He gets the handoff.

He shakes a defender, then cuts inside and bounces outside towards the visiting sideline of Camping World Stadium.

Then he fights off a tackler on the way to outstretching his body for a 35-yard rushing touchdown.

Finally, he pounds his chest six times to signify the points he just scored for his team.

That play exemplifies the ‘Beast Mode’ moniker of Florida A&M running back Terrell Jennings, who took home the Florida Classic Most Valuable Player trophy after the Rattlers defeated the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats 24-7 in the regular season finale.

Jennings played The Classic with a heavy heart, finishing the game with eight carries for 62 yards and two touchdowns days after losing his aunt.

“It was kind of good to get something good out of that week after losing my aunt,” Jennings said on the Florida Classic win and MVP honor.

“It felt good to raise that trophy.”

Now, the Duval native is dedicating the rest of the season to his aunt as the Football Championship Subdivision Coaches Poll’s fifth-ranked Rattlers (10-1) vie for a Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship, hosting Prairie View A&M (6-5) this Saturday at 4 p.m.

“I’ll miss her funeral because I have a championship game to play in,” Jennings said.

“But it’s the same message. I got to ball for my aunt.”

FAMU running back Terrell Jennings' persistence pays off in rebound season

Jennings leads a revived FAMU backfield that struggled a season ago, finishing last in the SWAC.

The graduate student has 84 carries for 492 rushing yards and seven touchdowns through 11 games. He’s tied for fourth in the SWAC for rushing touchdowns. Jennings eclipsed his rushing yards (308) and touchdown total (three) from 2022.

Despite his experience, Jennings didn’t enter the season as the top guy in the rotation. He debuted at No. 3 on the Rattlers’ opening depth chart.

So, Jennings, FAMU's most experienced running back, reverted to lessons learned in his youth that translated to becoming an integral part of the FAMU’s offensive attack.

“My mom raised me, telling me that no matter what position in, don’t give up because it doesn’t define you,” Jennings reflected.

“I kept that mindset, and everything’s been working out. I’m just being a team player and doing my job. That’s all I focus on.”

FAMU head coach Willie Simmons recruited and landed Jennings, who joined the team and became a a rotational back as a true freshman in 2019.

Simmons credits the running back’s personal and football growth for his bounce-back season to emerge from third string to starter on the depth chart.

He's watched every rush of Jennings, the 17th all-time leading yard-getter in FAMU’s history with 1,573.

“I’ve been pleased with Terrell and his maturation,” Simmons said.

“He’s continued to stay humble and work while fighting some adversity. He’s one of the most consistent guys on this team. He’s running the ball extremely well, and I’m happy for him.

“If he continues to play at a high level, it puts our team in a great position to be successful.”

FAMU running back Terrell Jennings takes internal assessment for improvement

Measures Jennings took to position himself for more playing time were shedding body fat and boosting his speed.

He said he ran the bleachers of Bragg Memorial Stadium, followed by four laps around Ken Riley Field daily after his scheduled team workouts since the end of last season.

“I was a little too heavy,” Jennings recalled.

“So, I was hitting the stadium every day and doing extra work. It worked out great for me."

FAMU running backs coach Marcus Windham arrived in 2022 and has worked closely with Jennings.

Windham has watched the running back’s work ethic throughout the offseason.

So, he’s not surprised that Jennings has hit his stride heading into the postseason.

“He critiqued and worked hard on himself,” Windham said.

“He gotten consistently better. His stamina and endurance got better. And he’s stayed healthy. So, he’s playing at a high level right now.

“It's a good time to be playing good at the end of the year.”

FAMU running back Terrell Jennings continuing production as Rattlers ring chase

Jennings has been vital to FAMU’s offense.

Rattlers quarterback Jeremy Moussa has 2,416 passing yards and tallied 18 touchdowns through the air.

The SWAC Offensive Player of the Year says Jennings, alongside running backs Kelvin Dean Jr. and Jaquez Yant, makes his job easier by enabling the offense to flow better.

“It’s a great asset to have,” Moussa said of the three-headed snake backfield.

“The rest of the offense helps them by getting them [in the redzone]. So, I joke with coach all the time about how we get them to the five-yard line with pass plays to hand it to the running backs to make their day nice and easy.

“It’s a group effort, and it takes 11 people to play really good football on Saturdays. I like our group over anybody.”

Moussa will continue to hand Jennings the ball as FAMU chases its first SWAC title against PVAMU this Saturday.

It’s been a long time coming for Jennings as one of an abundance of seniors who have pursued but not captured a championship trophy.

Saturday will be their final game at Bragg.

A Rattlers win clinches a spot in the HBCU Celebration Bowl versus the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Champions Howard on Dec. 16.

“We’re finally getting over that hump,” a relieved Jennings said. “What we’ve done this year is look within instead of outwards, which is why we’re succeeding on the field.

“We’re excited to play this weekend and want everyone to come out and support like they’ve done all season.”

Florida A&M (10-1) vs. Prairie View A&M (6-5) SWAC Championship Game Information

When: Saturday, Dec. 2 at 4 p.m.

Where: Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium

How to watch: ESPN2

Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Football: Rattlers running back Terrell Jennings reemerges as starter