HUNTSVILLE, Ala. | The Alabama A&M University football team fell behind early and battled back off the strength of 21 unanswered points, but it wasn't enough to slow down No. 13/15 Florida A&M, as the Rattlers spoiled Senior Day with a 42-28 victory in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game on Saturday afternoon at Louis Crews Stadium.
 
The two teams combined for 31 first-quarter points, but it was the third period when Florida A&M took control, outscoring the Bulldogs, 11-0.
 
"Today didn't go the way we wanted it to go," Alabama A&M head coach Connell Maynor said. "The guys played hard. They played for 60 minutes and kept fighting. We fell behind 17-0 before we could even say hello. The guys battled back and we scored 21 unanswered points to take the lead in the game. 
 
"We gave up a late touchdown before the half and they took a 24-21 lead into the break. We got the ball to start the second half but turned the ball over. We made some mistakes and still had opportunities in the final quarter."
 
Florida A&M (8-1 overall, 7-0 SWAC) received the opening kickoff and went 79 yards in just five plays as Jeremy Moussa connected on a 49-yard bomb down the left sideline to Marcus Riley as the Rattlers struck early, grabbing a 7-0 lead with 12:25 remaining in the opening quarter.
 
Special teams continued to be a factor for Alabama A&M as Austin McCready was tackled for a 12-yard loss on a punt, setting up a 32-yard field goal by Cameron Gillis.
 
On the very next offensive series, McCready's punt was blocked and scooped up by Lovie Jenkins and bolted to the end zone for the 24-yard touchdown as Florida A&M jumped out to a 17-0 lead with less than eight minutes left.
 
Quincy Casey replaced Xavier Lankford at the quarterback spot and marched Alabama A&M 75 yards in 12 plays, aided by a pass interference penalty to close the gap to 10 points. Casey connected with Levar Gumms for a 9-yard touchdown as the Bulldogs trailed, 17-7, with 5:02 remaining.
 
Defense was key to Alabama A&M's next score as Kaleb Dawson picked off Moussa at the Rattler 43. On the very next play, Casey dialed up a long 43-yard touchdown pass to a diving Jacolby Hewitt as the Bulldogs trimmed the deficit to 17-14 with 4:16 left.
 
After an exciting first quarter, which saw 31 total points, the Rattlers were forced to punt the ball early in the second and Alabama A&M took advantage of penalties. 
 
Florida A&M's defense forced Alabama A&M into a punt, but back-to-back offside penalties gave the Bulldogs new life. On the very next play, Casey sprinted 24 yards into FAMU territory.  Eight plays later, Ryan Morrow caught the pitch and dashed eight yards into the endzone as Alabama A&M grabbed the 21-17 advantage with 8:20 remaining in the half.
 
The Rattlers answered, converting a 3^rd-and-16 as Moussa connected with Jeremiah Pruitte for 69 yards and on the next play, Kelvin Dean punched it in from 4-yards out as FAMU took a 24-21 lead with 6:31 left.
 
Alabama A&M (4-5, 2-4) got the ball to open the second half, but turned the ball over as Cameron Young fumbled the football and was picked up by the Rattlers at the FAMU 42. Florida A&M drove to the AAMU 1 but had to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Gillis as the Rattlers extended the lead to 27-21 with 11:01 remaining in the third period.
 
On the next offensive possession for Alabama A&M, the Bulldogs elected for a fake punt and was stopped, turning the ball over to Florida A&M at the AAMU 42.
 
The Rattlers capitalized off the short field and took more than seven minutes off the clock. On 4^th-and-goal from the AAMU, Jaquez Yant dashed into the endzone off the right tackle for the score, and Moussa found Koby Gross on the 2-point conversion, increasing the advantage to 35-21 with 56 seconds left in the quarter.
 
The Rattlers sealed the game just 12 seconds into the fourth quarter after taking advantage of a Casey interception. Kareem Burke scored on a 26-yard touchdown run as Florida A&M pushed the lead to 42-21.
 
Alabama A&M responded to the FAMU touchdown with a 7-play, 75-yard drive as Donovan Eaglin scored on a 4-yard touchdown run, cutting the margin to 42-28 with 13:03 remaining.
 
After a Florida A&M punt, the Bulldogs took advantage of two pass interference and one face mask penalty and moved the ball to FAMU 1 but could turned the ball over on downs.
 
The Rattlers ran out the clock to run their conference winning streak to 14 straight games.
 
CHECKING THE BOX SCORE

• Alabama A&M finished with 339 total yards, including 281 through the air
• The Bulldogs registered 23 first downs
• Quincy Casey went 19 of 37 passing for 280 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception
• Donovan Eaglin tallied 61 yards on 14 carries, with one score
• Jacolby Hewitt caught six passes for 98 yards and one touchdown
• Keenan Hambrick added six catches for 73 yards
• Austin McCready punted the ball three times, with an average of 53.3 yards per punt, with a long of 56
• Xavier Billingsly registered 10 total tackles, including nine assisted
• Florida A&M finished with 348 total yards
• The Rattlers recorded 17 first downs
• Jeremy Moussa went 14 of 27 passing for 245 yards, with one touchdown and one interception
• Terrell Jennings carried the ball eight times for 40 yards
• Jeremiah Pruitte caught two passes for 82 yards
• Lovie Jenkins recorded nine tackles, including five solo stops

NEWS & NOTES

• Alabama A&M and Florida A&M met for the 18^th time
• Florida A&M improved to 16-2 all-time against the Bulldogs
• The Rattlers extended their conference winning streak to 14 games
• Florida A&M entered the game ranked No. 13 in the FCS Coaches Top 25 and No. 15 in the STATS FCS Top 25
• Alabama A&M celebrated Senior Day, High School Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day
• The Bulldogs also celebrated the addition of nine new members into its Athletic Hall of Fame with a halftime ceremony 
• There was a total of 31 first-quarter points – FAMU scoring the first 17 and AAMU adding the next 14
• Alabama A&M used two quarterbacks – Xavier Lankford (started) and Quincy Casey 
• Alabama A&M scored 21 straight points after falling behind 17-0
• Florida A&M is now 21-2 over the past three years, with the lone losses coming to Jackson State 

UP NEXT  
The Bulldogs return to the road one final time in 2023 as Alabama A&M visits Bethune-Cookman on Veterans Day (Saturday, Nov. 11). Kickoff against the Wildcats is set for 12 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed live on ESPN+. The two programs will be meeting for the 19^th time as Bethune-Cookman holds an 11-6-1 all-time record, but Alabama A&M has won the last four games.
 
For complete coverage of Alabama A&M Athletics, check out the official homepage at www.aamusports.com. Remember to follow us on social media: Instagram (@aamuathletics) and Twitter (@_aamuathletics).
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