COLLEGE TOWN, FL (WTXL) — Gabriel Perez drilled three field goals and Mississippi Valley State missed a last-second kick as Florida A&M survived to close its home schedule with a victory at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
The Florida A&M Rattlers snapped a four-game losing streak Saturday with a heart-stopping 16-13 win over Mississippi Valley State in their final home game of the 2026 season at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
The win came down to the very last seconds. With under 30 seconds left on the clock, Mississippi Valley State lined up for a field goal to send the game into overtime. The kick sailed wide, no good, and the Rattlers held on to send their home crowd out with one final win.
Florida A&M celebrated its seniors on Senior Day, with both teams looking to get back in the win column in this SWAC East showdown.
The Delta Devils struck first when Dezmond Ray found some room and took it 21 yards to the house, giving Mississippi Valley State an early 7-0 lead.
The Rattlers started chipping away at that lead behind the leg of Gabriel Perez, who connected from 46 yards out to put FAMU on the board. Perez added another field goal to pull the Rattlers within one, and Mississippi Valley State took a slim 7-6 lead into the locker room at halftime.
With just under seven minutes left in the third quarter, the Rattlers found the end zone. James Hayes connected with Armand Burris, who took it 23 yards before losing the football near the goal line, but Jamar Taylor was right there to recover it for the touchdown. FAMU took its first lead of the afternoon, 13-7.
The Delta Devils answered when Josh Brown punched it in on the tush push to tie the game. The extra point was no good, leaving the score knotted at 13 apiece.
Perez came through once again, knocking home his third field goal of the afternoon to put FAMU back on top, 16-13, setting up the Delta Devils' final chance that fell short.
"We sent our seniors out the right way here at home, and that was truly the message all week for these guys…it's really just truly about these kids despite what we've gone through all year, the wins haven't been there and they still give it to us every day, and the emotion is just from them being able to get what they have been putting in a win, and that's what it's all about," FAMU head football coach Quinn Gray said.
It may not have been the season FAMU envisioned, but the team gave the home crowd one last reason to celebrate.
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