FAMU stops Albany State, 20-7

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Albany State’s defense gave the Golden Rams a chance Saturday night.

Their offense couldn’t take advantage.

And nowhere was the problem more glaring than on the ground.

Albany State finished with just three net rushing yards as Florida A&M pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 20-7 victory at Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium.

Three yards.

For an Albany State team coming off a 12-win season, an SIAC championship and one of the best seasons in program history, that number told much of the story of a frustrating opening night under first-year head coach David Bowser.

The Golden Rams trailed only 7-0 at halftime and 10-0 entering the fourth quarter despite struggling to move the football.

FAMU finally created some breathing room with 10 points in the final period before Albany State put together its best drive of the night.

Backup quarterback Vinson Berry directed a 14-play, 74-yard march and capped it with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Exavior Sherrod with 4:20 remaining. Jonathan Rodriguez added the extra point.

By then, however, the Rattlers had built a 20-point advantage.

The loss dropped Albany State to 0-1 and gave former Golden Rams head coach Quinn Gray a victory in his debut as FAMU’s head coach.

Gray wasn’t the only familiar face on the opposite sideline.

Former Albany State quarterback Isaiah Knowles, who followed Gray to Tallahassee after last season, started for FAMU against many of the same teammates he helped lead to an SIAC championship a year ago.

Knowles struck first.

FAMU took possession for its second drive of the night and methodically marched 76 yards in 12 plays, chewing 5:23 off the clock.

Knowles finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Jaquan Lee with 4:26 remaining in the opening quarter, and Emilio Bacardi’s extra point gave the Rattlers a 7-0 lead.

Then Albany State’s defense dug in.

The Rattlers didn’t score again before halftime, leaving the Golden Rams only one touchdown behind despite ASU’s offensive struggles.

Those problems were especially pronounced on the ground.

Albany State had just eight net rushing yards at halftime. Jayden Threatts had gained 24 yards on five carries, but FAMU’s pressure repeatedly pushed the Golden Rams backward and left quarterback JD Davis II with minus-15 rushing yards in the opening half.

Things didn’t improve after halftime.

In fact, Albany State went backward.

The Golden Rams finished with only three net rushing yards, five fewer than they had at the break.

Still, the defense kept them in the game.

FAMU finally put together another sustained drive late in the third quarter, moving 68 yards in nine plays. But once again, Albany State kept the Rattlers out of the end zone.

Bacardi kicked a 17-yard field goal with 4:37 remaining in the quarter, and Albany State entered the final period trailing only 10-0.

The Rattlers added a 37-yard Gabriel Cason field goal with 12:29 remaining to stretch the lead to 13-0.

Unlike FAMU’s first two scoring possessions, that one required no sustained drive. The Rattlers actually lost 11 yards on four plays before Cason’s field goal.

FAMU finally delivered the decisive blow less than four minutes later.

The Rattlers went 61 yards in six plays, and Chase Gillespie finished the drive with a 9-yard touchdown run with 8:48 remaining. Bacardi’s extra point made it 20-0.

Albany State responded with its best offensive possession of the night.

Berry moved the Golden Rams 74 yards on 14 plays and converted the drive with the touchdown pass to Sherrod.

It was too little, too late.

Still, Albany State’s defensive performance provided something encouraging for Bowser to take from his debut.

FAMU’s first two scoring drives covered a combined 144 yards and 21 plays, yet produced only 10 points. Albany State kept the Rattlers scoreless throughout the second quarter and out of the end zone in the third.

That kept the Golden Rams within striking distance for three quarters despite an offense that could generate almost nothing on the ground.

The challenge now is obvious.

Albany State returns to action Sept. 6 against Johnson C. Smith in the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic in Canton, Ohio.

The Golden Rams will head there knowing their defense kept them competitive against an FCS opponent.

They’ll also head there with one offensive number that will be difficult to ignore.

Three rushing yards.