Florida A&M Rattlers

FAMU downs DII Fort Valley St. 41-7 for Simmons' first win

Published Sep. 1, 2018 11:55 p.m. ET

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida A&M beat Division II Fort Valley State 41-7 on Saturday in the season opener for both teams on Saturday.

In the debut of Rattlers' head coach Willie Simmons, Ricky Henrilus' 1-yard dive with 10:50 left in the first quarter gave the Rattlers a 7-0 lead. The play was set up when Wildcats punter Eli Mashburn mishandled the snap and FAMU recovered the ball at the 8-yard line.

Yahia Aly — who set a school record with six field goals — connected on field goals of 38 and 45 yards respectively to put the Rattlers up 13-0 before the game was suspended with 5:05 before halftime due to lightning. Upon returning to the field 30 minutes later, Fort Valley State's Lorenzo Smothers struck for a 92-yard run to reduce the deficit to 13-7.

FAMU responded on its next drive and Ryan Stanley threw a 28-yard scoring strike to Ryan Stanley to push the lead to 20-7.

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