TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) Tyrece Nick rushed for three touchdowns and South Carolina State defeated Florida A&M 44-21 on Saturday.

Deshawn Smith ran for two FAMU scores, including a 47-yarder that got the Rattlers within three points in the third quarter but Tayshawn Baines returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards to extend the Bulldogs' lead to 30-21.

Nick carried the ball 20 times for 138 yards and passed for 90 more. Farrika Grier and Jarius Jenkins added touchdown runs for a ground game that collected 313 yards.

Because of an imbalanced schedule in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the outcome between the two MEAC schools did not count in the standings.

Florida A&M (6-4, 5-1) is tied atop the standings with North Carolina A&T (5-1), which the Rattlers defeated on Oct. 13. The Rattlers have a final league game against Bethune-Cookman (4-2) next week while the South Carolina State (4-5, 3-2) has two MEAC games remaining.

After winning four straight games, FAMU has lost its last two while South Carolina State has won three in a row.

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