FAMU vs Howard: Previewing the Orange Blossom Classic football game
FAMU football will play Howard in the Orange Blossom Classic on Saturday, Aug. 30 in Miami Gardens.
- Florida A&M lost to Howard 10-9 in the Orange Blossom Classic.
- FAMU’s offense struggled, failing to score a touchdown and converting only five of 15 third downs.
- Rattlers quarterback RJ Johnson III, in his debut, completed 17 of 32 passes for 183 yards.
- FAMU’s defense performed well, holding Howard to under 200 total yards and forcing an interception.
- Howard’s game-winning field goal came as time expired.
The 2025 football season opened with a dogfight between Florida A&M and Howard.
On Saturday, Aug. 30, the Rattlers (0-1) lost to the Bison (1-0) 10-9 in the Orange Blossom Classic at Miami Gardens’ Hard Rock Stadium.
The Rattlers outgained the Bison 272-195 before a crowd of 22,455 in South Florida.
FAMU trailed the entire game until Daniel Porto made an 18-yard field goal with 1:49 remaining to take a 9-7 lead. Then, Howard drove 49 yards downfield to set kicker Matt Conord up for a successful 43-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.
Rattlers quarterback RJ Johnson III finished the Week 1 game, completing 17 of 32 pass attempts for 183 yards.
FAMU football QB RJ Johnson III a work in progress vs Howard in Orange Blossom Classic
Saturday was Johnson’s college football debut.
The redshirt sophomore was named the starting quarterback entering Week 1. He had a shaky start by missing reads and misfiring with his receivers.
In his first drive, he went one of two for 11 yards and had one rushing attempt for the Rattlers. Johnson ended the game completing 53 percent of his passing attempts and had a 101.2 quarterback rating.
Johnson’s top target was wide receiver Jalen ‘Speedy’ Rogers, who had four receptions for 51 yards.
FAMU football offense stalls out vs Howard in Orange Blossom Classic
FAMU’s offense left much to be desired on Saturday.
For one, the Rattlers never reached the endzone.
The Rattlers got closest to scoring a touchdown when they were approaching the goal line on a fourth-quarter run by Levontai ‘Bo’ Summersett.
However, FAMU offensive lineman Ricky Taylor was called for holding, which backed the Rattlers up. It forced FAMU to kick a field goal. The Rattlers had six penalties for a loss of 55 yards.
FAMU also missed a chance to score due to a dropped catch by running back Thad Franklin Jr with open field ahead.
FAMU also struggled to extend drives, only converting five out of 15 third-down conversions. The Rattlers also only rushed for 89 yards on 32 attempts.
FAMU football’s defense holds strong vs Howard in Orange Blossom Classic
The Rattlers aim to reclaim the glory of being the ‘Dark Cloud Defense.’
FAMU slowed down the Howard Bison to keep them under 200 total offensive yards and only allowed them to reach the redzone once. Howard star running back Eden James had just five carries for eight yards.
The lone touchdown FAMU allowed was a two-yard pass from Tyriq Starks to wide receiver CJ Neely.
FAMU defensive back Ah’Mare Lee intercepted Starks in the third quarter.
The Rattlers had five tackles for loss, led by defensive end Antonio Camon’s two. Camon also added FAMU’s lone sack of the night.
Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time award-winning journalist for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
