Box Score
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida A&M quarterback Curtis Pulley accounted for 358 yards of total offense and three touchdowns as the Rattlers earned a 34-20 homecoming win over Norfolk State on Saturday afternoon at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
Pulley did most of his damage in the first half, rushing for 156 yards and passing for 102 to help stake the Rattlers (5-2, 3-1 MEAC) to a 31-13 halftime lead. Pulley scored on a 51-yard TD run and tossed scoring passes of 1 and 30 yards to Mykel Benson in the opening 30 minutes.
NSU quarterback Dennis Brown (Miami, Fla.) passed for 188 yards and two TDs while rushing for a team-high 78 yards for the Spartans (3-4, 2-3).
Pulley drove the Rattlers 67 yards in seven plays after they received the opening kickoff. He found Benson for a 1-yard TD pass for the game's first points.
NSU answered quickly. Dwight Fluker-Berry (Miami, Fla.) returned the ensuing kickoff 39 yards, and a 15-yard FAMU penalty gave NSU the ball at the Rattlers' 31. Seven plays later, sophomore fullback Josh Alford (Chesterfield, Va.) scored his first career TD on a 1-yard run, and the point-after tied the game at 7-all.
Trevor Scott capped an 11-play FAMU march with a 22-yard field goal on the next possession to give his squad a 10-7 lead. Brown was then intercepted by FAMU defensive back Anthony Shutt on the following drive. Philip Sylvester extended the lead to 17-7 with a 22-yard TD run on the next possession.
NSU was forced to punt on the ensuing drive. Pulley then directed the Rattlers on a nine-play, 96-yard drive for the game's next points. He capped the march with a 30-yard TD pass to Benson with 6:56 left in the first half.
The Spartans put an end to the 17 unanswered FAMU points. Brown hit Dennis Brown (Norfolk, Va.) for a 51-yard TD pass, their seventh scoring hookup of the year. The extra point missed, but NSU had cut its deficit to 24-13.
But Pulley needed less than two minutes to respond. He scrambled through the NSU defense for a 51-yard TD run up the left sideline, and the extra point gave FAMU a 31-13 lead going into the half.
NSU held the Rattlers scoreless in the third quarter. Then on the first play of the fourth, Brown found P.J. Hayden (Fredericksburg, Va.) on a swing pass in the flat, and Hayden weaved in and out of the FAMU defense for a 17-yard TD. The extra point brought NSU within 31-20 with 14:50 left in the game.
Scott provided the game's final points with a 30-yard field goal with 9:33 remaining, giving his team a 34-20 edge.
NSU drove into Rattler territory on each of their next two drives, but couldn't find the end zone.
Pulled rushed 17 times for 185 yards, and Sylvester added another 92 on the ground as the Rattlers recorded a Spartan season opponent high of 290 rushing yards. Pulley also completed 13-of-22 passes for 173 yards as FAMU ended with 463 yards, another high for an NSU opponent this season.
Brown connected on 16-of-29 passes for 188 yards, two TDs and two interceptions. He also ran for 78 yards on 14 carries.
NSU linebacker Anthony Taylor (Virginia Beach, Va.) recorded a career-best 14 tackles, including 1.5 for loss and one sack.
The Spartans return home for their 2009 homecoming game next Saturday at 1 p.m. against Howard University.
