You can’t talk about the 2015 version of FAMU football without mentioning the 2014 version. Just about everything that could go wrong last season did, as the Rattlers started 0-5, went through a dramatic coaching change (homecoming week, no less) and and experienced heart-breaking defeats from start (LaMontiez Ivy’s hail mary vs. Jackson State) to finish (Bethune-Cookman’s last-second two-point conversion).
But like the shedding of snake’s skin, it’s a new year and a new era for the Rattlers. Head coach Alex Wood will attempt to start the turnaround with a (sort of) new quarterback in Carson Royal, who has spent years backing Damion Fleming in Tallahassee.
Despite all the new energy surrounding the program, they face an uphill battle again in 2015. They start out on the road with games at South Florida, Samford and South Carolina State, before returning home to face Tennessee State. They could very well be looking at an 0-4 start. Luckily, they catch Savannah State in Week Five, which is one of two games they’ll be favored in.
Players To Watch
Offense
QB, Carson Royal : Safe to say that all eyes will be on Royal, and not just because he has supermodel good looks. He’s played in eight games over the course of his FAMU career, starting three in place of Flemming.
LB, Akil Blount: Blount, a senior from Pittsburgh, is a do-it-all player. The linebacker led FAMU in stops last season with 72 tackles, picked off a pass, recorded 1.5 sacks and blocked a field goal last season. He will be looked upon to lead a maturing Rattler defense to respectability. You also may have heard of his father, Mel, who won four Super Bowls with the Steelers and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Worst case: 2-10
Best case: 4-8