‘Fight to Finish’ in Florida Classic
Rattlers hoping to snap their losing streak against Wildcats Saturday.
Florida A&M’s run to prominence this season began with a loss to Bethune-Cookman in the 2018 Florida Classic.
The Rattlers have responded to last season’s 33-19 loss to the Wildcats in Orlando with their best record since 1998. The team is ranked No. 12 in the Football Championship Subdivision coaches poll, the highest-ranking HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) in the country.
FAMU has thrived despite a self-imposed postseason ban following an NCAA investigation into the use of ineligible athletes across a dozen sports.
Rattlers coach Willie Simmons has made sure the team keeps its composure on and off the field, and it’s translated to major success this season.
Simmons and the team have embraced the mantra “Fight to Finish,” helping the Rattlers stay focused on each game and the aspects of the season they can control.
The Rattlers (9-1, 7-0 MEAC) face the Wildcats (6-4, 4-3) in the 40th Florida Classic at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Camping World Stadium. The game will air on ESPNews.
Bethune-Cookman has won the past eight meetings between the teams.
For FAMU, the game means more than just snapping the losing streak.
The NCAA discovered 93 athletes from 12 sports were certified improperly to participate in sports from the 2010-11 academic year to the 2016-17 year, making them ineligible.
As a result, there will be no MEAC conference championship and no Celebration Bowl for FAMU.
Saturday’s contest is the final time the Rattlers will play this season.
“We have a goal this year of being named black college national champs, and so we know that that goal will be riding on the outcome of this game,” Simmons said, referring to the designation presented to the best HBCU team at the end of the season. “We wouldn’t necessarily say it’s like a bowl experience for us, but we have been in a playoff mindset the entire season, and this is basically the championship game of that playoff.”
Bethune enters the contest on a threegame losing streak. The Wildcats have struggled offensively during losses to South Carolina State, Delaware State and North Carolina A&T.
The Wildcats’ problem during the past three games, according to coach Terry Sims, comes down to executing on offense. The offense has faltered, averaging 16.3 points per game.
But past performances and records are tossed out when it comes to playing your rival.
“We don’t really have to get our guys up for this game,” Sims said. “… It’s the Florida Classic. Obviously, it means something. It’s for state bragging rights. A lot of these guys, they played with or against each other in high school. It’s definitely a great game. It’s a game that we look forward to.”
Both teams said this week they have not spoken about the past eight games in the series.
Simmons said this year’s Rattlers lineup never has lost to the Wildcats, and the series currently stands at 0-0. FAMU quarterback Ryan Stanley added the team must go 1-0 this weekend.
The last time the Rattlers came out on top in the Florida Classic was in 2010 when running back Philip Sylvester ran for 146 yards and three touchdowns during a 38-27 win. The closest FAMU has come since then to winning over Bethune was in 2014 when the Wildcats prevailed 18-17 in overtime.
“We can’t lose to FAMU. That’s our motto. We don’t lose to FAMU,” Wildcats quarterback Akevious Williams said.
If the Wildcats win Saturday, it would mean the past two senior classes would have gone without losing to the Rattlers.
FAMU has more on the line than just bragging rights. A win would give them the best chance to earn the Black College Football National Champion designation, the only postseason title FAMU could win this season.
“If we finish out this game 10-1, it puts us in the best spot to finish on top of Black College Football,” Stanley said. “That’s what we’ve been talking about in the locker room, is just going out on top one last time for this senior class and this 2019 football team. [It’s] the last opportunity to showcase our talent together.”