WFSU Local News

Florida A&M Rattlers unable to pull off upset against USF

WFSU | By Adrian Andrews

Published September 11, 2023 at 12:05 AM EDT

FAMU quarterback, Jeremy Moussa (8), fires down the field during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Kelly Sheehan)

After a long-fought battle against the University of South Florida, the Rattlers fell 38-24.

The Florida A&M Rattlers were neck and neck with the Bulls of South Florida, trailing most of the game by seven points.

FAMU was able to outthrow their FBS competitor by a hundred yards, totaling 370 yards of total offense, and recorded 6 sacks. In the end, it was mostly penalties and turnovers that cost head coach Willie Simmons and the Rattlers the ball game.

University of South Florida, defensive back, Jonathan Ross (10), sacks FAMU quarterback, Jeremy Moussa (8) for a loss of yards during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Kelly Sheehan)

FAMU coughed up the ball five times and racked up over a hundred yards in penalties. It’s something Simmons says his team must cleanup before next week’s home opener.

"Like everything else in life we'll learn from it," Simmons said during Saturday's post-game press conference.

"This is a resilient group of guys and we've come a long way. The talent is there, I think everyone saw that tonight but like we always tell our guys, talent is not enough. Its about the little things."

FAMU's 38-24 loss puts the team at 1-1 for the season. FAMU will play the University of West Florida on Saturday, Sept. 16th, with a chance to extend their home game win streak to 17.