TALLAHASSEE - Rodney Roy dove over a pile of defenders stacked on the goal line for a 1-yard-touchdown run that sent Delaware St. to a 21-17 road win over Florida A&M on Saturday night.
The loss ruined the coaching debut of FAMU's Rubin Carter, whose team was beset by five turnovers, a sluggish start and an inconsistent offense.
Still, the Rattlers had time to take the lead after Roy's run with 8:24 left in the fourth quarter put the Hornets on top.
FAMU quarterback Chris Owens sustained the game's final drive with a 22-yard completion to Aubrey Parrish on fourth-and-17 with 1:32 to play. But the effort stalled at the Delaware St. 31-yard line when FAMU failed to convert another fourth down with 22 seconds to play.
The Rattlers took a 17-12 lead on Rashard Pompey's 53-yard touchdown run in the third quarter but were done in by a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions. Pompey, a Tallahassee native, led all rushers with 139 yards on 18 carries.
B-CC 34, ELIZABETH CITY 7: P.J. Smith rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns and Lawrence McCloud added 149 yards on 22 carries for the Wildcats. Smith, who rushed 17 times, scored from the 2-yard line in the first quarter and from the 4-yard line in the third against the Division II Vikings. In the fourth quarter, Bethune-Cookman's Rodney Hughes jarred the ball loose from running back Jerome Smith, and cornerback James Monds picked up the fumble and ran 90 yards for a touchdown, the longest fumble return in school history.
SAN JOSE ST. 35, E. WASHINGTON 24: Adam Tafralis passed for 290 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two scores to lead the Spartans in Dick Tomey's coaching debut at the school.
TROY 27, CAL POLY 10: Carl Meadows passed for 213 yards and a touchdown as the host Trojans opened their season with a strong defensive outing. Troy held the Mustangs to 139 total yards, including 68 yards passing on 15 attempts.
MOUNT UNION 33, WASHINGTON (MO.) 7: Randy Mason threw two touchdown passes and Pierre Garcon caught two, leading the host Purple Raiders to their 105th consecutive regular-season victory. Mike Jorris also threw a touchdown pass for Mount Union, which last lost a non-playoff game Oct. 15, 1994, 23-10 to Baldwin-Wallace.
