For the Florida A&M football team, it was better late than never during Saturday’s Celebration Bowl against Howard at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
After scoring 10 points through the first three quarters, the Rattlers erupted for three fourth-quarter touchdowns and outscored Howard 20-10 in the final frame on their way to a 30-26 win over the Bison.
FAMU (12-1, 8-0 SWAC) raised the Celebration Bowl trophy for the first time, as it was the first appearance in the event for this year’s SWAC regular-season champions.
“It’s a great day to be a Rattler,” FAMU coach Willie Simmons said. “I can’t say enough about these guys and what they’ve had to overcome and endure this season. We knew coming into the season we had a chance to be special, but we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. They went to work every day. Now they’re champions.”
Howard (6-6, 4-1 MEAC), was outgained 349-187 in total yardage in the loss.
“It’s never fun to lose,” Howard coach Larry Scott said. “We had our opportunities, (but we did) things you lose football games with, with some penalties and turnovers. In championship games, those are things that bite you. We couldn’t do enough to overcome that.”
For FAMU, Kelvin Dean Jr. was named offensive MVP as the senior running back caught two of the Rattlers’ three fourth-quarter touchdown passes. Overall, Dean caught three passes on three targets for 87 yards and carried the ball three times for 10 yards.
“It means the world to me, and my parents put so much work in to put me in this position,” Dean said. “All the folks in Tallahassee (his hometown) that supported me all the way, I just want to give a shout-out to them.”
FAMU quarterback Jeremy Moussa completed 19 of 32 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns. Moussa’s line was tarnished by two interceptions, including a pick-six in the fourth quarter.
Howard quarterback Quinton Williams completed 14 of 27 passes for 106 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.
FAMU was shut out in the first and third quarters.
The first quarter was all Howard, as the Bison scored two touchdowns in the first five minutes of play to take a 14-0 lead.
FAMU responded in the second, outscoring Howard 10-2, and the FAMU defense posted a shutout of its own in the third quarter. The Bison led 16-10 heading into the final 15 minutes.
Early in the fourth quarter FAMU faced a fourth-and-6 at the Howard 39. Simmons elected to go for it. The Rattlers converted, and two plays later, Moussa found Dean for a 21-yard touchdown pass. FAMU took its first lead of the game, at 17-16 early in the fourth.
After a defensive stop, Moussa again found Dean for a touchdown – this time for 53 yards – and FAMU had a 24-16 lead, its largest of the contest.
Howard responded with 10 consecutive points – an Aaron Bickerton 40-yard field goal and a Carson Hinton 27-yard pick-six – and the Bison led 26-24 with 7:14 to play.
That was plenty of time for Moussa and the Rattlers, as they marched 66 yards down the field, and the drive was capped by Moussa’s 38-yard touchdown pass to Jah’Marae Sheread. The touchdown gave FAMU a 30-26 lead with 5:46 to play.
On Howard’s next possession, Williams threw his second interception, which gave the Rattlers the ball at their own 20. FAMU went three-and-out and punted from its 25.
The punt sailed 52 yards, and Howard had 1:50 to go 77 yards for a potential game-winning drive.
That wasn’t to be, as Howard’s first play of the drive resulted in a Isaiah Major interception. After the Rattlers earned a first down, they went into victory formation. Major tallied six total tackles (four solo) on his way to defensive MVP honors.
“From Week 1, we kind of had to handle adversity,” Major said. “We’ve had lows in a season where we’ve had to fight back and make things happen. We’ve seen it before. It was something that we’ve been well-coached on. It was pretty easy to get back to who we are, playing Rattler football.”
It was the second time a SWAC team earned a Celebration Bowl victory, as the MEAC has a 6-2 record in the event.
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