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The Howard Bison could not match the speed of Famu, Florida A&M University, but they never gave up as they got blasted by a rested Rattler team, 51-24.
It was a homecoming for Rattlers’ head coach, Joe Taylor, who is a native of D.C. and joined Howard’s coaching staff in 1982 and became the Bison head coach the following year. The Rattlers said coach Taylor brought confidence, a PH.D and a Germany word, “Zeist Geist” which means “spirit of the time, time of the spirit”, to the team. “It’s a honor to play for coach Taylor,” said Rattlers’ sophomore defensive back, Curtis Holocomb.
The Bison defense held the Rattlers offense to a field goal on their opening drive, but the offensive mistakes changed the game. After getting in the red zone on the opening drive for the Bison, they had a bad snap that led to a 65-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Rattlers’ junior defensive end, Joseph Wims. The next series, Bison’s wide receivers, senior Arlandus Hood and freshmen Willie Carter, miss communicated and sophomore cornerback for the Rattlers, Qier Hall, intercepted the pass and returned it for a 67-yard touchdown.
With the team’s circumstances, the Bison offense played most of the game in 3, 4 and sometimes, 5 wide receivers sets. Hood finished with 12 catches for 95 yards and Carter finished with 8 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown. “The offense is me and I take all the blame for the missed opportunities,” said Bison’s junior quarterback, Floyd Haigler – who had 30 completions with 47 attempts for 306 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Despite the lack of players not suited up for the Bison because of injuries, non-eligibility and four freshmen offensive linemen starting, Bison head coach Carey Bailey offers no excuses. “We had opportunities today and we missed our opportunities,” said coach Bailey. “We are not good enough yet to start as slow as we did and expect to catch up with a team like FAMU.”
The Bison scored all their points in the 4th quarter and freshmen wide receiver, Brandon Drayton – who just cleared waivers last week, got his first taste of college football and brought the fans to their feet each time he touch the ball. “It felt great,” said Drayton. “I just sit back for the chance to make a play for my team.”
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