2021 Florida A&M Rattlers football team

American college football season

2021 Florida A&M Rattlers football

NCAA Division I First Round, L 14–38 vs. Southeastern Louisiana
Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
Division	East Division
Ranking
STATS	No. 25
FCS Coaches	No. 24
Record	9–3 (7–1 SWAC)
Head coach	Willie Simmons (3rd season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Kenneth Black (2nd season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Ryan Stanchek (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Brandon Sharp (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Ryan Smith (2nd season)
Home stadium	Bragg Memorial Stadium
Seasons← 2019 2022 →

2021 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 22 Jackson State x$	8	–	0	11	–	2
No. 25 Florida A&M ^	7	–	1	9	–	3
Alabama A&M	5	–	3	7	–	3
Mississippi Valley State	3	–	5	4	–	7
Alabama State	3	–	5	5	–	6
Bethune–Cookman	2	–	6	2	–	9
West Division
Prairie View A&M x	6	–	2	7	–	5
Alcorn State	5	–	3	6	–	5
Grambling State	3	–	5	4	–	7
Southern	3	–	5	4	–	7
Texas Southern	2	–	6	2	–	8
Arkansas–Pine Bluff	1	–	7	2	–	9
Championship: Jackson State 27, Prairie View A&M 10
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2021 Florida A&M Rattlers football team represented Florida A&M University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Rattlers played their home games at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, and competed in the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). They were led by third-year head coach Willie Simmons.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	3:00 p.m.	vs. Jackson State		Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, FL (Orange Blossom Classic)	ESPN2	L 6–7	31,000
September 11	6:00 p.m.	Fort Valley State*		Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	Facebook	W 34–7	0
September 18	7:00 p.m.	at South Florida*		Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL	ESPN+	L 17–38	29,475
October 2	6:00 p.m.	Alabama State		Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPN+	W 28–0	21,087
October 9	6:00 p.m.	South Carolina State*		Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	Facebook	W 30–7	14,892
October 16	2:00 p.m.	at Alabama A&M		Louis Crews Stadium Normal, AL	ESPN3	W 35–31	8,375
October 23	4:00 p.m.	at Mississippi Valley State		Rice–Totten Stadium Itta Bena, MS	YouTube	W 31–28	2,700
October 30	4:00 p.m.	Grambling State		Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPN3	W 26–3	31,887
November 6	5:00 p.m.	at Southern		A. W. Mumford Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	ESPN3	W 29–17	15,665
November 13	3:00 p.m.	at Arkansas–Pine Bluff		Simmons Bank Field Pine Bluff, AR	ESPN3	W 37–7	3,451
November 20	3:30 p.m.	vs. Bethune–Cookman	No. 23	Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL (Florida Classic)	ESPN3	W 46–21	54,198
November 27	7:00 p.m.	at No. 18 Southeastern Louisiana*	No. 22	Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA (NCAA Division I First Round)	ESPN+	L 14–38	4,125
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries

Vs. Jackson State

Florida A&M vs. Jackson State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rattlers	3	3	0	0	6
• Tigers	0	7	0	0	7

Date: September 5, 2021
Location: Hard Rock Stadium
Miami Gardens, FL
Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 35 minutes
Game attendance: 36,000
Game weather: 92 °F (33 °C) • Weather: Rainy • Wind: 6mph
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN2):

Scoring summary

1	8:32	FAMU	Jose Romo-Martinez 21-yard field goal	FAMU 3–0

2	11:47	JSU	Shedeur Sanders 1-yard run (Glenn Misiak kick)	JSU 7–3
2	6:02	FAMU	Jose Romo-Martinez 39-yard field goal	JSU 7–6

Pregame line	Over/under
FAMU –7.5	61

Statistics	Florida A&M	Jackson State
First downs	17	15
Total yards	234	292
Rushing yards	109	71
Passing yards	125	221
Turnovers	2	3
Time of possession	32:18	27:42

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida A&M	Passing	Rasean McKay	18/29, 78 yards, 0 TD
	Rushing	Bishop Bonnett	15 carries, 76 yards
	Receiving	Chad Hunter	7 receptions, 49 yards
Jackson State	Passing	Shedeur Sanders	18/24, 221 yards, 0 TD
	Rushing	Peytton Pickett	15 carries, 62 yards
	Receiving	Trevonte Rucker	3 receptions, 83 yards

Fort Valley State

Fort Valley State at Florida A&M

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	7	0	0	7
• Rattlers	7	0	14	13	34

Date: September 11, 2021
Location: Bragg Memorial Stadium
Tallahassee, FL
Game start: 6:00 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers ( ):

Scoring summary

1

2

3

4

At South Florida

Florida A&M at South Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rattlers	3	0	7	7	17
• Bulls	10	14	7	7	38

Date: September 18, 2021
Location: Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, FL
Game start: 7:06 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 33 minutes
Game attendance: 29,475
Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: N 7 MPH
Referee: Tim Rich
TV announcers (ESPN+): Drew Fellios (play–by–play) and Leger Douzable (analyst)

Scoring summary

1	09:39	USF	Spencer Shrader 49-yard field goal (4 plays, 5 yards, 1:26)	USF 3–0
	07:27	FAMU	Jose Romo-Martinez 49-yard field goal (7 plays, 43 yards, 2:12)	TIE 3–3
	03:43	USF	Jaren Mangham 2-yard rush (Spencer Shrader kick) (8 plays, 75 yards, 3:44)	USF 10–3

2	13:47	USF	Xavier Weaver 9-yard pass from Timmy McClain (Spencer Shrader kick) (10 plays, 49 yards, 3:23)	USF 17–3
2	03:31	USF	Jaren Mangham 4-yard rush (Spencer Shrader kick) (7 plays, 26 yards, 2:25)	USF 24–3

3	04:53	FAMU	Terrell Jennings 33-yard rush (Jose Romo-Martinez kick) (8 plays, 82 yards, 3:27)	USF 24–10
3	02:02	USF	Jaren Mangham 9-yard rush (Spencer Shrader kick) (6 plays, 87 yards, 2:43)	USF 31–10

4	06:10	FAMU	Jah'Marae Sheread 6-yard pass from Rasean McKay (Jose Romo-Martinez kick) (6 plays, 20 yards, 2:39)	USF 31–17
4	00:18	USF	Yasias Young 1-yard rush (Spencer Shrader kick) (4 plays, 14 yards, 1:55)	USF 38–17

Pregame line	Over/under
USF –22.5	50

Statistics	Florida A&M	South Florida
First downs	20	22
Total yards	380	406
Rushing yards	132	243
Passing yards	248	163
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	29:38	30:14

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida A&M	Passing	Rasean McKay	25/49, 248 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Terrell Jennings	6 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Xavier Smith	15 receptions, 139 yards
South Florida	Passing	Timmy McClain	12/23, 163 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Brian Battie	10 carries, 139 yards
	Receiving	Xavier Weaver	5 receptions, 77 yards, 1 TD

Alabama State

Alabama State at Florida A&M

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	0	0	0	0	0
• Rattlers	7	14	0	7	28

Date: October 2, 2021
Location: Bragg Memorial Stadium
Tallahassee, FL
Game start: 6:00 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers ( ):

Scoring summary

1

2

3

4

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Alabama State	Florida A&M
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Florida A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

South Carolina State

South Carolina State at Florida A&M

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	0	0	7	7
• Rattlers	0	20	7	3	30

Date: October 9, 2021
Location: Bragg Memorial Stadium
Tallahassee, FL
Game start: 6:00 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers ( ):

Scoring summary

1

2

3

4

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	South Carolina State	Florida A&M
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Carolina State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Florida A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Alabama A&M

Florida A&M at Alabama A&M

	1	2	Total
Rattlers			0
Bulldogs			0

Date: October 16, 2021
Location: Louis Crews Stadium
Huntsville, AL
Game start: 2:00 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN3):

Scoring summary

1

2

3

4

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Florida A&M	Alabama A&M
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alabama A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Mississippi Valley State

Mississippi Valley State at Florida A&M

	1	2	Total
Delta Devils			0
Rattlers			0

Date: October 23, 2021
Location: Rice–Totten Stadium
Itta Bena, MS
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers ( ):

Scoring summary

1

2

3

4

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Florida A&M	Mississippi Valley State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mississippi Valley State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Grambling State

Grambling State at Florida A&M

	1	2	Total
Tigers			0
Rattlers			0

Date: October 30, 2021
Location: Bragg Memorial Stadium
Tallahassee, FL
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN3):

Scoring summary

1

2

3

4

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Grambling State	Florida A&M
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Grambling State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Florida A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Southern

Florida A&M at Southern

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Rattlers	7	13	3	6	29
Jaguars	14	3	0	0	17

Date: November 6, 2021
Location: A. W. Mumford Stadium
Baton Rouge, LA
Game start: 5:00 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 12 minutes
Game attendance: 15,665
Game weather: • Weather: Sunny • Wind: TBD
Referee: Y.N. Miles
TV announcers (ESPN+):

Scoring summary

1

2

3

4

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Florida A&M	Southern
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Arkansas–Pine Bluff

Florida A&M at Arkansas–Pine Bluff

	1	2	Total
Rattlers			0
Golden Lions			0

Date: November 13, 2021
Location: Simmons Bank Field
Pine Bluff, AR
Game start: 3:00 p.m. EST
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN3):

Scoring summary

1

2

3

4

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Florida A&M	Arkansas–Pine Bluff
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Arkansas–Pine Bluff	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Vs. Bethune–Cookman

Bethune–Cookman vs. Florida A&M

	1	2	Total
Wildcats			0
No. 23 Rattlers			0

Date: November 20, 2021
Location: Camping World Stadium
Orlando, FL
Game start: TBD EST
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN3):

Scoring summary

1

2

3

4

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Bethune–Cookman	Florida A&M
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Bethune–Cookman	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Florida A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

FCS Playoffs

Vs. No. 18 Southeastern Louisiana – first round

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 22 Florida A&M	0	0	0	14	14
No. 18 Lions	7	17	7	7	38

References

"2021 Florida A&M Rattlers Football Schedule". FBSchedules. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.

v t e Florida A&M Rattlers football
Venues	Sampson-Bragg Field (1942–1946) Bragg Stadium (1947–1956) Doak Campbell Stadium (1974–1980; entire 1980 season) Bragg Memorial Stadium (1957–1979, 1981–present)
Bowls & rivalries	2023 Celebration Bowl Bethune–Cookman: Florida Classic Jackson State: Orange Blossom Classic
Culture & lore	"Rattler Orange and Green" Marching 100
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1907 1908 1909 1910–1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e 2021 NCAA Division I FCS playoff participants
Davidson East Tennessee State Eastern Washington Florida A&M Holy Cross Incarnate Word James Madison Kennesaw State Missouri State Montana Montana State North Dakota State Northern Iowa Sacramento State Sacred Heart Sam Houston South Dakota South Dakota State Southeastern Louisiana Southern Illinois Stephen F. Austin UC Davis UT Martin Villanova
Champion – North Dakota State

v t e Black college football national champions
1920s	1920: Howard / Talladega 1921: Talladega / Wiley 1922: Hampton 1923: Howard / Lincoln (PA) / Virginia Union 1924: Lincoln (PA) / Paul Quinn / Tuskegee 1925: Howard / Tuskegee 1926: Howard / Tuskegee 1927: Bluefield / Tuskegee 1928: Bluefield / Wiley 1929: Tuskegee
1920s	1930: Tuskegee 1931: Wilberforce 1932: Wiley 1933: Morgan 1934: Kentucky State 1935: Kentucky State / Texas College 1936: Virginia State / West Virginia State 1937: Morgan 1938: Florida A&M 1939: Langston
1940s	1940: Morris Brown 1941: Langston / Morris Brown 1942: Florida A&M 1943: Morgan State 1944: Morgan State 1945: Wiley 1946: Morgan State / Tennessee A&I 1947: Shaw / Tennessee A&I 1948: Wilberforce State / Southern 1949: Morgan State / Southern
1950s	1950: Florida A&M / Southern 1951: Morris Brown / North Carolina A&T 1952: Florida A&M 1953: Florida A&M / Prairie View A&M / Tennessee A&I 1954: Florida A&M / North Carolina College / Prairie View A&M / Southern / Tennessee A&I 1955: Grambling 1956: Tennessee A&I 1957: Florida A&M 1958: Prairie View A&M 1959: Florida A&M
1960s	1960: Southern 1961: Florida A&M 1962: Florida A&M / Jackson State 1963: Prairie View A&M 1964: Prairie View A&M 1965: Tennessee A&I 1966: Tennessee A&I 1967: Grambling / Morgan State 1968: Alcorn A&M / North Carolina A&T 1969: Alcorn A&M
1970s	1970: Tennessee State 1971: Tennessee State 1972: Grambling 1973: Tennessee State 1974: Alcorn State / Grambling State 1975: Grambling State 1976: South Carolina State 1977: Florida A&M / Grambling State / South Carolina State 1978: Florida A&M 1979: Tennessee State
1980s	1980: Grambling State 1981: South Carolina State / Virginia Union 1982: South Carolina State / Tennessee State 1983: Central State / Grambling State / Tennessee State 1984: Alcorn State / Tennessee State 1985: Hampton / Jackson State 1986: Central State 1987: Central State / Howard 1988: Central State 1989: Central State
1990s	1990: Central State / North Carolina A&T 1991: Alabama State 1992: Central State / Grambling State 1993: Howard / Southern 1994: Hampton / South Carolina State 1995: Southern 1996: Howard / Jackson State 1997: Hampton / Southern 1998: Florida A&M / Southern 1999: North Carolina A&T
2000s	2000: Grambling State / Tuskegee 2001: Florida A&M / Grambling State / Tuskegee 2002: Bethune–Cookman / Fayetteville State / Grambling State 2003: Albany State / Southern 2004: Albany State / Hampton 2005: Grambling State / Hampton / North Carolina Central 2006: Hampton / North Carolina Central 2007: Delaware State / Tuskegee 2008: Grambling State 2009: South Carolina State
2010s	2010: Bethune–Cookman 2011: Norfolk State / Winston-Salem State 2012: Arkansas–Pine Bluff / Winston-Salem State 2013: Bethune–Cookman / Tennessee State 2014: Alcorn State 2015: North Carolina A&T 2016: Grambling State 2017: North Carolina A&T 2018: North Carolina A&T 2019: North Carolina A&T
2020s	2020: Alabama A&M 2021: Bowie State / Florida A&M / South Carolina State 2022: North Carolina Central 2023: Florida A&M 2024: Jackson State

Categories:

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Fort Valley State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Florida A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving