TALLAHASSEE, Fla. | The
Alabama A&M University football team scored the final 17 points to defeat Florida A&M 40-21 on Saturday night at Bragg Memorial Stadium, giving the Bulldogs their first win over the Rattlers since 1979 and their first 1-0 start in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play since 2021.
Byron Perrilliat rushed for 223 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns for Alabama A&M (4-1, 1-0 SWAC).
Cornelious Brown IV threw three touchdown passes, including two to
Jaylan Bean, as the Bulldogs totaled 490 yards.
"I'm proud of the way our players responded when this became a two-point game," Alabama A&M head coach
Sam Shade said. "We stayed together, made plays in all three phases and finished strong on the road. Byron gave us a spark in the fourth quarter, and our defense created the opportunities we needed."
Florida A&M (1-4, 0-1) struck first when Armond Parker found Kieren Jackson for a 40-yard touchdown on fourth-and-4. Brown answered with a 24-yard scoring pass to
Jarel Williams, then connected with Bean for a 13-yard touchdown after
DJ Barber forced a fumble. A 64-yard Brown-to-Bean touchdown early in the second quarter made it 21-7.
Parker threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Petty after a Florida A&M interception. On the ensuing extra-point attempt, Nacarri Johnson returned a blocked kick for two points, giving Alabama A&M a 23-13 lead at halftime.
Parker found Lawrence Wright IV for a 2-yard touchdown in the third quarter and completed a two-point pass to Petty to cut the deficit to 23-21. Later in the quarter, the Rattlers recovered a
Devin Herring fumble in their end zone for a touchback, denying Alabama A&M a potential score.
Perrilliat scored on an 11-yard run with 13:13 remaining. Jaylin Chambers then intercepted Parker and returned the ball to the Florida A&M 40, setting up Perrilliat's 22-yard touchdown run.
David Faulk added a 26-yard field goal with 4:17 left.
CHECKING THE BOX SCORE
- Alabama A&M finished with 490 total yards, including 283 on the ground
- The Bulldogs recorded 29 first downs
- Cornelious Brown IV went 18 of 26 passing for 198 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception
- Byron Perrilliat rushed 16 times for 223 yards and two scores
- Jaylan Bean caught five passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns
- DJ Barber posted 14 total tackles
- Florida A&M finished with 173 total yards, including 171 through the air
- The Rattlers registered 13 first downs
- Armond Parker was 16 of 26 passing for 168 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception
NEWS AND NOTES
- Alabama A&M and Florida A&M met for the 16th time
- The Bulldogs improved to 3-13 all-time against the Rattlers
- AAMU picked up its first win over FAMU since 1979
- This was the first FAMU defeat against AAMU as a member of the SWAC
- AAMU head coach Sam Shade is now 2-2 lifetime against FAMU head coach Quinn Gray
- Alabama A&M starts 1-0 in conference play for the first time since 2021
- The 40 points scored on Saturday night were the most for an Alabama A&M team against Florida A&M
- The Bulldogs have thrown a touchdown pass in seven straight games, dating back to the Florida A&M game last season
- Cornelious Brown IV has played in his 48th career game and 21st in a Maroon & White uniform
- Mac Armstrong and Eric Handley also saw action at quarterback
- Nacarri Johnson returned a blocked extra point for a score
- The blocked extra point for the score was the first for AAMU since 2021 when Ja'Maria Green recovered it and returned it 98 yards for the defensive two-point conversion
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M returns to action next Saturday (Oct. 3) as the Bulldogs will meet Jackson State in the annual Gulf Coast Challenge. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. from Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. and streamed on SWAC TV.
For complete coverage of Alabama A&M Athletics — the Rocket City's only Division I program — visit www.aamusports.com. Follow the Bulldogs on Instagram (@aamuathletics), Facebook (aamubulldogathletics), X (@_aamuathletics) and TikTok (aamuathletics).
