Florida A&M beats Bethune-Cookman in Florida Classic

Florida A&M fans, welcome to your future.

With starting quarterback Curtis Pulley injured and backup Eddie Battle also on the mend, redshirt freshman Martin Ukpai was pressed into duty.

All he did was lead the Rattlers to a 42-6 victory against Bethune-Cookman on Saturday at the Florida Citrus Bowl in the 30th installment of the Florida Classic.

"To be 100 percent honest with you, I was not nervous about this game at all," Ukpai said. "I was very excited about my first start being in the Florida Classic and just trying my best to focus on my assignments and executing. And I think I did an OK job of that today."

Ukpai completed eight of 11 passes for 151 yards, one touchdown and an interception. He also rushed for 66 yards on 10 carries and ran for a score.

Saturday's victory marked the second consecutive Florida Classic triumph for second-year Rattlers coach Joe Taylor. It's also the fourth win for the program in the past five years of this rivalry. FAMU leads the series 20-10.

"First of all, the whole team (played well)," Taylor said. "We kept telling them all week long one game does not define who we are. Success in life is a body of work and I'm just so proud of that. We did not let one game define who we are. I also told them success is housed on the other side of frustration."

Following last week's 25-0 beating at the hands of Hampton, the Rattlers took out their frustrations on Bethune-Cookman.

For the duration of the game, the Wildcats special teams unit was more than happy to kick away from return threat LeRoy Vann. The Blake High graduate entered the game having returned five punts and three kickoffs for touchdowns this season. Saturday, he had just two returns - one punt for four yards and a kickoff for three.

The Rattlers struck on its second possession of the game, capped by a Trevor Scott 5-yard rushing score.

Two possessions later, FAMU fullback Mykel Benson scored on a 2-yard plunge. That touchdown, with 11:41 left in the first half, extended the Rattlers' lead to 14-0.

The chasm opened even further when Ukpai faked a give up the middle to Philip Sylvester and kept the ball off the right side for a touchdown that resulted in a 21-0 lead with 5:41 left in the second quarter.

Sylvester, the MVP of the game for the Rattlers, finished with a game-high 121 yards on 19 carries. He also scored twice. As for a freshman quarterback holding the reins to the offense in such a heated game, Sylvester wasn't concerned.

"I'm not surprised (at his success). Ukpai is a great athlete," Sylvester said. "A lot of people call him Little Pulley because he can do almost everything (Pulley) can, he's just younger.."

The most promising drive of the first half by the Wildcats offense put them at the FAMU 13, the result of a diving, 26-yard reception by Jameel McLeod that converted a fourth-and-24.

On the ensuing play, Matthew Johnson's pass was picked off by Jarvus Funderburk at the Ratters 2 and returned to the BC-U 22.

Florida A&M needed just three plays to make that interception sting.

On second-and-goal from the Wildcats 1, Ukpai faked a dive up the middle, turned to his left and fired quickly to a wide open Kevin Elliot in the end zone.

"(That was) a great football team we went up against," BC-U coach Alvin Wyatt said. "We couldn't do anything right today. They were a better football team today."

The Wildcats' lone score came with 6:57 left in the fourth quarter when Androse Bell scored from a yard out.

The victory against the Wildcats helped put the Rattlers in the driver's seat for an at-large playoff selection.