TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In a decisive performance, Daniel Richardson threw three of his five touchdown passes during the opening half, powering Florida A&M to a substantial early lead. The Rattlers secured a commanding 52-28 victory over Texas Southern on Saturday, keeping their hopes alive for the Southwestern Athletic Conference title.
With this win, Florida A&M improved their season record to 5-3 and stands at 3-1 in league play. They currently trail Jackson State, which holds a perfect 5-0 record, and Alabama State, with a 4-1 mark, as the Rattlers head into the final three games of the season.
Richardson started the scoring spree midway through the first quarter, finding Quan Lee for a one-yard touchdown pass. He followed that up with a six-yard connection to Koby Gross and then a 17-yard pass to Jeremiah Pruitte, sending the Rattlers into halftime up 21-0. The second half began with Richardson throwing a ten-yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Dean, pushing the lead to 28-0.
Texas Southern’s Jace Wilson sparked a comeback of sorts by throwing consecutive touchdown passes to Donald McKinney, which brought the score to 28-14. However, Robert Lockhart swiftly responded by returning the kickoff 91 yards, extending Florida A&M’s lead to 35-14. Seconds later, Chaunzavia Lewis also made a spectacular return, this time for 90 yards, narrowing the gap to 35-21. Richardson then capped off his impressive day with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Ward, increasing the Rattlers’ advantage to 42-21.
Throughout the game, Richardson completed 25 of his 33 pass attempts for a total of 267 yards, although he did throw two interceptions. Both Pruitte and Ward made significant contributions on the ground, each rushing for 60 yards. The Rattlers’ overall rushing attack proved formidable, racking up a total of 236 yards on 36 carries.
On the other side, Wilson managed to complete 5 of his 13 attempts for 53 yards, but he also suffered an interception, while the Texas Southern ground squad contributed 111 rushing yards over 34 carries.
