HBCU Football: 3 Keys to Victory for Jackson State and Florida A&M

3. The Rattlers and Tigers have questions to answer in the trenches.

Jackson State: The glaring issue for Jackson State this spring was the trenches. The back half of JSU’s spring schedule (Mississippi Valley State, Alabama State, and Alabama A&M) exposed the Tigers’ weaknesses on the offensive and defensive lines.

Tougher defenses harassed Jackson State quarterbacks, and there were few holes for the running backs to run through. The blocking was so bad against Alabama State; coach Sanders commented that the line might learn to block someone at halftime.

For those reasons, the Tigers were busy in the transfer portal. Tennessee transfer EDGE rusher Nyles Gaddy, offensive tackles (Missouri) Dylan Spencer, and (Florida International) Maljon Joor are three of the many new faces in the trenches for the Tigers.

FAMU: The Rattlers were not as active in the portal but signed some key pieces to add to a lackluster pass rush in 2019. Defensive tackle Renaldo Flowers, Jr. led the Rattlers in sacks (4.5), but no one else had more than 3.5 sacks.

For the Rattlers, however, the pass rush was definitely a by-committee approach. This season, the Rattlers added Jason Romero (East Carolina) and Savion Williams (Tennessee) via the portal to help the pass rush.

The offensive line was solid in 2019 allowing just eight sacks in 11 games. The FAMU offensive line is a veteran group that will be formidable against Jackson State’s new-look defensive front.