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Why FAMU football doesn't view Albany State as a 'tune-up' game
Week 0 college football games are typically viewed as warm-up games for larger programs, while providing a payday for smaller schools before the regular slate of matchups begins.
That’s not the case for Florida A&M head coach Quinn Fordham Gray Sr .
“For us, this is not a tune-up, this is the regular season,” Gray told reporters at his weekly press conference on Monday, Aug. 24. “It’s a game that counts against our win-loss. As long as a score is going to be kept, we’re going out there to put our best foot forward and win a football game.”
This Saturday, Aug. 29, FAMU, a member of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, hosts Division II squad Albany State on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium .
Despite an obvious talent and depth advantage for the Rattlers, the first-year head coach isn’t overlooking the Golden Rams of Albany State, a program he led the last three seasons . In 2025, the Gray-led Golden Rams were a formidable challenge for the Rattlers, building an early 14-3 lead, but faltering 33-25.
David Bowser is the Golden Rams’ head coach now and has retained some key players from Gray’s team.
“We’re looking forward to competing,” Gray said. “Regardless of who the opponent is.”
Last week, the Rattlers began their in-season schedule, moving preseason training camp practices to early morning starts. They ended the week with an open mock game that kicked off at 7 p.m., the same start time for the Albany State matchup this Saturday.
Gray said he saw an increase in “energy level” during the gameday ramp-up period.
“Going out, being able to execute at a high level because that’s truly what we have to do to come out victorious,” Gray said.
“We’ve been working hand and foot over the last four weeks to make sure we’re putting our guys in a situation to make sure that on Saturday they’re reacting versus thinking. We get a chance to continue to make sure that we’re ready in all phases for anything that’s thrown at us.”
FAMU football shares ties with Quinn Gray's Albany State teams
There are many parallels between this FAMU team and Gray’s Albany State squad a year ago.
Isaiah Knowles is the Rattlers’ starting quarterback. He was Albany State’s starter in 2024 and 2025, winning the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year while running one of Division II’s top scoring offenses. FAMU co-offensive coordinator Nicholas Sewak was previously Albany State’s associate head coach, offensive line coach, and run-game coordinator.
But Gray isn’t copying and pasting what made him successful in Division II.
“From an offensive standpoint, we’ve changed a lot of the stuff we’ve done in the past,” he said.
Defensively, Christopher Cash was Albany State’s coordinator, leading the top total defense in Division II. He’s now the safeties and nickelbacks coach for the Rattlers.
But expect the defense to be nuanced from what Albany State ran a season ago.
Ryan Lewis Sr. , coming from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is FAMU’s defensive coordinator. Most notably, he was the defensive coordinator of Alabama State teams that ranked near the top of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and FCS during his three-year tenure from 2022 to 2024.
“They have a lot of film on us from the last three years because that’s where we’ve been,” Gray said. “The good thing is they don’t have a bunch of defensive film.”
Saturday’s FAMU-Albany State game will be broadcast on SWAC TV.
Florida A&M vs. Albany State
When: Saturday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m.
Where: Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida
TV/Streaming: SWAC TV
Florida A&M football full 2026 schedule
All times are Eastern
Saturday, Aug. 29: vs. Albany State, 7 p.m., SWAC TV
Sunday, Sept. 6: vs. South Carolina State, Orange Blossom Classic at Miami Gardens' Hard Rock Stadium, 3 p.m., ESPNU
Thursday, Sept. 10: at Miami, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Saturday, Sept. 19: vs. Tennessee State, 7 p.m., HBCU GO
Saturday, Sept. 26: vs. Alabama A&M (SWAC), 7 p.m., SWAC TV
Saturday, Oct. 3: BYE
Saturday, Oct. 10: at Alabama State (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
Saturday, Oct. 17: at Jackson State (SWAC), 3 p.m., ESPN Network
Saturday, Oct. 24: vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC/Homecoming), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
Saturday, Oct. 31: vs. Southern (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
Saturday, Nov. 7: at Alcorn State (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV
Saturday, Nov. 14: vs. Mississippi Valley State (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV
Saturday, Nov. 21: vs. Bethune-Cookman (SWAC/Florida Classic), 3:30 p.m., ESPN+
Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat under the USA TODAY Network.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at [email protected] or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee .
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Why FAMU football doesn't view Albany State as a 'tune-up' game
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