UAPB, Prairie View take field today
For the first time in more than a month, a long bus ride awaits the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff this weekend.
UAPB travels to Prairie View A&M for a 2 p.m. kickoff today in the first of two November trips to the Houston area.
UAPB (1-7, 0-5 SWAC) has played three of its past four games at home with a short trip to Mississippi Valley State being the lone road game. The Golden Lions’ last trip longer than three hours was Sept. 21 in the SWAC opener at Alabama A&M.
Head coach Alonzo Hampton said the long trip should be good for the team as it looks to end a five-game losing streak.
“On the road, you kinda feel a little closer together and then probably this eight-hour bus ride won’t hurt, either,” Hampton said. “We’ll watch some good movies and then hopefully we’ll be able to get off that bus and get some good food, get some good rest and then this good homecoming crowd. I told the players they’re here to watch us, not them.”
Prairie View (3-5, 3-2) is hosting UAPB for homecoming and looking to snap a two-game skid. The Panthers lost 45-7 at Florida A&M last week and 30-0 in a non-conference game at Houston Christian before that. This will be their third home game this season and the first since Oct. 7.
Prairie View Coach Bubba McDowell said the Panthers need to stop repeating the same mistakes to get back on track.
“They work hard, but now it’s how hard you can work in the film room getting these mistakes that you continue to make, get it corrected to where we don’t make mistakes like this again,”
McDowell said. “If we do, we’ll be a pretty darn good football team.”
The Panthers feature a run-first offense, but they enter this game shorthanded. Running backs Ahmad Antoine and Caleb Johnson lead the team with more than 300 yards each so far this year. Antoine has 74 carries to Johnson’s 70 as they share the load with quarterback Trazon Connley, who has 72 rushes for three touchdowns.
Antoine didn’t play last week. Johnson played, but suffered a calf injury during the game. Connor Wisham has been the third-string running back with 38 carries for 321 yards and two touchdowns, but he suffered a separated elbow against FAMU, an injury McDowell said may be season-ending.
Depending on the health of these top running backs, Prairie View will need to turn to the younger players against UAPB.
Regardless of who plays running back for the Panthers, Hampton said the UAPB pass rush will need to get to Connley, who has completed 54% of his passes for 1,374 yards, six touchdowns and eight interceptions.
“That guy, he’s electric,” Hampton said. “He does some Houdini-type stuff back there, and then he likes to throw the deep ball. We gotta be good in the secondary. Last week, we gave up five touchdowns. Obviously, that young man made a couple of good throws, but two of them, we had guys didn’t do their jobs. We got a big challenge ahead of us, but that’s football, right?”
Hampton said Chancellor Edwards and Mekhi Hagens will continue to share playing time at quarterback for the Golden Lions. Edwards has started the past two games, with Hagens also getting some playing time.