Florida A&M Releases 2010 Football Schedule

If there weren’t so many question in key positions for the Florida A&M Rattlers, you would assume that the answer to their championship chances would be a resounding “no doubt about it.”

But injuries and inconsistency from 2009 slowly faded into graduation and the end of eligibility. And while the Rattlers still have one of the prominent programs in the conference, prominence doesn’t necessarily equal dominance; which is what FAMU will need to dethrone South Carolina State and hold off the likes of Norfolk State and North Carolina A&T.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the Rattlers open the season against the University of Miami; a stark contrast to their mid-season bodybag game from a year ago that hurt several key players and put an undefeated run to the MEAC title on hold. If they can avoid the same physical breakdowns and the mental letdown from this game, they hit the road for two solidly-winnable games against a pathetic Howard team and a Delaware State team that, until last year, owned the Rattlers for the previous five contests.

The Atlanta Classic against Tennessee State will provide an ample warm-up to carry FAMU into the home opener against SC State, which should once again prove to be the conference title game. SC State has not yet released its schedule, so its hard to draw a conclusion about what kind of Bulldogs team will travel to Tallahassee. But it shouldn’t be lost on anyone that FAMU has three consecutive weeks of light work going into the game.

Savannah State visits and leaves with a hefty defeat, and the Rattlers hit the road for what should be a close, hertbreaking road loss for FAMU. They draw Morgan State late in the season which means another home win, and visit North Carolina A&T for what may be the most attended non-classic game of the black college football season, which they also should win.

Home against Hampton to avenge last year’s stunning loss, and a closer-than-expected win over Bethune-Cookman in the Florida Classic will put the Rattlers at eight wins on the year, and biting nails over SC State’s outcome.

The battle to replace Curtis Pulley will be an interesting one, coming down to would-be-incumbent Eddie Battle and upstart sophomore Martin Ukpai. Kevin Elliott will again figure to be a major part of the offensive identity for the Rattlers, as neither of these QBs stretch the defense the way Pulley did as a scrambler.

Defensively, FAMU will be looking to replace the defensive presence of Bryan Parker and Greg Boler, who accounted for 75 tackles and four sacks combined. With them, FAMU had just the sixth-best defense in the conference. Without them, teams will challenge on the ground and occasionally open up with downfield throws, which will put a lot of pressure on senior cornerback Qier Hall.

And obviously, much of their special teams splendor defected with the departure of LeRoy Vann. It was an element that was a constant threat for the Rattlers, that won’t strike fear into opponents this season.

Talent and coaching-wise, FAMU should still be able to outclass many of their opponents. But all it takes is one or two miscues from a newly-assembled roster to turn a second-consecutive 8-3 campaign into a 6-5 clunker.

And we know that neither Joe Taylor or the Rattler Nation does clunkers.

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