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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Stanley threw a pair of touchdown passes in a three-minute span late in the fourth quarter to help Florida A&M rally past Morgan State 22-21 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference thriller at Bragg Stadium on Saturday evening before a crowd of 16,879.
Chris Andrews scored from the 4 to give Morgan State (2-7, 2-5 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) a 21-9 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Things took a turn for the worse for the Bears during their first drive of the final period. On 1st and 10 from the Bears' 35, Andrews was hit by Rasshad Kennion and coughed up the ball, and the Rattlers recovered it on the MSU 23. Four plays later, Stanley tossed a swing pass to Devin Bowers who ran it in from 11-yards out to cut the Bears' lead to 21-16 with 8:55 left.
Morgan State went three-and-out on its next possession and was forced to punt. The Rattlers took over at its own 43.
Stanley then led the Rattlers on a 5-play, 57-yard drive for the game-winning touchdown. He broke through the line for a 15 yard quarterback keeper down to the two-yard line. On the very next play, Stanley tossed a 2-yard strike to Brandon Norwood with 5:40 left.
The Bears were forced to punt after their next possession, and the Rattlers ran out the clock to preserve the win, although the end of the game was marred by a brawl which took place with 39 seconds left.
Four players were ejected, including FAMU's T.J. Jones, the starting left tackle, and reserve running back Kevin Newman, along with Morgan State linebacker Malachi Washington and defensive back William King.
Stanley was 25-of-42 passing for 264 yards with three touchdowns and an interception for the Rattlers (4-6, 4-3). He also had 15 carries for 59 yards. Bowers finished with a game-high 88 yards on 18 carries.
The Bears managed just 70 yards through the air with a pair of quarterbacks and managed just 142 yards rushing.
William King returned the game's opening kickoff 87 yards to the FAMU two yard line, from where Eric Harrell took the ball into the end zone for a two-yard score and a 7-0 lead with 14:45 left in the first period.
Stanley drove the Rattlers 80 yards in six plays capping things off with a 29-yard swing pass to speedy Devin Bowers, who raced through the Morgan defense for the touchdown. Colby Blanton's PAT try failed, leaving the Rattlers down one.
With seconds remaining in the first, defensive end Jai Franklin sacked Stanley, forcing a fumble which Franklin took into the end zone for a 14-6 lead.
Blanton would nail a 19-yard field goal with 13:04 left in the second quarter to draw the Rattlers closer at 14-9, but Andrews capped a five-play, 70-yard Bears drive with 1:58 left in the third to stake his club to a 21-9 advantage, setting the stage for FAMU's fourth quarter awakening.
