Tigers’ Body blows past Golden Lions

TEXAS SOUTHERN 59, UAPB 17

True freshman Andrew Body threw for Texas Southern’s first four touchdowns and completed 16 of 25 passes for 271 yards in Saturday’s 59-17 rout of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff at PNC Stadium in Houston.

Body also added a touchdown run in leading the Tigers (3-5, 2-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference) with 121 yards on 16 carries, a 7.6-yard per carry average.

The 42-point loss might have been surprising for a Golden Lions team that had lost by the same margin a week earlier against the University of Arkansas but was looking to build on that experience in hopes of stopping their downward spiral in the SWAC.

Instead, UAPB (1-7, 0-6) lost its seventh game in a row despite a 25-for-37, 311-yard passing game from Skyler Perry. The Lions have gone through September and October without a win.

A loss next Saturday at home against Grambling State will match UAPB’s longest skid since losing eight consecutive during the 2018 season.

UAPB led 3-0 after Zack Piwniczka converted a field goal from 21 yards out with 12:04 left in the first quarter. But then Body took over. Body threw touchdown passes to Jonathan Giles (12 yards) and Jyrin Johnson (48 yards) in the first quarter and added short TD tosses to Ke’Lenn Davis (6 yards) and Giles (5 yards) to build a 28-3 lead going into halftime.

Richard Garcia’s 30-yard field goal attempt early in the third quarter made it a 28-point lead before UAPB’s Kayvon Britten’s 2-yard touchdown run. It ended a six-quarter touchdown drought for the Lions, dating to their homecoming game against Southern University on Oct. 16.

Body highlighted a backand-forth third quarter with his touchdown run. Perry returned the favor, firing a 46yard touchdown pass to Trey Harrell to pull the Lions within 38-16.

Harrell caught eight passes for 126 yards to lead UAPB. Josh Wilkes had eight receptions for 59 yards, and Britten ran 12 times for 52 yards in the loss.

The fourth quarter belonged to Texas Southern, which scored on a 1-yard run by Jacorey Howard and TD passed by Jalen Brown to Derek Morton for 21 yards and C’ing Blanton for 20 yards.