Box Score
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In spite of a resilient effort by North Carolina Central University’s defense, Florida A&M scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to rally for a 22-21 homecoming victory in front of 14,768 fans inside Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla.
FAMU sophomore kicker Chase Varnadore made a 36-yard field goal, his fifth of the game, with two minutes remaining for the game-winner.
NCCU committed four turnovers, three fumbles and an interception, all resulting in field goals for 12 FAMU points. The Rattlers visited the red zone seven times on the day, but the Eagles’ defense allowed only one touchdown. Even on that score on fourth-and-goal from inside the 1-yard line, FAMU running back Jordan Stanley appeared to fall short of the goal line, but the officials huddled and signaled a touchdown.
NCCU defenders were on the field for more than 41 minutes (41:23) as FAMU amassed 387 yards of total offense, including 270 yards through the air on 29-of-41 passing by sophomore quarterback Damien Fleming. Senior receiver Travis Harvey topped the receiving corps with 11 catches for 120 yards, while sophomore receiver Lenworth Lennon had nine grabs for 104 yards.
Junior linebacker Tazmon Foster led the Eagles with 11 tackles (8 solo) with 1.5 hits for a loss with an assisted sack. Defensive tackle Aaron Wallace contributed 10 takedowns with 1.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and an assisted sack. Tyrone Jackson also had a sack and Ryan Smith returned an interception 19 yards to set up a seven-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback Jordan Reid to give the Eagles a 14-9 lead in the third quarter.
Later in the third quarter, NCCU took a 21-9 advantage when senior Jonathan Nicely, who caught a 16-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, blocked a punt and Kevin Thompson raced 45 yards for the fifth punt return touchdown of the season for the Eagles, the most in NCAA Division I.
The Eagles managed just 129 total yards with 41 yards rushing and 88 yards passing.
NCCU falls to 6-4 on the season, including a 5-2 record in the MEAC. FAMU improves to 4-6 overall and 4-3 in the league.
The Eagles return home in the final week of the regular season to host rival North Carolina A&T on Nov. 17 at 2 p.m.
