Panthers rout Tigers, stay perfect in SWAC
PRAIRIE VIEW — Prairie View A&M is winning when it counts the most.
An aggressive and opportunistic defense propelled the Panthers to a 38-9 victory over Jackson State on Saturday, helping Prairie View remain unbeaten in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
The Panthers (2-2, 2-0) kept Jackson State winless at 0-5 and 0-2 in conference. Jackson State hasn’t gone this deep into a season without a win since 1968.
“We let two slip away, and we knew when conference came, we had to turn it up a notch,” said Panthers quarterback Lavell McCullers, who passed for 190 yards, including a 76-yard scoring strike to Markcus Handy.
The Panthers also won the turnover battle, 5-1, recovering four Jackson State fumbles.
“Our defense continues to play at an extremely high level,” Panthers third-year coach Willie Simmons said. “Five takeaways. They did a great job of stopping the run, making the other team one dimensional. Our offense made plays.”
Prairie View outgained Jackson State 439-225. The Tigers managed only 89 rushing yards on 33 attempts (average of 2.7 yards per carry).
Replacing quarterbacks early in the second quarter didn’t help the Tigers, who were totally outplayed by the Panthers. At one point, Jackson State went 13 possessions without scoring.
McCullers threw two touchdown passes, completing 11 of 25 passes. On his 76-yarder to Handy, the receiver caught the ball on Jackson State’s 40-yard line and ran the remaining 60 yards untouched.
“It was a huge play,” McCullers said. “It gave us the momentum going into the next drive we had, and then we just kept rolling.”
The Panthers scored 38 consecutive points after Christian Jacquemin made a 43-yard field on Jackson State’s opening drive. The Tigers’ other score came on their final possession, a 19yard pass from DeShawn Tillman to Jevon Floyd.
Between Jackson State’s two scores, it was all Prairie View, which passed for 231 yards and rushed for 208 yards.
Darius Floyd had five receptions for 42 yards for the Panthers. McCullers rushed for 68 yards. Backup quarterback Neiko Hollins threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Kalen Riles with 2:59 remaining in the fourth quarter.
On defense, Reginald Stubblefield had an endzone interception, and Jalyn Williams, Arthur Lockett, Manuel Mukes and Willie Green recovered fumbles for Prairie View. Williams, Cliff Moulton, Ronald Collins and Jalan Coleman collected sacks.
“Once we got acclimated after the first drive, we understood what they were trying to do and where they were trying to hit us at, so we were able to shut it down,” Williams said. “We just had to play ball to make tackles.”
Williams had a teamhigh six tackles, and Stubblefield added five tackles.
“Our defense is amazing,” McCullers said. “They give us the ball back so much that we don’t have no choice but to go score. A shoutout to our defense. They are some dogs, for real.”
Riding a two-game win streak, Prairie View plays Grambling State next Saturday in the State Fair Classic at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.