Daniel Richardson throws 5 touchdown passes as Florida A&M defeats Texas Southern 52-28

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    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. โ€” 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 Southernโ€™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&Mโ€™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 Rattlersโ€™ 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 Rattlersโ€™ 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.