut for James Colzie III as coach of the Rattlers.

Richardson's 55-yard pass to Jamari Gassett gave the Rattlers their first lead, 17-14 early in the third quarter. Later in the third, Richardson threw to Gassett for a 9-yard touchdown and the Rattlers led 24-17.

Norfolk State closed to within 24-23 when Kevon King scored on a 2-yard run with 6 1/2 minutes left in the game. FAMU's Jameel Sanders blocked the PAT but was flagged for being offsides. With the ball at the 1-yard line, the Spartans opted to go for two points and the lead, but quarterback Jalen Daniels was stopped short of the goal line.

FAMU then ran off 11 plays and 63 yards to wrap up the win.

Richardson completed 22 of 30 passes for 286 yards. Gassett had eight catches for 110 yards.

King had 14 carries for 146 yards with two touchdowns and Daniels completed 7 of 9 passes for 142 yards for Norfolk State.

King had 123 yards rushing in the first half and his 82-yard burst on the third play of the game gave the Spartans a 7-0 lead. A quarterback sneak by Daniels made it 14-0 later in the opening quarter.

Florida A&M bounced back with a 20-yard TD pass from Richardson to Thad Franklin Jr. and a short field goal by Cameron Gillis to trail 14-10 at halftime.

How To Watch

How can I watch Florida A&M Rattlers vs. Norfolk State Spartans?
  • TV Channel: Rattlers at Spartans 2021 College Football, week 1, is broadcasted on ABC.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Scoring Summary

NORF TD 1st Period 13:18 Kevon King 82 Yd Run (Grandin Willcox Kick)
NORF TD 1st Period 3:49 Jalen Daniels 1 Yd Run (Grandin Willcox Kick)
FAMU TD 1st Period 0:55 Thad Franklin Jr. 20 Yd pass from Daniel Richardson (Cameron Gillis Kick)
FAMU FG 2nd Period 11:02 Cameron Gillis 33 Yd Field Goal
FAMU TD 3rd Period 12:37 Jamari Gassett 55 Yd pass from Daniel Richardson (Cameron Gillis Kick)
NORF FG 3rd Period 9:04 Grandin Willcox 29 Yd Field Goal
FAMU TD 3rd Period 3:27 Jamari Gassett 9 Yd pass from Daniel Richardson (Cameron Gillis Kick)
NORF TD 4th Period 6:29 Kevon King 2 Yd Run (Two-Point Run Conversion Failed)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/50.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originFAMU https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2450.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originNORF
22 1st Downs 15
4-8 3rd down efficiency 6-11
0-0 4th down efficiency 0-1
403 Total Yards 369
286 Passing 142
22/31 Comp/Att 7/9
9.2 Yards per pass 15.8
117 Rushing 227
26 Rushing Attempts 43
4.5 Yards per rush 5.3
5-47 Penalties 5-31
1 Turnovers 0
1 Fumbles lost 0
0 Interceptions thrown 0
28:56 Possession 31:04

Game Information

Venue: Center Parc Stadium

Location: Atlanta, GA
Attendance: 22,210 · Capacity:

Southwestern Athletic - East

TEAM OVR CONF
Jackson State 8-2 6-0
Alabama State 5-4 4-2
Florida A&M 5-4 3-2
Alabama A&M 4-5 2-3
Bethune-Cookman 2-8 2-4
Mississippi Valley State 0-10 0-6

Southwestern Athletic - West

TEAM OVER CONF
Southern 6-4 5-1
Alcorn State 5-5 4-2
Prairie View A&M 5-5 3-3
Texas Southern 3-6 2-4
Grambling 5-5 2-4
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3-7 2-4
Full Standings

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