Facing long odds against No. 12 Miami, Florida A&M sees matchup as an opportunity
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — There likely are few, if any, people in the outside world truly believing that No. 12 Miami will have much in the way of trouble with Florida A&M this weekend.
Everyone knows why: A Power 4 school playing against an FCS school almost always means blowout. Miami has won its last 10 such games by an average score of 60-5, posting shutouts in five of those games and allowing exactly one touchdown in each of the other five.
That’s not great news for Florida A&M. Nor is this: the Hurricanes (1-0) insist that they’re taking the Rattlers (2-0) — and their FCS-leading 13-game winning streak coming into the contest — just as seriously as they did Florida for last week’s ballyhooed season-opener.
“One thing that the coaches tell us is play the game, not the name,” Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa said.
The Rattlers know they’re overmatched in terms of skill up and down the roster. Case in point: they had their scout-team quarterback not throwing the ball to open receivers at times this week, just so he could continue scrambling to emulate Miami star Cam Ward’s abilities.
Or try, at least.
“I can assure you we have nobody on our football team that can simulate Cam,” Florida A&M coach James Colzie said.
Win or lose, this is an opportunity for the Rattlers.
Colzie is a Miami native who played at Florida State and fondly remembers what it was like to play in the Orange Bowl, the Hurricanes’ former home. Most of the Florida A&M roster hails from Florida and there are no fewer than 20 players from the greater Miami area, meaning many of the Rattlers have known many of the Hurricanes since they were growing up. Playing Miami is a recruiting tool for Florida A&M and playing in Hard Rock Stadium — home of the Miami Dolphins and a regular Super Bowl site — is another perk.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Colzie said. “'A free trip home' is what we used to call it when I came back and played in the Orange Bowl and things of that nature. It’s great. It’s great for everybody involved in this game.”
Florida A&M beat Miami 16-13 in Tallahassee when the teams first met in 1979. Every game since has been a home game for the Hurricanes; Miami is 10-0 in those contests, outscoring the Rattlers 511-59 in those games.
The teams are scheduled to next meet in 2026.
Ward passed for 385 yards in last week’s win at Florida, the most by a Miami quarterback in his first start as a Hurricane since at least 1979.
Only two quarterbacks in the last 25 years have thrown for at least 600 yards through two games of a Miami season: Ken Dorsey had 659 yards to open Miami’s 2001 national-title year, and Jacory Harris passed for 656 yards in the first two games of 2009.
Florida A&M quarterback Daniel Richardson has two FCS national player-of-the-week awards through two weeks.
He’s at 568 yards and six touchdowns so far after leading the Rattlers past Norfolk State and S.C. State. And in 68 attempts, Richardson has not thrown an interception so far in 2024.
Miami is seeking an 18th consecutive home-opening win, which would extend the longest such streak in school history.
The Hurricanes’ last home-opening loss: 13-10 to Florida State in 2006.
Miami’s first five games this season are all in the state of Florida: the opener at the Gators, Saturday against Florida A&M, next week at home against Ball State, a Sept. 21 trip to Tampa to play South Florida, and finally the Atlantic Coast Conference opener at home on Sept. 27 against Virginia Tech.
It’s the first time since 2013 that Miami will be in Florida for each of its first five games.
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