2023 Florida A&M Rattlers football team

2023 Florida A&M Rattlers football
Black college national champion Celebration Bowl champion SWAC champion SWAC East Division champion
SWAC Championship Game, W 35–14 vs. Prairie View A&M
Celebration Bowl, W 30–26 vs. Howard
Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
Division	East Division
Ranking
STATS	No. 11
FCS Coaches	No. 10
Record	12–1 (8–0 SWAC)
Head coach	Willie Simmons (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	Joseph Henry (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Co-defensive coordinators	Brandon Sharp (3rd season) Ryan Smith (4th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Bragg Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  2022 2024  →

2023 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 11 Florida A&M xy$		8	–	0					12	–	1
Alabama State		5	–	3					7	–	4
Jackson State		5	–	3					7	–	4
Alabama A&M		3	–	5					5	–	6
Bethune–Cookman		2	–	6					3	–	8
Mississippi Valley State		1	–	7					1	–	10
West Division
Prairie View A&M xy		6	–	2					6	–	6
Alcorn State x		6	–	2					7	–	4
Southern		5	–	3					6	–	5
Grambling State		4	–	4					5	–	6
Texas Southern		2	–	6					3	–	8
Arkansas–Pine Bluff		1	–	7					2	–	9
Championship: Florida A&M 35, Prairie View A&M 14
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2023 Florida A&M Rattlers football team represented Florida A&M University as a member of the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Willie Simmons, the Rattlers played home games at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida. The Florida A&M Rattlers football team drew an average home attendance of 17,616 in 2023.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	3:00 p.m.	vs. Jackson State		Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, FL (Orange Blossom Classic)	ESPN	W 28–10	24,967
September 9	7:00 p.m.	at South Florida *	No. 23	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL	ESPN+	L 24–38	36,495
September 16	6:00 p.m.	West Florida *	No. 23	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	HBCU Go	W 31–10	17,953
September 23	6:00 p.m.	Alabama State	No. 22	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPN+	W 23–10	18,858
September 30	7:00 p.m.	at Mississippi Valley State	No. 20	Rice–Totten Stadium Itta Bena, MS	YouTube	W 31–7	1,689
October 7	7:00 p.m.	at Southern	No. 19	Ace W. Mumford Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	ESPNU	W 26–19	17,174
October 21	8:00 p.m.	at Texas Southern	No. 19	Shell Energy Stadium Houston, TX	ESPN+	W 31–21	8,956
October 28	4:00 p.m.	Prairie View A&M	No. 16	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPNU	W 45–7	22,338
November 4	2:00 p.m.	at Alabama A&M	No. 15	Louis Crews Stadium Huntsville, AL	ESPN+	W 42–28	16,179
November 11	6:00 p.m.	Lincoln (CA) *	No. 13	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	Rattlers+	W 28–0	11,314
November 18	3:30 p.m.	vs. Bethune–Cookman	No. 11	Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL (Florida Classic)	ESPNU	W 24–7	56,227
December 2	4:00 p.m.	Prairie View A&M*	No. 10	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL (SWAC Championship)	ESPN2	W 35–14	14,628
December 16	12:00 p.m.	vs. Howard	No. 10	Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA (Celebration Bowl)	ABC	W 30–26	41,108
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[1]

Rankings

Further information: 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final
STATS	RV	23	23	22	20	19	18	19	16	15	13T	11	10	11
Coaches	25	21	24	23	18	16	16	18	14	13T	9	7	5	10

Game summaries

Vs. Jackson State

See also: 2023 Jackson State Tigers football team and Orange Blossom Classic

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	0	0	3	7	10
Rattlers	21	7	0	0	28

Statistics	JKST	FAMU
First downs	17	18
Total yards	303	358
Rushing yards	72	208
Passing yards	231	150
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	29:01	30:59

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Jackson State	Passing	Zy McDonald	10/14, 149 yards, TD
	Rushing	Irv Mulligan	16 rushes, 77 yards
	Receiving	Rico Powers Jr.	4 receptions, 119 yards, TD
Florida A&M	Passing	Jeremy Moussa	12/22, 150 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Terrell Jennings	11 rushes, 75 yards
	Receiving	Jah'Marae Sheread	5 receptions, 90 yards, TD

At South Florida

See also: 2023 South Florida Bulls football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 23 Rattlers	7	7	3	7	24
Bulls	14	10	7	7	38

Statistics	FAMU	USF
First downs	25	24
Total yards	393	342
Rushing yards	19	108
Passing yards	374	234
Turnovers	5	0
Time of possession	31:47	28:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida A&M	Passing	Jeremy Moussa	24/43, 374 yards, TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Jaquez Yant	8 rushes, 22 yards
	Receiving	Nicholas Dixon	6 receptions, 98 yards
South Florida	Passing	Byrum Brown	20/34, 197 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Michel Dukes	13 rushes, 40 yards
	Receiving	Naiem Simmons	3 receptions, 59 yards, TD

West Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
Argonauts	0	3	0	7	10
No. 23 Rattlers	0	3	21	7	31

Statistics	WFLA	FAMU
First downs	17	20
Total yards	213	475
Rushing yards	79	169
Passing yards	134	306
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	32:01	27:59

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
West Florida	Passing	Peewee Jarrett	16/37, 134 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	C. J. Wilson	12 rushes, 57 yards
	Receiving	K. J. Franklin	4 receptions, 42 yards
Florida A&M	Passing	Jeremy Moussa	18/27, 271 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Terrell Jennings	2 rushes, 79 yards, TD
	Receiving	Marcus Riley	4 receptions, 77 yards, TD

Alabama State

See also: 2023 Alabama State Hornets football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	0	3	7	0	10
No. 22 Rattlers	7	7	0	9	23

Statistics	ALST	FAMU
First downs	13	22
Total yards	303	353
Rushing yards	14	59
Passing yards	289	294
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	23:43	36:17

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama State	Passing	Damon Stewart	23/38, 289 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Jawon Howell	12 rushes, 30 yards
	Receiving	Kisean Johnson	8 receptions, 112 yards
Florida A&M	Passing	Jeremy Moussa	25/40, 294 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Jaquez Yant	7 rushes, 27 yards
	Receiving	Jah'Marae Sheread	9 receptions, 72 yards

At Mississippi Valley State

See also: 2023 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 20 Rattlers	10	0	7	14	31
Delta Devils	0	7	0	0	7

Statistics	FAMU	MVSU
First downs	17	12
Total yards	304	149
Rushing yards	128	80
Passing yards	176	69
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	23:46	36:14

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida A&M	Passing	Jeremy Moussa	13/26, 155 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Kelvin Dean	7 rushes, 48 yards
	Receiving	Marcus Riley	2 receptions, 99 yards, TD
Mississippi Valley State	Passing	Jamari Jones	7/17, 69 yards, TD
	Rushing	Jared Wilson	18 rushes, 42 yards
	Receiving	Kobe Chambers	4 receptions, 53 yards

At Southern

See also: 2023 Southern Jaguars football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 19 Rattlers	0	16	0	10	26
Jaguars	6	6	0	7	19

Statistics	FAMU	SOU
First downs	27	15
Total yards	392	315
Rushing yards	67	125
Passing yards	325	190
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	34:54	25:06

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida A&M	Passing	Jeremy Moussa	31/53, 325 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Terrell Jennings	7 rushes, 34 yards
	Receiving	Marcus Riley	7 receptions, 97 yards
Southern	Passing	J. R. Blood	11/19, 190 yards, TD
	Rushing	Gary Quarles	13 rushes, 80 yards
	Receiving	Chandler Whitfield	4 receptions, 88 yards, TD

At Texas Southern

See also: 2023 Texas Southern Tigers football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 19 Rattlers	0	7	21	3	31
Tigers	7	7	0	7	21

Statistics	FAMU	TXSO
First downs	24	20
Total yards	435	314
Rushing yards	255	131
Passing yards	180	183
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	38:29	21:31

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida A&M	Passing	Jeremy Moussa	17/32, 180 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Kelvin Dean	9 rushes, 83 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jamari Gassett	3 receptions, 77 yards, TD
Texas Southern	Passing	Jace Wilson	16/29, 183 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	LaDarius Owens	19 rushes, 128 yards
	Receiving	Jyrin Johnson	4 receptions, 72 yards, TD

Prairie View A&M

See also: 2023 Prairie View A&M Panthers football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	0	7	0	0	7
No. 16 Rattlers	14	7	10	14	45

Statistics	PV	FAMU
First downs	14	17
Total yards	220	453
Rushing yards	127	181
Passing yards	93	272
Turnovers	3	2
Time of possession	32:55	27:05

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Prairie View A&M	Passing	Trazon Connley	9/24, 93 yards, TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Caleb Johnson	10 rushes, 60 yards
	Receiving	Trejon Spiller	4 receptions, 54 yards, TD
Florida A&M	Passing	Jeremy Moussa	14/25, 272 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Jaquez Yant	9 rushes, 63 yards
	Receiving	Jah'Marae Sheread	4 receptions, 76 yards, TD

At Alabama A&M

See also: 2023 Alabama A&M Bulldogs football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 15 Rattlers	17	7	11	7	42
Bulldogs	14	7	0	7	28

Statistics	FAMU	AAMU
First downs	17	23
Total yards	348	339
Rushing yards	103	58
Passing yards	245	281
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	31:21	28:39

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida A&M	Passing	Jeremy Moussa	14/27, 245 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Terrell Jennings	8 rushes, 40 yards
	Receiving	Jeremiah Pruitte	2 receptions, 82 yards
Alabama A&M	Passing	Quincy Casey	19/37, 280 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Donovan Eaglin	14 rushes, 61 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jacolby Hewitt	6 receptions, 98 yards, TD

Lincoln (CA)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Oaklanders	0	0	0	0	0
No. 13 Rattlers	7	14	7	0	28

Statistics	LCLN	FAMU
First downs	11	20
Total yards	171	236
Rushing yards	32	141
Passing yards	139	95
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	26:30	33:30

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Lincoln	Passing	T. J. Goodwin	14/27, 139 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Otis Weah	13 rushes, 31 yards
	Receiving	Teriq Phillips	5 receptions, 69 yards
Florida A&M	Passing	Junior Muratovic	8/18, 82 yards
	Rushing	Terrell Jennungs	8 rushes, 53 yards
	Receiving	Nicholas Dixon	2 receptions, 25 yards

Vs. Bethune–Cookman

See also: 2023 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team and Florida Classic

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 11 Rattlers	7	10	0	7	24
Wildcats	0	0	7	0	7

Statistics	FAMU	BCU
First downs	17	17
Total yards	325	234
Rushing yards	175	122
Passing yards	150	112
Turnovers	0	3
Time of possession	29:28	30:32

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida A&M	Passing	Jeremy Moussa	14/21, 150 yards
	Rushing	Terrell Jennings	8 rushes, 62 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Jah'Marae Sheread	5 receptions, 38 yards
Bethune–Cookman	Passing	Walter Simmons III	9/23, 79 yards, INT
	Rushing	Jimmie Robinson III	21 rushes, 74 yards
	Receiving	Daveno Ellington	2 receptions, 60 yards

Prairie View A&M (SWAC Championship)

Main article: 2023 SWAC Football Championship Game

	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	0	7	7	0	14
No. 10 Rattlers	14	7	7	7	35

Statistics	PV	FAMU
First downs	13	23
Total yards	274	448
Rushing yards	183	229
Passing yards	91	219
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	24:41	35:19

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Prairie View A&M	Passing	Trazon Connley	7/14, 91 yards, INT
	Rushing	Christiful Herron	7 rushes, 70 yards
	Receiving	Trejon Spiller	3 receptions, 27 yards
Florida A&M	Passing	Jeremy Moussa	13/22, 188 yards, TD
	Rushing	Terrell Jennings	17 rushes, 113 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Marcus Riley	5 receptions, 132 yards, TD

Vs. Howard (Celebration Bowl)

See also: 2023 Howard Bison football team and 2023 Celebration Bowl

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bison	14	2	0	10	26
No. 10 Rattlers	0	10	0	20	30

Statistics	HOW	FAMU
First downs	11	19
Total yards	187	357
Rushing yards	81	68
Passing yards	106	289
Turnovers	3	3
Time of possession	27:12	32:48

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Howard	Passing	Quinton Williams	14/27, 106 yards, 3 INT
	Rushing	Eden James	12 rushes, 55 yards
	Receiving	Nahshawn Hezekiah	3 receptions, 46 yards
Florida A&M	Passing	Jeremy Moussa	19/32, 289 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Terrell Jennings	19 rushes, 68 yards, TD
	Receiving	Kelvin Dean	3 receptions, 87 yards, 2 TD

References

1. "2023 Florida A&M Football Schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved April 16, 2023.