Ground attack paves way for McDowell’s first win

PRAIRIE VIEW — Making his head-coaching debut at Prairie View A&M after spending the past 11 seasons as an assistant for the Panthers, Bubba McDowell was hopeful that his first game leading the program would result with a victory in the Labor Day Classic.

Clarence McKinney was also looking to notch his initial win in the rivalry. The Texas Southern coach had fallen short to the Panthers in each of his first three seasons guiding the Tigers.

When the final whistle blew, it was McDowell doing the celebrating with his team. Quarterback Trazon Connley ran for a pair of scores, as did Ja'den Stewart, propelling Prairie View past SWAC rival TSU 40-23 on Saturday night at Panther Stadium.

“A lot of people counted us out because we got a new coach and he's never been in this position,” Panthers defensive end Kevin Victorian said. “We just picked up where we left off last season. We wanted to get that first one for him and prove the doubters wrong.”

Connley's 70-yard third-quarter touchdown gave the Panthers breathing room. In the first half Connley scored on a 13yard keeper. Connley cramped up and was taken out of the game early in the fourth quarter with the Panthers holding a comfortable advantage.

Isaiah Hamilton went 45 yards for a late thirdquarter pick 6, the second of his two interceptions. But the Tigers couldn't match the Panthers' productivity.

Sticking with the run game behind a big offensive line, the Panthers didn't need to air it out. Stewart picked up most of the carries and eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark. He was elated to leave the field knowing he helped contribute to McDowell's victory.

“Giving him the win for the first time, that's the ultimate goal, and we're going to keep going up,” Stewart said.

Despite TSU scoring first, the Panthers were never seriously threatened. So, McDowell could relax a little once the game was underway. Trying to get rest the night before wasn't as easy.

“Coming in, I was anxious,” McDowell said. “All night, last night, didn't get any sleep. I knew that was going to happen before game day.

“I'm just so excited. Not just for me but for the kids. They did what they were taught to do, asked to do. Just play football.”

Prairie View won last year's game 40-17. TSU leads the series 44-33-1.

TSU went up 7-0. But the Panthers, who led 2414 at halftime, were relentless, continuing their recent domination of the Tigers, winning for the eighth straight time in the heated series.

“Eight and 0,” Stewart said. “It's always a fun game playing TSU. They play hard, they have a good team too. It's good sportsmanship all the way around.”

Following a delay of more than an hour because of persistent lightning, the Labor Day Classic kicked off at 7:17 p.m. The season opener for both teams was scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.

For the second straight year, the classic featured a pair of quarterbacks who were starting their first Labor Day Classic — Connley and TSU's Andrew Body.

Body directed the Tigers to a touchdown on the game's opening drive. He gave the Panthers problems.

“He's a great quarterback. He moves a lot,” Victorian said.

Prairie View, which reached the SWAC championship game last year, took the lead for good 21-14 on a 7-yard run by Ahmad Antoine with 6:30 left in the second quarter.

Jacorey Howard and LaDarius Owens scored on the ground for TSU. Howard's score came from 25 yards. Owens' 8yard score tied the game 14-14 with 13:58 remaining in the first half.

Left tackle Aiden Hemphill, left guard Mehdi Torrence, center Jack Nance, right guard Drake Centers, and right tackle Reginald Neal did a good job moving Prairie View defenders out of the way in the first half.

“McKinney's doing such a great job with those young men,” McDowell said. “It's just a matter of time. We knew it wouldn't be a walk in the park.”

Carlos Villagomez kicked a 41-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the first half, giving the Panthers a 24-14 halftime lead.