Football returned to Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium on Saturday as Florida A&M hosted the Orange and Green Spring Game.
In its first organized game action since its win at the Rattlers Celebration Bowl in Atlanta last December, FAMU culminates spring football camp with its annual showcase game, featuring James Colsey It marked the beginning of the III era.
The Green Rattlers team, wearing white jerseys, defeated the Orange team 14-7.
Here are three takeaways from the FAMU Orange and Green's spring game, with a look at some transfers, recruits, and a rookie roster experiencing its first stint under Colzi.
FAMU's quarterback battle continues as Junior Muratovic shines in spring game
Saturday's spring game was a look into the future of FAMU's quarterback room as he replaces award-winning signal caller Jeremy Moussa, who has exhausted his eligibility.
All six quarterbacks on the roster took snaps during the spring game.
However, it was Junior Muratovic who stole the show in this game, with Daniel Richardson, a transfer from Florida Atlantic, performing well in the spring.
On Saturday, Muratovic looked confident as he led the first touchdown drive of the game and scored the first point of the game after gaining over 80 yards of offense. One of the veterans on the roster, Muratovic appeared in six games last season and threw for 138 yards.
In Saturday's game, Muratovic threw two touchdowns and led the Rattlers' only successful offensive drive of the game. He was also active in the 7-on-7 portion of the spring game.
Colzie was impressed with Muratovic and Richardson in the spring, but isn't ready to declare his starting quarterback just yet.
“I thought Junior made some really, really great passes earlier in the day. Daniel made some really great passes as well,” Colzi said. “So I think we can wait and see who that quarterback is going to be as we get through the summer.”
Richardson, who won the Spring Quarterback of the Year award from FAMU at halftime, got off to a slow start in the spring game. Even though he threw three interceptions on Saturday, the graduate transfer looked strong in practice but struggled to find his footing in his first game simulation at Bragg.
“I thought Junior and Daniel did a really, really good job in the spring,” Colsey said. “Those two guys have done a really good job. We're not going to make any decisions. It's not like these two necessarily separated, but I think they both did a good job.”
Alston Hooker, Trey Fisher, Noah Ross and DJ Bonnie all took snaps for the Rattlers.
However, the duo of Muratovic and Richardson are competing for a starting spot. Both players completed difficult passes and showed excellent pocket awareness during the game scenario portion of the spring game.
FAMU's “Dark Cloud Defense” causes tons of turnovers in spring game
FAMU's “dark cloud defense” was a standout on Saturday, forcing four interceptions and allowing just one touchdown on offense.
The Rattlers boasted the nation's second-best defense last year, and this year's team looks set to follow suit.
Despite the takeaways and limited offensive action, Colzi is looking for more effort from his defense.
“We did some good things turnover-wise, but I didn't think we played as fast as we usually do defensively,” Colzie said. “We have to make sure we do some things on the personnel side to make sure we are where we need to be once the season starts.”
The secondary was strong against the pass-heavy FAMU offense, forcing five interceptions, including one pick-six, and numerous incompletions. Jordan Cumberbatch, Ahmaa Lee, Andre Powell Jr., and Gabriel Nance all came up with nominations to the Rattlers.
Overall, FAMU's defense showed promise with several tackles for loss and a sack. Although there were only a few offensive rushes, the Rattlers' front seven looked strong against the run, allowing very few yards after contact.
With defensive and offensive starters facing off throughout the game, Colzie tried to get the best out of each other throughout the afternoon.
“Iron sharpens iron for me,” Colzi said. “I want to see them go against them. When we play Norfolk State, we're not going to play for two wins or three wins. So I just want to play with ours and ours. I wanted to see how we reacted to each other.”
Standout Player: FAMU defensive back Andre Powell Jr. had two interceptions.
Powell was one of the players who stood out in a strong showing from the defensive backs.
He hit Richardson twice in the first half, including a well-timed route jump that led to his first interception.
Last year, the Rattlers had one of the strongest defensive back groups in the nation, and this year's team retained Kendall Boller and Powell.
Powell played well in Saturday's spring game, covering well and forcing a few fumbles in addition to the interception.
“These are guys who made plays for us when we were on the rise to a national championship,” Colsey said. “Andre Powell was the guy who sat behind guys like Javan Morgan last year, so now he has a chance to make plays.”
After appearing in 11 games last season, Powell recorded 14 total tackles in the 2023 season and showed promise in the spring game that it could be an improved season for him and his defensive back group in the fall.
Colzi feels that having the defensive backs play against the top two quarterbacks on the roster was a way to gauge where the group would end the spring.
“That's another reason I did one-on-one, so the DB gets a chance at the No. 1 and No. 2 quarterback on the team,” Colsey said. “How can they react to this?” [FAMU wide receiver Jamari Gassett] And other really good offensive players? ”
Liam Rooney covers prep sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Reach me by email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamroone.y
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