In two games, FAMU has provided a barometer of who this team is and what it can be | G. Thomas

The Florida A&M Rattlers got dealt a full deck to start the 2023 football season.

First, they played a tone-setting Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) East contest against Jackson State at Week 1’s Orange Blossom Classic. Then, the Rattlers matched up with NCAA Division I-FBS team South Florida on Week 2 last Saturday.

The Rattlers walked away 1-1, beating JSU 28-10 and faltering to USF 38-24.

But, FAMU’s response to immediately being thrown into a critical divisional game, then a contest against the elevated competition, will speak volumes with nine more regular season games to spare.

FAMU head coach Willie Simmons (55-24 overall, 34-13 at FAMU) has called this his most talented team all offseason. And he’s had some star-studded squads in his nine years of coaching at Prairie View A&M (2015-2017) and FAMU (2018-present).

Week 2 was critical to the Rattlers' identity after riding high off the JSU victory into a short week of preparation for USF.

And I think Simmons and the world know who this team is now as FAMU enters its Week 3 home opener against NCAA Division II team West Florida.

"The talent that we have is undeniable. I think the nation saw that," Simmons said at Monday’s Week 3 press conference.

"We just have to continue to show that we're a disciplined football team that focuses on the little things and takes pride in doing those things right. I'm cautiously optimistic about where this team can be. You have to continue to push them, drive them. If we do that, the rest of the season will be what we aspire to be.

"But, we can't rest on our laurels and think talent's enough."

Let's be real: Despite being on the wrong side of a 5-0 turnover ratio and flagged 12 times for 115 yards versus USF, FAMU would have beaten many SWAC teams with that performance.

That's not diminishing SWAC football by any means.

It's a testament to the talented roster that Simmons and his coaching staff assembled this season.

"We were the underdogs," Simmons said of the USF game. "So, when you play those games, you have to limit mistakes. You don't win a game of that caliber turning the ball over.

"For us, it's about giving us a chance to be successful. And that's fundamentals — ball security, substitution issues on defense. Those are things that are fixable."

Last Saturday, FAMU showed it has the tools to win ugly or slug it out with opponents to at least have a chance at prevailing, which is a characteristic that all good football teams must possess.

Don't believe me? Watch the Rattlers' games versus South Carolina State, Grambling State, and Alabama State from a season ago.

FAMU knows its capabilities and end goal, but remains modest as season transpires

This team has a real chance at claiming the SWAC title and HBCU Celebration Bowl.

The first two weeks are just the prelude of the quest to play in December. You're seeing the early-season progressions and the growing pains that accompany it.

Rest assured knowing that the Rattlers are nowhere near maxing out.

First, FAMU's offense, which had four turnovers (one on special teams) against USF, must play a cleaner, more complete football game.

Starting quarterback Jeremy Moussa, who finished completing 24 of 43 passes for 374 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions, was beleaguered by four sacks and three hurries.

FAMU's rushing game has to display that same competence from the JSU game, where it accrued 207 yards compared to only 19 last week.

The Dark Cloud Defense is the Rattlers' rock, only allowing three points off five total turnovers and securing 13 tackles for loss and six sacks (both led by linebacker Isaiah Major). But it has to be more disciplined, as it contributed 70 penalty yards last week.

"If I'm saying this is the most talented team I've ever coached, the expectations are as high as I've ever had them," Simmons said.

"We don't talk about 'Celebration Bowl or bust' within the program. We know our goal for us is to be 1-0 after this weekend. We're fighting the spirit of complacency that resides in all of us and chasing that perfection that breeds excellence.

"If we do that, this football team will accomplish more than we have in a very long time around here."

The Rattlers must transition from being the hunter to the haunted when D2 opponent UWF (2-0) comes to Bragg Memorial Stadium this Saturday.

Last week, FAMU was trying to pull off the upset against USF. Now, the Rattlers are faced with the danger of being upset by a D2 powerhouse Argonauts aiming to spoil the day FAMU officially names its field after Pro Football Hall of Famer Ken Riley.

There's already been a handful of D2 over D1 upsets this season. Most recently, Miles College defeated the SWAC's Alabama State in a Week 2 HBCU matchup.

So, this isn’t the time to be lax because the Rattlers can look up and be on the wrong side of an upset — which would end their second-longest in Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) 15-game home winning streak.

A loss on Saturday could be harmful and cause a spiral to FAMU's hopeful football season.

"It's a complete 180. This time last week, we were the smaller division school trying to upset on the home field of a larger school," Simmons said.

"Great players, great teams don't look at the schedule. They look at the process of becoming a champion or the best version of yourself. A team that aspires to be great puts the blinders on and don't care who they play. The preparation is the same. We don't get up for competition or play down to our competition.

"We got our hands full. We know [UWF] is a really good team. And we look forward to the challenge."

Florida A&M (1-1, 1-0 SWAC) vs. West Florida (2-0) Game Information

When: Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023 at 6 p.m. ― Eastern Time

Where: Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida

How to watch: HBCU Go, Rattlers+

Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@gannett.com or on Twitter @3peatgee.

No one covers the Rattlers like the Tallahassee Democrat. Subscribe using the link at the top of the page and never miss a moment.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Football: We may know the identity of the Rattlers after two games