A.G. Gancarski
More than pride will be on the line when Florida A&M and Jackson State square off this weekend in a HBCU national showcase game.
Also on the line: Mississippi catfish and Florida shrimp.
If the FAMU Rattlers defeat Jackson State, U.S. Rep. Al Lawson stands poised to win a school of said aquatic bounty from U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Congressman from the Magnolia State who has taken the opposite side of Lawson’s proposition.
“I told Congressman Thompson that I know FAMU is going to take home this victory, so he can start getting my Mississippi catfish ready,” Lawson said, in a statement from his office.
“Both teams have done an amazing job with their recruitment efforts, but I know Coach Simmons has top-notch athletes who are fired up and ready to play. The Rattlers are about to show ‘Prime Time’ and Rep. Thompson how we do things in Florida,” Lawson urged.
(“Prime Time,” for the uninitiated, is the legendary Florida State University product, Deion Sanders. Presumably, Sanders would know how it is done in Florida. But that’s another story.)
FAMU could lose, of course, and Lawson would serve up the aforementioned box of shrimp to Thompson, who likewise served up his own pronouncement that Jackson State would romp over the Rattlers.
“Clearly, Congressman Lawson hasn’t been paying attention to my Tigers,” said Thompson, an alumnus of JSU. “I know FAMU has a good athletic program, but they’re no match for us. Coach Prime-Time is going to lead us to an undefeated season. On Sunday, I know both teams we’ll compete at their best, but someone please tell Rep. Lawson that Tigers have never been scared of rattlesnakes. Bring it on!”
The Orange Blossom Classic kicks off on Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Hard Rock Stadium.
FAMU is favored by more than a touchdown as of this writing.
