HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – While the first three games have had crowds and plays and scores, the real season begins now as Alabama A&M (0-3, 0-0 SWAC) football gets down to business with their Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opener at Florida A&M (1-2, 0-0 SWAC) on Saturday, September 24. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. (CST) at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.
 
WHERE TO WATCH
Fans can get full coverage on air through a live ESPN+ broadcast as well as through live stats and catch up on all the action following the game on www.AAMUSports.com, the official online home of Alabama A&M Athletics.
 
SLOWING DOWN AN OFFENSIVE JUGGERNAUT
In their return to Louis Crews Stadium the Bulldogs faced one of the top scoring teams at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level and held them down like almost no one else they have faced this year.
 
That foe would take the form of Austin Peay, who drilled Presbyterian 63-0 and Mississippi Valley State 41-0 in consecutive games entering the first ever meeting. The only team to hold them to fewer points than A&M in their 28-3 defeat would be Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) member Western Kentucky, and that by just one point at 38-27.
 
Alabama A&M would go up 3-0 on their first drive and see APSU score a touchdown late in the first quarter to make it 7-3. And there it would stay until five minutes into the third before two late scores in the fourth, a 13-yard TD pass at the 5:34 mark and a 60-yard scoop-and-score, made the final score not indicative of the strong defensive performance.
 
Junior defensive end Zareon Hayes (Dillon, S.C.), while not a one-man wrecking crew, was pretty close as he hammered the offense for six tackles, two for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. He was joined by senior linebacker Dre Terry (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) with six stops, including a pair in the backfield, and senior safety Saeed Holt (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and sophomore safety Charles Bell VI (Germantown, Md.) with 10 and nine tackles, respectively.
 
ABOUT THE GAME
The Bulldogs hit the road once again, this time at Florida A&M to kick off eight straight SWAC contests through the end of the 2022 regular season. It is also one of just two true league road games on the schedule with the other coming at Mississippi Valley State on November 3.
 
A&M will take to the road three more times the rest of the way but each will be at a neutral site, beginning with the St. Louis River City HBCU Football Classic against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on October 16.
 
That will be followed with the Magic City Classic against Alabama State on October 29 in Birmingham, Alabama and a trip to Mobile, Alabama for a showdown with Jackson State in the 2022 Gulf Coast Challenge on November 12.
 
Beyond that, this will be just the third trip to the State of Florida in the program's NCAA Division I history (since 1998) and only the second time they will have played a Florida based team in their home state.
 
The first trip was a 47-13 loss to North Carolina A&T on August 31, 2014 as part of the 10^th Annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Orlando, Florida. It would be seven years until the next trip to the Sunshine State when the Bulldogs played SWAC newcomer Bethune-Cookman on ESPN2, notching a 30-27 victory in a driving rainstorm on September 16, 2021.
 
Overall, A&M has a 1-1 record against teams from Florida, with both coming last year. They earned that three-point win over the Wildcats and then later fell 35-31 to FAMU on October 16.
 
RACKING UP THE HONORS (SEASON EDITION)
While more than half the roster is new the returnees are well known and have racked up the preseason recognition.
 
That started with three All-SWAC Preseason selections as senior running back Gary Quarles (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) and senior wide receiver Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim (Miramar, Fla.) earned Second-Team while junior offensive lineman Carson Vinson (Cary, N.C.) was selected to the Second-Team.
 
Quarles and Ibrahim would add to the mantle with the latter picking up Stats Perform FCS Preseason Third-Team All-American honors while both he and the diminutive tailback were named to the BOXTOROW Preseason All-American Team.
 
Ibrahim is also now a 10-time All-American following his most recent honor, a Second-Team selection by Hero Sports and both he and Quarles have been named to the prestigious Deacon Jones Award Watch list representing the top player from a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).
 
MORE THAN 70-PERCENT OF A SEASON IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The Bulldogs are a popular choice to hit the airwaves in 2022 as more than 70-percent of their season will be on national television.
 
In an 11-game schedule, A&M will be featured six times by traditional networks, beginning with CBS Sports Network carrying the season-opening UAB contest. Also being picked up will be Troy (ESPN3), Florida A&M (ESPN+), Alabama State (ESPN Networks), Mississippi Valley State (ESPNU) and Jackson State (ESPN+).
 
That slate plays to the fan that can't get to all the road games as every single one of those six games are on the road. A&M will also see a pair of home games aired on the new endeavor that is HBCUGo, with those being the October 8 game against Grambling and the regular season finale with Texas Southern on November 19.
 
NATIONAL TV BROADCAST SCHEDULE
9/1/22 at UAB (CBS Sports Network)
9/10/22 at Troy (ESPN3)
9/24/22 at Florida A&M (ESPN+)
10/8/22 vs. Grambling (HBCUGo)
10/29/22 at Alabama State (ESPN Networks)%
11/3/22 at Mississippi Valley State (ESPNU)
11/12/22 at Jackson State (ESPN+)$
11/19/22 vs. Texas Southern (HBCUGo)
%Magic City Classic in Birmingham, Alabama
$Gulf Coast Challenge in Mobile, Alabama
 
ABOUT THE FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY RATTLERS
The Rattlers almost didn't open the season at Power 5 and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) member North Carolina (8/27) due to eligibility issues before posting a respectable 56-24 final given the circumstances.
 
They followed that, however, by being on the wrong end of a 59-3 score against Jackson State (9/4) at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. Most recently they posted a23-13 victory over NCAA Division II Albany State (9/10) but have been dormant for the past 14 days.
 
LET'S GET SERIE-OUS – OR NOT (PART 2) …
It is one of the briefest series histories in the history of the program as last year's meeting on October 16 was the first ever. The Rattlers hold a 1-0 advantage by virtue of their come-from-behind 35-31 victory.
 
Scouting The Alabama A&M University Bulldogs
Record: 0-3, 0-0 SWAC
Last Time Out: L, 28-3 vs. Austin Peay on September 17
Streak: Three Losses
 
Quick Links
Football Home Page
Schedule
Roster
Statistics

Individual Statistical Offensive Leaders
Passing Yards: Xavier Lankford – 404
Passing Touchdowns: N/A – 0
Completions: Xavier Lankford – 43
Completion Percentage: Xavier Lankford – .483
Rushing Yards: Gary Quarles – 127
Rushing Touchdowns: Harold Jemison, Gary Quarles – 1
Carries: Gary Quarles – 48
Receiving Yards: Isiah Cox – 192
Receiving Touchdowns: N/A – 0
Receptions: Brian Jenkins, Jr. – 20
 
Individual Statistical Defensive Leaders
Tackles: Charles Bell VI – 14
Tackles (Solo): Charles Bell VI – 8
Tackles (Assisted): Moses Douglass – 9
Tackles For Loss: Zareon Hayes – 4.0
Sacks: Thomas Douglas – 2.0
Interceptions: Moses Douglass, Elijah Eberhardt, Avian Rice – 1
 
Individual Statistical Special Team Leaders
Field Goals Made: Zach Alvarez – 1 (1-of-1)
Punting Yards: Troy Lendvay – 548
Touchbacks: N/A – 0
Inside 20-Yard Line: Troy Lendvay – 4
Punt Returns: Marquez Beason, Terrell Gardner – 1
Punt Return Yards: Marquez Beason – 8
Kickoff Returns: Terrell Gardner – 5
Kickoff Return Yards: Terrell Gardner – 116
 
Team Statistics
Scoring: 6.7
Passing: 208.0
Rushing: 83.3
Total Offense: 291.3
Touchdowns: 2
Kickoff Return Average: 22.5
Punt Return Yards Average: 7.0
Time of Possession: 32:57
Sacks: 4
Interceptions: 3
Tackles: 226
Tackles For Loss: 21.0


Scouting The Florida A&M University Rattlers
Record: 1-2, 0-0 SWAC
Last Time Out: W, 23-13 vs. Albany State on September 10
Streak: One Win
 
Quick Links
Football Home Page
Schedule
Roster
Statistics
 
Individual Statistical Offensive Leaders
Passing Yards: Jeremy Moussa – 611
Passing Touchdowns: Jeremy Moussa – 3
Completions: Jeremy Moussa – 55
Completion Percentage: Jeremy Moussa – .585
Rushing Yards: De'Andre Francis – 79
Rushing Touchdowns: De'Andre Francis, Jaylen McCloud – 1
Carries: De'Andre Francis – 19
Receiving Yards: Xavier Smith – 222
Receiving Touchdowns: AJ Davis, Trevonte Davis, Xavier Smith – 3
Receptions: Xavier Smith – 22
 
Individual Statistical Defensive Leaders
Tackles: Isaiah Major – 20
Tackles (Solo): Isaiah Major – 13
Tackles (Assisted): Nadarius Fagan – 11
Tackles For Loss: James Ash, Isaiah Major, Stanley Mentor – 1.5
Sacks: Isaiah Land, Isaiah Major – 1.0
Interceptions: Kamari Stephens, Timothy Williams, Jr. – 1
 
Individual Statistical Special Team Leaders
Field Goals Made: Jose Romo-Martinez – 5 (5-of-5)
Punting Yards: Chris Faddoul – 653
Touchbacks: N/A – 0
Inside 20-Yard Line: Chris Faddoul – 4
Punt Returns: Xavier Smith – 2
Punt Return Yards: Xavier Smith – 8
Kickoff Returns: Xavier Smith – 4
Kickoff Return Yards: Xavier Smith – 77
 
Team Statistics
Scoring: 16.7
Passing: 210.0
Rushing: 85.0
Total Offense: 295.0
Touchdowns: 5
Kickoff Return Average: 15.9
Punt Return Yards Average: 4.0
Time of Possession: 28:21
Sacks: 2
Interceptions: 2
Tackles: 197
Tackles For Loss: 12.0