How FAMU football leaned on freshman QB Armond Parker in loss vs TSU
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Florida A&M football's quarterback woes continued in its Week 3 loss to Tennessee State on Saturday.
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FAMU had to rely on freshman quarterback Armond Parker on Saturday after Dustin Fletcher left with an injury in the second quarter and never returned.
Parker played pretty well, but it wasn't enough for the Rattlers to get the win over Tennessee State.
The Tigers beat the Rattlers 29-26 on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium. TSU's game-winning drive capped off a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a 20-yard pass from quarterback Daylin Lee to running back Brenton Paul with 51 seconds left.
The Rattlers couldn't complete a game-winning drive from their own seven-yard line as time expired.
FAMU did win the yardage battle, though 449-390 in front of 12,399 fans on The Highest of Seven Hills.
Offense
The Rattlers were down to their third-string quarterback on Saturday.
Dustin Fletcher had his second start in place of Isaiah Knowles, out for the season with a thumb injury. But he left the game in the second quarter with an injury and never returned.
Fletcher had a pretty solid start, going 6-for-11 for 48 passing yards, and threw a touchdown pass. The graduate student also had 28 rushing yards, leading the team at the time.
Parker substituted in for Fletcher and finished the game, and showed he was quite capable of leading the Rattler offense.
He finished going 14-of-25 for 267 yards, threw two touchdowns, against an interception. His top receiver was running back Jamal Hailey, with eight catches for 83 yards and a 32-yard touchdown. Wide receiver Maliek Denmark also scored twice for the Rattlers.
Costly plays happen against the Rattlers, though.
Parker's interception was a 65-yard pick-six to TSU cornerback Jalen LaBranche, who outpaced the Rattlers to the endzone.
In the fourth quarter, running back Chase Gillespie had an 11-yard rush before fumbling the football on the Rattler 40-yard line.
Luckily for the Rattlers, Gillespie's late fumble didn't translate to TSU Tiger points. FAMU's kicking defense blocked Tigers kicker Preston Hurless' 24-yard field goal that would have given them a 23-20 lead.
Defense
FAMU allowed TSU to get 131 rushing yards. Brenton Paul led the way with 26 attempts for 94 yards and a touchdown.
The Tigers moved the ball against the Rattler defense. All of their touchdown possessions were from driving downfield as much as 75 yards.
TSU quarterback Daylin Lee led the Tigers, going 18-for-27 on passes and 259 yards, and tossed two touchdown passes.
FAMU did show it can get after the quarterback some, though. It picked up four sacks.
Special teams
Special teams had their moments, both good and bad.
Return-wise, FAMU showed that it's pretty explosive.
For example, Kieren Jackson had a 48-yard return in the second quarter. Corey 'Deuce' Petty also had a punt return touchdown at the beginning of the fourth quarter for about 70 yards. However, it was nullified by holding.
FAMU's field goal defense also stepped up in the clutch. Omari Kinsler blocked Preston Hurless' 24-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. It would have given TSU a 23-20 lead in the fourth quarter.
The Rattlers faced some kicking woes, though.
Gabriel Caison missed an extra point in the second quarter, which would have given FAMU a 14-13 lead after its second touchdown. Then, after Lee's touchdown reception, his extra point was blocked and returned for a field goal.
Missed XP and blocked FG
Florida A&M football scores and full 2026 schedule
Current record: UPDATE RECORD
All times are Eastern
- Saturday, Aug. 29: FAMU 20, Albany State 7
- Sunday, Sept. 6 (Orange Blossom Classic): South Carolina State 31, FAMU 13
- Thursday, Sept. 10: Miami , FAMU
- Saturday, Sept. 19: vs. Tennessee State, 7 p.m., HBCU GO
- Saturday, Sept. 26: vs. Alabama A&M (SWAC), 7 p.m., SWAC TV
- Saturday, Oct. 3: BYE
- Saturday, Oct. 10: at Alabama State (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
- Saturday, Oct. 17: at Jackson State (SWAC), 3 p.m., ESPN Network
- Saturday, Oct. 24: vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC/Homecoming), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
- Saturday, Oct. 31: vs. Southern (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
- Saturday, Nov. 7: at Alcorn State (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV
- Saturday, Nov. 14: vs. Mississippi Valley State (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV
- Saturday, Nov. 21: vs. Bethune-Cookman (SWAC/Florida Classic), 3:30 p.m., ESPN+
Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat under the USA TODAY Network.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at [email protected] or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: How FAMU football leaned on freshman QB Armond Parker in loss vs TSU