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Classic Rivals Clash

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By EDDIE DANIELS

edaniels@tampatrib.com

Published: November 22, 2008

TAMPA - When Joe Taylor set foot into the Florida A&M locker room as the 15th coach in Rattlers history, he brought with him a blueprint he's used for two decades.

The same blueprint he used at Hampton University to earn four Black College championships, eight conference titles, a Heritage Bowl championship and seven trips to the NCAA playoffs. The same blueprint which led to three consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year awards (2004-06). The same blueprint garnered him a 197-78-4 career record entering his new post.

Then he added a twist: Control the D.A.S.H.

"There are four numbers that precede all of us," Taylor explained. "That's the year we were born and we have no control over that. At some point, there's going to be four other numbers and that's when you expire - and certainly, we have that to count on.

"In between those two sets of numbers, there's always a dash. So our thing is to control that dash. That's the only thing we have control over, the dash."

Simple yet effective explanation, but there's more to it. Each letter has its own meaning.

D is for discipline; A is for attitude; S is sacrifice and H is for habits.

"We've got a handle on that idea of controlling the dash and when they bought into that, I think that's when we really started going forward."

That journey forward has led the Rattlers (8-3, 4-3 MEAC) into today's showdown at the 29th annual Florida Classic against Bethune-Cookman University (8-2, 5-2) at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

Not only are state bragging rights on the line in this series, in which FAMU holds a 45-15-1 advantage, but also there could be playoff implications.

Bethune-Cookman sits in second place in the MEAC, while FAMU is third. A B-CU win locks up second place, while a loss ties that spot up. Additionally, the winner has at least a shot of being considered by the NCAA's selection committee for a playoff berth.

Considering where these teams have come from - last season B-CU finished 5-6, while Florida A&M was 3-8 - this season's implications are hard to believe.

"I am a little bit shocked and surprised that we are where we are today," said Wildcats coach Alvin Wyatt, who lost three quarterbacks at the beginning of the season. "We thought it was going to take a little bit of time for us to get to where we are, but we're here now, eight wins. I know a lot of people in America wish they had eight wins and we're pleased to have that."

Last season, Bethune-Cookman handed Florida A&M a thorough 34-7 defeat, which likely cost Coach Rubin Carter his job after three seasons. In that span, Carter went 16-17 and beat the Wildcats twice. But last season's loss was no doubt the final straw.

As Hampton's coach, Taylor is used to those big games that tend to be do-or-die for the fan base. The Pirates battled back and forth with Howard University to figure out "who's the real HU," then there was the Battle of the Bay Classic against Norfolk State.

"So it's not unfamiliar territory," Taylor said. "The key is to make sure we're putting these guys in position to be successful."

Reporter Eddie Daniels can be reached at (813) 948-4214.

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