TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In an exciting conclusion to the regular season, Daniel Richardson propelled Florida A&M to a 28-20 triumph over Alabama A&M on Friday night. This win brought Florida A&M’s overall season record to 7-5, with a conference mark of 5-3 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The Rattlers struck early, taking a quick 7-0 lead just two plays into the matchup. A significant 35-yard rush by Goldie Lawrence on the first down set the tone, followed by Thad Franklin Jr. carrying the ball the remaining 25 yards, aided by a personal foul against Alabama A&M.

Alabama A&M managed to narrow the margin with a short field goal from Victor Barbosa, making it 7-3, but Florida A&M responded decisively. Richardson connected with Koby Gross for a 6-yard touchdown pass, capping an 11-play drive and extending the lead to 14-3 by the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Barbosa added another field goal early on. However, Alabama A&M quarterback Cornelius Brown IV struggled, throwing interceptions on consecutive drives. The Rattlers capitalized on the second interception with a 20-yard touchdown run by Levontai Summersett, increasing their lead to 21-6. Brown regrouped, though, connecting with Donovan Eaglin for a 23-yard touchdown pass that brought the Bulldogs closer, ending the half at 21-13.

Florida A&M continued to dominate, pushing the score to 28-13 in the third quarter with Richardson’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Quan Lee, marking a significant moment with 5:50 remaining in the period. Although Alabama A&M’s Xavier Lankford responded quickly in the fourth quarter with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Barry White shortly after play resumed, they could not cut the deficit any further.

Richardson excelled for the Rattlers, completing 19 out of 26 passes for a total of 193 yards. Brown, despite his earlier challenges, ended the game with 206 yards through 18 completions on 36 attempts for the Bulldogs.