Florida A&M stumbled out of the gate in coach ’s debut Saturday, but the first-time head coach was pleased with the way his team finished. The reigning Black national champions rallied from a 14-0 deficit to take a 24-23 win over Norfolk State in the SWAC/MEAC Challenge in Atlanta. “I asked for a little adversity to see how our team would respond, but I wasn’t really expecting that,” Colzie said with a laugh.
“We saw some things we didn’t necessarily prepare for. But I loved the way our guys came to the sidelines and made the proper adjustments. "Down 14-0, our offense went down and scored.
You know the saying, good teams answer." The Rattlers found themselves trailing Norfolk State, coached by former Southern coach , 14-0 but rallied to take a 17-14 lead on a 55-yard touchdown pass from to . The biggest play of the game came after Norfolk scored with 6:30 left to pull within 24-23, but FAMU’s blocked the extra point but was flagged for being offsides.
With another chance at the 1-yard line, Odums elected to try for the two-point conversion, but quarterback was stopped short of the goal line on an option keeper. The FAMU offense then held the ball for the remainder of the game to secure the victory. Richardson was named the game’s MVP after completing 22 of 30 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns.
Gassett caught eight balls for 110 yards and two scores. Kevin King rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns, including an 82-yard TD run, but Norfolk State comp.