2024 Miami Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 2: Florida A&M
Time is a circle and once against it has struck 12 for the Miami Hurricanes and the Florida A&M Rattlers. Outside of the first victory for the Rattlers in 1979, the expected, consistent, and constant blowouts in favor of the U have led, continuous to the team winning ten in a row against the historically black college and university. The last matchup was in 2016 and like clockwork, the Hurricanes destroyed the the Rattlers 70-3.
Now a lot has changed for each program in the near decade that the teams have faced off against each other. Miami has had lots of ups and downs but for FAMU, they are coming off a SWAC championship after finishing their 2023 season 12-1. That one loss came against the University of South Florida in their second game of the season. Similar to UCF, the Hurricanes will also face them in the second game of their season and it could be a similar outing for the team. With that in mind, here is a look at the 2024 Florida A&M Rattlers.
Offense
In their run to winning the SWAC Championship last season, the Rattlers averaged 30 points a game. However, they have a new head coach in James Colzie III after long-time head coach Willie Simmons was offered and agreed to a new position as the running back coach for Duke. Still, there are some of the same players on that championship roster who decided to stay for another year in hopes that they could accomplish the same goal again.
One of the many notable standouts from that roster was quarterback, Jeremy Moussa, but now that he is no longer with the team, it has been a battle between redshirt junior Junior Muratovic and graduate student Daniel Richardson. This can also be the same with their running back Terrell Jennings who led the team in rushing for over 700 yards but now there is a battle in that room as well as to who will be the starting back in the rotation. Graduate Student Kelvin Dean and redshirt senior Jaquez Yant were the second and third leading rushers on the team last season as they battle between the two for RB 1.
On the receiving side of the ball, it was a balanced attack with multiple players getting the ball. Five players accounted for over 300 yards but only one has returned for the 2024 season. Senior Jamari Gassett is the only player from that championship roster and he had 320 yards on the season with three touchdowns, one of which was a game-winner.
Defense
On the defensive side of the ball for FAMU, this will be a completely revamped team from top to bottom with the majority of their production from their championship roster not being on the team anymore.
The defense of the Rattlers where one of the many reasons they won several games against teams. They held teams to an average of 15 points a game while adding 17 interceptions and six forced fumbles alongside that stat. Just like the offense most of their top talent has either graduated or left the team. Linebacker Isaiah Majors led the team in tackles in 2023 with a total of 106 and that production from him alone will be missed. The closest to him in tackles is redshirt senior Kendell Bohler who had a total of 39 tackles.
This team thrived off the interceptions that amounted to turnovers they could force. However, Each of their top interceptors has also graduated and left the program so the batch of fresh talent will have to keep up with the number that where being produced from last season.
Schedule
For the Hurricanes this could be a great way to bounce back from a possible loss in the swamp against the Florida Gators or a way to continue to show that they are one of the scariest teams in the country. This should be an "easy" game for the Canes, but in football, there are no truly easy games when players are lined up across from one another on the field. This will also be a part of the team's lighter part of the schedule before having to face Ball State the next week.
Outlook
For both teams, it can be a positive or negative. A loss for the Hurricanes might set the program back for a little bit, especially with the expectations on the team. For the Rattlers after losing most of their talent in the offense this would be one of the biggest wins in program history if they can come into Hard Rock Stadium and get the upset victory. This will be a down year for the Rattlers compared to their previous season, while the Hurricanes have a lot to work on to be one of the best teams in the country.
The Game
Date: September 7
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
TV: ACCNX/ESPN+
Location: Hard Rock Stadium
Series: Miami leads 10-1
Last Meeting: Miami defeated Florida A&M 70-3. Three of the Hurricane running backs went for over 100 yards with at least one touchdown. The defense held the Rattlers to under 200 yards of offense.
Miami Hurricanes 2024 Football Schedule
August 31 at Florida
September 7 Florida A&M
September 14 Ball State
September 21 at USF
September 27 Virginia Tech
October 5 at California
October 12 Bye Week
October 19 at Louisville
October 26 Florida State
November 2 Duke
November 9 at Georgia Tech
November 16 Bye Week
November 23 Wake Forest
November 30 at Syracuse
JUSTICE SANDLE