FAMU football's Orange and Green Spring Game provides building blocks for 2025
On Saturday, Florida A&M football held its annual showcase game to preview the 2025 season.
The Rattlers split the teams up, with Orange representing the offense and Green being the defense.
Advertisement
The game score was kept on a point system, including touchdowns, first downs, turnovers, and defensive stops.
FAMU's offense, the Orange team, came out on top, winning 59-29.
Head coach of the Florida A&M Rattlers football team James Colzie coaches during FAMU's annual spring game at Bragg Memorial Stadium Saturday, April 12, 2025.
'We did a good job. We put some points on the board, and defense made some sacks,' Second-year FAMU head coach James Colzie III told the media after the spring game.
'We're going in the right direction. I'm happy with the group. I'm excited about where we will be in the next few months.'
FAMU football's offense shows life, score points after slow start
It was a slow start for the FAMU offense.
After being consistently stopped, the Rattlers began to pick up their production.
Advertisement
Bryson Martin started at quarterback for FAMU. Tyler Jefferson, Traven Green, and Roman Purcell got snaps under center. Junior Muratovic didn't scrimmage for internal reasons, Colzie said.
The Florida A&M Rattlers football team hold their annual spring game at Bragg Memorial Stadium Saturday, April 12, 2025.
'I thought those four guys did as much as they can and did a good job handling the offense,' Colzie assessed the quarterbacks.
'I thought [Jefferson] as a quarterback stepping in and doing some things, he was able to get some reps that he maybe wasn't going to get today. Happy with him. Bryson Martin, I thought, did a good job,' Colzie later added.
Jefferson led a scoring drive with a touchdown pass to tight end Andrew Ritter in the redzone. FAMU running back Thad Franklin Jr. set up the score with a run for about 50 yards.
Advertisement
'All it took was for Big Thad to make the run, and it turned the light on for the offense,' Colzie explained.
Green led two scoring drives, too.
The Florida A&M Rattlers football team hold their annual spring game at Bragg Memorial Stadium Saturday, April 12, 2025.
First, Bo Summersett, who ran the ball well on Saturday, punched in a touchdown during the redzone situation. Green then found wide receiver Armand Burris over the top to follow.
FAMU football's defense has a strong start, defensive line shines
The FAMU defense came out hot for the Green squad.
To open Saturday's spring game, the Rattlers got two consecutive sacks that resulted in safeties. The defense had an early 6-0 lead on the offense.
The Florida A&M Rattlers football team hold their annual spring game at Bragg Memorial Stadium Saturday, April 12, 2025.
The Rattlers got disruptive by raiding the backfield to stop the quarterback from getting off passes.
Advertisement
'We're a lot better on the defensive front than we may have been last year,' Colzie said.
'Antonio Camon (defensive end) got some sacks and did a great job on the run and pass game,' Colzie added.
FAMU also forced turnovers, including an interception by transfer defensive back Daylyn Ditson.
FAMU football has a handful of players who starred in spring game
Head coach of the Florida A&M Rattlers football team James Colzie coaches during FAMU's annual spring game at Bragg Memorial Stadium Saturday, April 12, 2025.
As mentioned, Jefferson, Martin, and Camon impressed Colzie during Saturday's spring game.
The FAMU coach added that veteran players Nay'Ron Jenkins, a linebacker, and defensive back Chase Lloyd performed well.
Their performances gave Colzie a glimpse of what kind of players he has on the team as spring football ends.
Advertisement
'I don't want to get too high, but I don't want to get too low with our football team. But I was excited with what I saw,' Colzie said. 'Offensively, defensively, and our special teams did a good job today.'
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.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU football shows some promise in 2025 Orange and Green Spring Game
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
11 hours ago
- USA Today
Today in Boston Celtics history: Jerryd Bayless, Si Green, Quinn Buckner born
Today in Boston Celtics history, guard alum Jerryd Bayless was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1988. Bayless played his NCAA basketball with the Arizona Wildcats for a single season before he entered the 2008 NBA Draft, where he was picked up with the 11th overall pick by the Indiana Pacers. The Phoenix native never suited up for the Pacers, dealt to the Portland Trail Blazers soon after the draft was over. He also played for the (then) New Orleans Hornets (now, Pelicans), Toronto Raptors, and Memphis Grizzlies before the latter ball club sent Bayless to Boston in a trade that netted the Celtics 3-and-D wing Courtney Lee. Bayless would play just one season for the Celtics, playing 41 games and starting 14 of them. He averaged 10.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists while with the Celtics, leaving in free agency next summer to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks. Other birthdays It is also the birthday of former Celtic guard Sihugo Green, born in New York City in 1933. An alum of Duquesne, Green was the No. 1 overall pick of the 1956 NBA Draft, taken by the (then) Rochester Royals (now, Sacramento Kings). The New Yorker played for the Royals after their move to Cincinnati, the St. Louis Hawks before they relocated to Atlanta, and the defunct Chicago Packers, Zephyrs, and the also-defunct Baltimore Bullets before joining the Celtics via trade in 1965. The last stop of his career, Green averaged 3.2 points and 1.1 rebounds per game as a Celtic, retiring afterward. Finally, it is also the birthday of ex-Celtic guard Quinn Buckner, born today in 1954 in Phoenix, Illinois. Buckner played college ball with the Indiana Hoosiers, where he won an NCAA championship, and was drafted seventh overall in the 1976 NBA Draft by the Bucks. He was dealt to the Celtics in 1982, and won a title in his second of three seasons with Boston. The Indiana alum would average 4.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, traded to the Indiana Pacers in 1983.
Miami Herald
18 hours ago
- Miami Herald
‘Going in right direction': FAMU vies for return to championship-winning ways
James Colzie III hasn't sugarcoated it. He's admitted repeatedly that his first season as Florida A&M's football coach last fall fell short of Rattler standards. Their 7-5 record was especially glaring coming just one year after the program won the Celebration Bowl and claimed the Black College Football National Championship. 'The lights were bright last year,' said Colzie, reflecting on 2024 before turning his attention to his second season. 'We've got work to do. It is a new season. I'm excited about what our team's going to look like.' While last year brought growing pains and unanswered questions for Colzie and FAMU, this offseason has been defined by confidence and a clear direction. 'January 1 of 2024, compared to January 1 of 2025 ― the vision was clear,' Colzie said. 'We knew what we needed to do, and there were things we needed to and could address.' As a result, 'There's a different aura right now as far as where our football team is, where our staff is, and where I am as the head coach of this prestigious institution,' he noted. 'We're going in the right direction. Our Rattler fanbase and alumni's expectations are what their expectations are.' On the field, one of the most pressing matters is settling on a starting quarterback — a role Colzie jokes ranks only below the university president in stature. The Rattlers opened fall camp with five quarterbacks — returners Traven Green and Bryson Martin and transfers Tyler Jefferson, RJ Johnson III and Jett Peddy — competing to succeed two former HBCU All-Americans, Jeremy Moussa and Daniel Richardson. Competition has been 'wide open' thus far, with Johnson, a redshirt sophomore from Toledo, and Peddy, a junior from Long Beach City College, impressing early. Defensively, the Rattlers are aiming to restore their 'Dark Cloud Defense' — the moniker for their once-dominant unit. Last year, they fell far short of living up to that name. The Rattlers allowed 27.2 points per game and 167 yards per game on the ground. They ranked last in the SWAC in forced fumbles (10) and 10th in interceptions (nine). 'It's going to take hard work. You get out what you put in,' said defensive end Davion Westmoreland, a graduate student named Preseason All-SWAC First Team. 'If we continue to trust the process and get one percent every day, we'll get the results and outcome that we want.' Westmoreland, senior linebacker Nay'Ron Jenkins — the team's top returning tackler with 73 — and senior cornerback Jameel Sanders, named to the Aeneas Williams Award Preseason Watch List as one of HBCU's top defensive backs, headline the defense. They're joined by redshirt junior T.J. Huggins, who led FAMU in 2024 with three interceptions and seven pass breakups. FAMU will open the season against Howard in the Orange Blossom Classic on Aug. 30 at Hard Rock Stadium in a rematch of the 2023 Celebration Bowl. The Rattlers rallied to win 30-26 to claim the Black College Football title. The rest of a challenging schedule includes a non-conference game at Florida Atlantic the next week, top Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference team North Carolina Central at home on Oct. 11 and defending Black College Football national champ Jackson State at home on Nov. 1. At last month's Southwestern Athletic Conference Media Day in Birmingham, Ala., FAMU was predicted to finish second in the Eastern Division behind Jackson State. Offensive lineman Ashton Grable said that doesn't matter to Rattlers players. 'We're just trying to get back to a championship level,' he said. 'We've got to buy into what our coaches are trying to teach us and get back to winning.'
New York Times
a day ago
- New York Times
Packers position battles: Isaiah Simmons, Mecole Hardman among those in tight competitions
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers must chop their active roster to 53 players by 3 p.m. CT Tuesday, so Thursday's joint practice against the Seattle Seahawks and Saturday's preseason finale provide the final chances for fringe players to state their case. Some position battles, such as at backup quarterback and for the top four defensive ends, have no intrigue down the home stretch. Others, however, might still be up in the air after 17 practices and two exhibitions. Advertisement Here are seven that could come down to the wire. Coach Matt LaFleur was asked recently what he wants in a third-string quarterback. 'Somebody who can command the offense,' LaFleur said. 'You want somebody that you can develop into, hopefully, a guy that can play for you someday.' LaFleur isn't saying he wants to develop one of them into a starter for the Packers; rather, someone who can help win the Packers a game if need be, as Malik Willis did last year. Clifford was Jordan Love's backup in 2023 before getting cut in favor of Willis last year. Has he done enough after a year on the practice squad to earn this year's practice-squad spot (if the Packers keep only one QB on the P-squad)? Or do the Packers think Elgersma, the rookie from Canada, has more untapped potential and a higher ceiling worth aiming for? After all, the team can afford to keep a No. 3 quarterback who might be more of a project. FOR THE LEAD!! — Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 16, 2025 Elgersma played far more than Clifford in the second exhibition against the Indianapolis Colts, but that wasn't necessarily because he's ahead of Clifford on the depth chart. Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said they wanted to see what Elgersma did with the bulk of the backup reps in a game since they've seen plenty of Clifford over the last three years. The rookie showed flashes of potential with his arm, as he has since arriving in Green Bay, but he also looked skittish in the pocket early, didn't protect himself when scrambling and made several ill-advised throws into traffic. 'I thought there was some really good moments and then also some things that you have to learn from,' LaFleur said. 'Shoot, he's still getting used to the field dimensions out there from Canada.' Advertisement Clifford played only the Packers' final drive against the Colts and completed just 1 of 4 passes for 11 yards, but his first-down scramble on fourth-and-7 and 11-yard touchdown run two plays later capped a 13-play, 68-yard, game-winning touchdown drive. 'He's now, in many ways, no longer a young player anymore,' quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion said of Clifford. 'He's been here for a while. We know Sean really well, and he's in there with a lot of guys who are young players. The way he was really able to take command of that huddle, lead the guys, really speaks to Sean's approach and his understanding of our system.' Kicking has been so easy for Brandon McManus that he quit football for a new job. — Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 19, 2025 Assuming Edgerrin Cooper, Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie and Ty'Ron Hopper are locks, and that the Packers take only five linebackers, the final spot on the 53 will go to Simmons or Welch. I'll let you be the judge of who has the edge down the home stretch based on these LaFleur quotes about each player. On Simmons: 'He's an unbelievable athlete. I think it's just, again, getting more used to playing behind the ball, and it's really, as with most players, it's the level of consistency that you can go out there and play each play (with) because I think he's done a lot of good things. And then there's some things that we absolutely need to clean up.' On Welch: 'He's done a lot of good things. Certainly, his value is just his ability to go out and do a lot of things in terms of special teams. He's a four-phase guy, and then he's got enough experience at linebacker that if you need to fill a hole, he can fill any of those three spots.' The final wide receiver spot on the 53 would come down to these two if the Packers keep only six and if Jayden Reed, Savion Williams and Dontayvion Wicks are all healthy enough to make the initial 53. All three are sidelined with foot, hamstring and calf injuries, but let's assume they're all on the initial squad along with Matthew Golden and Romeo Doubs for the sake of this story. Advertisement When debating Heath or Hicks, it's worth recalling this recent quote from special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia. 'Everybody talks about special teams — your way of making the team is on special teams, the only chance you have to make the team is on special teams,' Bisaccia said. 'They have to be pretty good at their position, as well, in order to make the 53 and then to be on the 48 to dress and help us everywhere. So I've never really had a guy that just does that and does nothing else, so I think all guys have to be pretty good at the position they're playing to help us at all three phases when the game shows up.' Hardman might be the team's No. 1 punt returner, but especially considering the Packers' battered and bruised wide receivers room, they could very well use the last receiver spot on the better pure wideout and think about special teams impact later. Is that player Heath or the veteran and three-time Super Bowl champion? Here's what passing game coordinator Jason Vrable said about each player. On Heath: 'I think he's done a really good job, especially mentally. You talk about a guy who's had to play in the games and take all the practice reps and hasn't said a word or complained about it.' On Hardman: 'I think this past week is the best he's looked since he's been here. In practice, he was flying around against the Colts. Got open and won his one-on-ones, and he did the same thing in the game. I think he's a strong-hands catcher. I know two weeks ago, he might have had the drop and different things like that, but I thought he showed up and bounced back in a great way for our offense. He's done a great job being very professional for the younger guys in the room, too.' Ballentine has played valuable defensive reps for the Packers in past years, but the Packers' first lineup in nickel Saturday against the Colts featured Hadden and Bo Melton at outside cornerback and King in the slot. Remember what Bisaccia said. That would indicate Ballentine might be behind all three of them for a roster spot in a room that might only take five cornerbacks — Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs, Carrington Valentine and Melton, in part for how the team is using him on defense since his position switch, are locks. Hadden looked shaky in coverage and committed two penalties in the game against the Colts, but a potential battle between him and King could be decided over the coming days. The Packers kept only five defensive tackles last season on the initial 53. Assuming Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks and Colby Wooden are locks, only one spot might remain for the former Georgia teammates. Both Brinson, a rookie sixth-round pick, and Stackhouse, a rookie undrafted signing, have flashed in camp. Stackhouse probably has more splash plays, but LaFleur has emphasized that coaches are looking at far more than that. Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley name-dropped a couple of defensive players who stood out in the preseason opener when he spoke with reporters the next day, and the first two names he mentioned were Stackhouse and Brinson. Advertisement If MarShawn Lloyd's hamstring injury lands him on injured reserve to start the season, both Brooks and Wilson will make the team. If Lloyd is somehow healthy enough to start the season on the 53, this becomes an intriguing battle for what would likely be the last running back spot on the active roster. Wilson is probably the better pure runner, though Brooks averaged 5.1 yards per carry last year on 36 rushes to Wilson's 4.9 on 103 carries. Brooks is better on special teams (124 special teams snaps last season to Wilson's zero) and as a pass protector. If both make the initial 53, then there's a competition to be Josh Jacobs' primary backup. If this makes sense, Wilson is either the No. 2 running back or the No. 4 option, and Brooks would be third string no matter what. Whereas the aforementioned five competitions could be for a spot on the 53 alone, this one is for the starting left tackle job. We covered it at length in this Tuesday story. (Photo of Mecole Hardman: Michael Hickey / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
