Forget about the famous marching bands, the big crowd at the Georgia Dome and the bragging rights to be earned at the Atlanta Football Classic.
There are more urgent concerns for the Florida A&M and Southern football teams. The Rattlers (1-2) are trying to prove they are as good as expected, while a victory against FAMU could rejuvenate Southern (1-2) after its 2-9 finish in 2010.
The classic represents a chance for the winner to get on track with style. It’s one of the bigger events in black college football, and FAMU and Southern are rekindling a rivalry that goes back to 1941.
The teams last played in 2008, when FAMU won 52-49 in Baton Rouge, La. Southern senior wide receiver Quinten Evans has vivid memories of that game, right down to the pass (“post route”) FAMU intercepted to preserve the victory.
“I feel like I’ve got to pull this one out for the seniors that felt that pain,” Evans said.
FAMU was co-champion of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2010, but hasn’t looked like it so far this season. The Rattlers’ lackluster 28-22 victory against Division II Fort Valley State was followed by a 23-17 loss at MEAC foe Hampton and a 70-18 defeat to FBS (formerly Division I-A) No. 20 South Florida.
Their performance has raised doubts about their ability to win the MEAC as predicted.
“We kind of got caught up in the hype of being co-MEAC champions,” FAMU right tackle Branden Curry said. “I think it kind of got into our head.”
FAMU coach Joe Taylor agrees that’s what happened and blames himself. He said he apologized to the team before the Rattlers played South Florida.
“As long as I have been in this business, how dare I buy into the hype?” Taylor told his players. “I shouldn’t have let you listen to any of that.”
At the same time, Taylor notes that FAMU started 2-3 in 2010 before closing with six consecutive victories.
“I told them to settle down and have fun,” Taylor said. “I don’t have any less confidence this is a good football team. Now we will see if we can weather the storm of high expectations and low performance.”
Taylor cited quarterback Austin Trainor as the prime example of that. The sophomore led FAMU to victory as the starter in the last three games in 2010, but has struggled with missing open receivers this season.
Taylor said he would play promising freshman Damien Fleming if Trainor continues to struggle, prompting Southern coach Stump Mitchell to interject: “That Fleming kid, you know, I was recruiting him, too. I don’t want to see him.”
Mitchell likes to play two quarterbacks. Sophomore Dray Joseph is the starter, and freshman J.P. Douglas, of Sandy Springs, also is expected to play.
“I’m confident in both of them,” he said. “I just let my gut feeling decide who I should play.”
Mitchell, a former NFL running back for the Cardinals and a long-time assistant coach, has had to change his preferred offensive approach with the Jaguars. He would like to run a pro-style and rush the ball more, but Southern has become more of a spread passing attack.
The Jaguars rank No. 16 in FCS (formerly Division I-AA) with 294 passing yards per game.
“I will still say I want to run the ball,” Mitchell said. “But the best thing for us is the passing game. At the end of the day I am going to do what we have to do to try to win the football game.”
