South Carolina State jumped ahead 14-3 in the opening quarter and never trailed, beating Florida A&M 31-13 in the 2026 Orange Blossom Classic on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. The win moves South Carolina State to 2-0, snaps Florida A&M’s four-game winning streak in the series, and hands the Rattlers their first loss of the season.
Florida A&M’s defense could not repeat its Week 1 performance
A week after recording 10 sacks in a 20-7 win over Albany State, Florida A&M’s front seven had no answer for South Carolina State’s ground game. The Bulldogs ran for 292 net yards on 38 carries, averaging 7.7 yards per rush. The Bulldogs finished with 479 total yards to Florida A&M’s 161. South Carolina State recorded five sacks and 15 tackles for loss while Florida A&M managed zero sacks and only one tackle for loss all afternoon.
Mason Pickett-Hicks was the biggest problem South Carolina State’s offensive line created, rushing 17 times for 210 yards and two touchdowns, an 8-yard score in the first quarter and a 32-yard score in the third. Josh Shaw added two rushing touchdowns of his own, from 6 yards and 1 yard, and finished with 18 net yards on 8 carries. Quarterback Keely Watson completed 11 of 18 passes for 168 yards, connecting with M. Jones six times for 72 yards.
Florida A&M’s offense was shut out
Florida A&M’s points came entirely from its defense and special teams. J. Bostic returned an interception 80 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, Florida A&M’s only score that did not come off the foot of kicker E. Bacardi, who made field goals of 30 and 31 yards in the first half. Florida A&M’s offense did not find the end zone: the Rattlers finished with negative-1 net rushing yards on 30 carries and 162 net passing yards, going 13 of 30 through the air with quarterbacks Isaiah Knowles and D. Fletcher combining to take five sacks for 30 yards lost.
Florida A&M coach Quinn Gray had spoken on this exact thing on his SWAC media call earlier in the week, saying South Carolina State was “fast on defense” and “explosive on offense.” Both showed up in Miami Gardens: the Bulldogs’ defense held Florida A&M to 2.7 yards per play, and the offense scored on its first two possessions.
Turnovers kept it from getting further out of hand
South Carolina State’s only real breakdowns came through the air. The Bulldogs threw two interceptions, with J. Bostic’s pick-six the more costly of the two, and were held to 1 of 8 on third down despite the lopsided yardage. South Carolina State also drew 13 penalties for 119 yards. Florida A&M converted its own two red zone trips into the pair of Bacardi field goals rather than touchdowns, while South Carolina State scored touchdowns on both of its red zone possessions plus added the fourth-quarter J. Jackson field goal that set the final margin.
| Final | South Carolina State | Florida A&M |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 31 | 13 |
| Total offense | 479 yards | 161 yards |
| Rushing yards | 292 yards | -1 yards |
| Sacks | 5 (by SCS defense) | 0 (by FAMU defense) |
| Third down | 1-for-8 (12.5%) | 4-for-17 (23.5%) |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
Source: Official game statistics, South Carolina State vs. Florida A&M (Sept. 6, 2026), StatBroadcast.
South Carolina State moves to 2-0 to open the season and will host CIAA member Virginia State in Orangeburg in their next game. Meanwhile, Florida A&M falls to 1-1 and stays in South Florida to face the Miami Hurricanes on Thursday.
