From the press box: Prairie View A&M vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Share or Save for Later

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Save to Favorites

PRAIRIE VIEW – The Prairie View A&M football team played three games in the spring following the cancellation of the 2020 season due to COVID-19. The Panthers went 2-1 with wins over Texas Southern and Grambling. The only loss came to Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Prairie View A&M avenged that loss on Thursday night with a 27-17 win at home over the Golden Lions to improve to 4-1 on the season and 3-0 in SWAC play. The Panthers’ loss came against Incarnate Word of the Southland Conference, a team that also knocked off Texas State early in the season.  

Prairie View A&M fumbled on its first drive of the game. It was the start of a first-half trend of Arkansas Pine-Bluff beginning drives with excellent field position. The Golden Lions began four possessions inside Prairie View territory in the first half and stated three more on its 40-yard line or better. 

The Panthers defense responded to only allowed nine points during that span as the offense managed to run towards success despite long fields. Prairie View A&M outrushed its opponent 193 to 40 in the first half and scored all three of its touchdowns on the ground to take a 21-9 lead into halftime. The highlight offensively was the 83-yard run by Lyndemian Brooks to give the Panthers a 14-3 after the first quarter. 

The story remained the same in the second half. Arkansas Pine-Bluff could not get its offense going while the Panthers continued to ride its running game. Two field goals by Luis Reyes gave Prairie View A&M a 27-9 lead early in the fourth quarter, which allowed backup quarterback Trazon Connley get some snaps. 

Arkansas-Pine Bluff made one last stand against defeat with punt block that resulted in a touchdown. The ensuing two-point conversion cut the deficit to 27-17 with 6:10 left in the game. Special teams was the only negative for Prairie View A&M in the win. Pine Bluff ripped off three long returns in the kicking game during the first half prior to the punt block in the fourth quarter. 

Three observations

The rushing attack is relentless: Prairie View A&M is a second-half team in 2021. In particular, the Panthers are a fourth-quarter juggernaut, outscoring opponents 33-7 entering the game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The main reason is the running game. The Panthers are capable of rotating running backs for 60 minutes of football, and that is before we mention the running ability of quarterback Jawon Pass. Prairie View A&M wore out the Golden Lions with the run game, popping long runs early in the game before grinding out its opponent in the second half. The Panthers finished the game with 287 rushing yards compared to just 58 for Pine Bluff. Prairie View averaged 5.9 yards a carry. 

The defense is improved: Prairie View A&M allowed more than 27 points on defense in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. The defense allowed 36 points in the loss to Arkansas-Pine Bluff back in April. The unit is undoubtedly improved for the fall season. It starts up front with a handful of talented defensive linemen including Dante Carter, Jessie Evans, Troy James, who sealed the game with an interception, and Jason Dumas. Those three set up shop in the Arkansas-Pine Bluff backfield, disrupting the run game and limiting the amount of time quarterback Skyler Perry was allowed to survey the field. Defense is the X-Factor for the Panthers. In its three wins entering tonight, the group allowed 18 points per game compared to the 40 Incarnate Word scored against the Panthers in their lone defeat. 

Prairie View A&M can win the SWAC: Head coach Eric Dooley understands what it takes to win championships in the SWAC. He helped Grambling State win three consecutive crowns from 2015-2017 as offensive coordinator. He took over Prairie View A&M following the 2017 season and is working his Panthers towards the top of the mountain. The offense was never in question. Dooley’s offenses at Prairie View broke records in 2019. Now that the defense is catching up to that production, the Panthers are poised to challenge the regular contenders at the top of the SWAC standings. 

This article is available to our Digital Subscribers.
Click "Subscribe Now" to see a list of subscription offers.
Already a Subscriber? Sign In to access this content.

Sign In
Don't Miss Any Exclusive Coverage!

We've been the Bible of Texas football fans for 64 years. By joining the DCTF family you'll gain access to all of our exclusive content and have our magazines mailed to you!