So what hurts more, that Florida A&M Rattlers all but eliminated from the FCS Playoff picture, Joe Taylor returning to HU to take a thorough beat down from one of the MEAC’ most inconsistent teams, or that the shutout loss wasn’t that surprising?
Okay, so maybe the first two hurt a lot more being blanked by the Pirates, but it is pretty discouraging to know that over the last four weeks, the Rattlers won close while not performing as the imposing force they were over the first four weeks of the season. Even more discouraging, the hindsight revelations on a Rattler squad that wasn’t nearly as dominant as we expected them to be.
The Rattlers allowed no more than 12 points in each of their first four games. Their opponents in those contests? Delaware State, Winston-Salem State, Howard and Tennessee State; not exactly murderers row, but convincing wins nonetheless.
But following the game against Miami, the Rattlers began to melt down offensively and defensively against quality conference competition. A turnover-filled outing against the S.C. State Bulldogs in an uncharacteristic showing. A double-digit victory over Norfolk State in which the Rattlers only scored three second-half points. An overtime victory against an overmatched Morgan State team, and a close call against North Carolina A&T.
And each of those games, the Rattlers allowed 20 or more points.
This isn’t to say that the Rattlers suddenly became a bad team or forgot that they were once a favorite in the MEAC conference, but it is to say that much of the discipline and swagger the Rattlers held at season’s start diminished a little with every contest. Seriously, have you ever seen so many people sustain injuries in one game from one team? Curtis Pulley, Eddie Battle, and ALL THREE receivers went out with injuries in yesterday’s debacle. You wonder if the Pirates were genuinely hitting that hard, or if the rigors and let down of the Rattlers’ season hit a little harder.
2009 was a great season for the Rattlers, and certainly offers much to build on for the 2010 MEAC title pursuit. But I shudder to think what the expectations will be for a Rattlers team that will lose a big chunk of its offense next year, but none of the myopic belief that the squad is built for a championship.
