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21 Florida A&M leaned on a punishing ground game and a dominant second-half surge to defeat Bethune-Cookman, 31–21, in the 2001 Florida Classic at the Florida Citrus Bowl.
Running back Kelsie Lordeus delivered a workhorse performance, rushing for 186 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries to earn FAMU MVP honors. The Rattlers piled up 296 rushing yards overall and controlled the tempo in the final two quarters to overcome a 14–9 halftime deficit.
FAMU opened the scoring with a 31-yard field goal from Juan Vasquez, but Bethune-Cookman struck back with a big play when Allen Suber hit Taji Parrish for a 54-yard touchdown. O.J. Marchbanks answered with a 6-yard touchdown run, but the Wildcats regained the lead moments later on Suber’s 74-yard strike to Erik Lash.
Trailing 14–9 at halftime, Florida A&M took over the game in the third quarter.
O.J. Marchbanks powered in a 3-yard touchdown run, followed by a successful two-point conversion from Lordeus to push the Rattlers ahead 17–14. FAMU extended the lead minutes later when Lordeus broke through for a 6-yard touchdown run, and Vasquez added the extra point to make it 24–14.
Bethune-Cookman stayed within striking distance after Suber capped a drive with a 32-yard touchdown run. But the Rattlers responded with another clock-draining possession, finishing with a 1-yard touchdown run from Marchbanks early in the fourth quarter to restore a 10-point lead.
From there, the FAMU defense took control, shutting out the Wildcats for the remainder of the game.
Quinn Gray completed 16 passes for 194 yards for the Rattlers, while Issac Brown led the receiving corps with 61 yards. Marchbanks finished with three rushing touchdowns.
Suber turned in an outstanding effort for Bethune-Cookman, earning team MVP honors with 205 passing yards, two long touchdown passes, and 78 rushing yards. Lash added 106 yards receiving, including his 74-yard score.
Florida A&M’s dominant ground performance and timely scoring runs proved too much to overcome, giving the Rattlers another hard-fought rivalry win in Orlando.