Heading into Week 3, Florida A&M sits at 1-3. After an impressive opening win against Quinn Gray's former program, Albany State, the Rattlers have suffered three straight losses to South Carolina State, Miami, and Tennessee State.

Speaking about the tough stretch on the SWAC Coaches' Call, Gray says he understands and expected the job of restoring Florida A&M to its former glory to be tough. Gray has already dealt with grave injuries to key contributors this season.

Transfer Isaiah Knowles suffered a season-ending injury in the Orange Blossom Classic against South Carolina State, and backup quarterback Dustin Fletcher, who served as QB1 for the Rattlers following Knowles's injury, also suffered an injury against Tennessee State on Saturday.

Asked whether the pressure and expectations of leading Florida A&M have matched what he anticipated when he took the job, Gray made clear nothing has caught him off guard.

“No, that's exactly what I expected. There's nothing about this job that hasn't been what I expected. I know what this job is all about. I'm a Rattler. I know what the expectation is.”

Gray pointed to correctable mistakes, rather than a lack of effort, as the difference between Florida A&M's record and where it could be.

“Our kids are going out there playing and trying to put their best foot forward,” Gray said. “There's just some mistakes that we've made that have kept us out of the winning column.”

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He described the relationship between coaching staff and players as a shared responsibility.

“At the end of the day, they have a responsibility of performing, and we have a responsibility of putting them in the right situation to be successful,” he said.

Gray also said coaches must be willing to examine their own performance when the team falls short.

“If we can't get it done, then we as coaches have to look at ourselves, and then also the players have to look at themselves to make sure that they're putting their best foot forward as well,” he said.

He also reaffirmed his commitment to putting in the necessary work heading into Saturday.

“You won't hear any complaints from us,” he said. “We're going to do what it is that we have to do to try and get our guys ready to play on Saturdays.”