NCAA Div. I: Southern Jaguars overwhelm Florida A&M Rattlers to end 25-year road drought

The visiting Southern University Jaguars put together their most complete performance of the season Saturday afternoon, overpowering the Florida A&M Rattlers 42–14 in an NCAA Division I FCS Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) matchup at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, snapping a 25-year losing streak at the venue.

Running back Trey Holly ran wild for 204 yards and two touchdowns, while defensive back Michael Williams II delivered the knockout punch with a spectacular 98-yard interception return for a touchdown as the Jaguars dominated on both sides of the football.

The victory improved Southern to 4–5 overall and 2–3 in SWAC play, while the struggling Rattlers dropped to 2–7 and 1–4.

For a Southern team that has endured its share of frustration this season, this was a long-overdue afternoon to celebrate.

Southern establishes its dominance early

The Jaguars wasted little time making their intentions clear. They were going to run the football, control the line of scrimmage and dare Florida A&M to stop them.

The Rattlers never really found an answer.

Holly capped a nine-play, 66-yard opening scoring drive with a one-yard touchdown run before Champ Davis added a 10-yard scoring run later in the first quarter to give Southern a 14–0 advantage.

Florida A&M finally responded early in the second quarter when quarterback Armond Parker connected with Jayquan Reid for a 23-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 14–7.

Any hopes of building momentum lasted approximately 21 seconds.

On Southern’s next possession, Holly burst through the defense and raced 65 yards for a touchdown, restoring the two-score advantage.

It was the kind of explosive play that has made Holly the SWAC’s leading rusher, and the Rattlers would see plenty more of him before the afternoon was over.

Williams delivers the knockout blow

Quarterback Christian Johnson extended Southern’s lead to 28–7 with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Aiden Valdez, but the game’s defining moment belonged to the defense.

With Florida A&M attempting to claw its way back into contention, Williams stepped in front of a Parker pass and raced 98 yards the other way for a touchdown.

Suddenly, it was 35–7, and the Rattlers were staring at a mountain they had little chance of climbing.

Williams wasn’t finished, either. He added another interception, finishing with two picks and 115 return yards.

Florida A&M managed one more touchdown before halftime when Parker found Corey Petty from 14 yards out, trimming the deficit to 35–14.

That would be the last time the Rattlers reached the end zone.

Holly powers relentless ground attack

While Williams supplied the defensive fireworks, Holly was the engine driving Southern’s offense.

The SWAC rushing leader finished with 204 net yards on 25 carries, averaging 8.2 yards per attempt and recording his fifth 100-yard performance of the season.

Davis provided an excellent complement, rushing for 62 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, including a one-yard score late in the fourth quarter that completed the rout.

The Jaguars piled up 311 rushing yards and 423 yards of total offense, converting an impressive 11 of 15 third-down opportunities.

Johnson needed only nine passing attempts, completing seven for 112 yards and a touchdown.

Southern also controlled possession for 36 minutes and 48 seconds, keeping the Rattlers’ offense watching from the sidelines.

Florida A&M struggles despite passing success

The final score didn’t tell the entire story of Florida A&M’s offensive afternoon.

Parker threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns, while Petty enjoyed an outstanding individual performance with seven receptions for 118 yards and a score.

Armand Burris added four catches for 60 yards as the Rattlers accumulated 366 total yards.

Unfortunately, moving the football and scoring points proved to be two very different things.

Southern’s defense limited the Rattlers to 87 rushing yards, recorded three sacks and stopped all three fourth-down attempts.

Defensively, Florida A&M’s Paul Gatley recorded five tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss, but the Rattlers simply couldn’t contain the visitors’ running game.

A long-awaited breakthrough

For Southern, the victory was about considerably more than improving its record.

The Jaguars had waited 25 years to win at Bragg Memorial Stadium, and they ended that drought emphatically with a performance built on physical football, explosive plays and opportunistic defense.

Florida A&M, meanwhile, will attempt to regroup before traveling to face Alcorn State on November 7.

After a quarter-century of frustration in Tallahassee, the Jaguars finally found the winning formula.

And they left absolutely no doubt about it.