Held up by Hurricane Harvey, Classic rivals to resume series

The game is billed as the Labor Day Classic, even though it’s on Thanksgiving weekend this year.

Regardless of the calendar, when Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M meet on the football field, it’s an experience, and there’s always plenty on the line.

Hurricane Harvey’s presence in late August pushed back the SWAC grudge game from its annual season opener for both teams to the season finale. That’s the main difference this year in the rivalry between the two schools just 45 miles apart, from The Yard to The Hill.

“Whether you play the first game, middle of the season, or last game, it’s still Texas Southern versus Prairie View A&M,” said third-year Panthers coach Willie Simmons, who is 2-0 in the series. “It’s still going to be a heavily charged game, with a lot of bragging rights.”

There are no playoff implications. No SWAC championship game awaiting the winner or possible Celebration Bowl appearance. Just hard-nosed football will be on display between two teams that respect each other, but want to win ever so much.

“Usually at this point in time, we play them in the first game of the year and it has significant impact upon the season,” second-year Tigers coach Michael Haywood said. “Right now we just want to come out with a win.”

Both teams are playing their best football of the season and relying on quarterbacks who did not begin the season as starters — redshirt freshman Neiko Hollins for the Panthers, a product of Hightower, and junior Elijah Odom for the Tigers.

Hollins, who is adept at throwing the deep ball, is coming off SWAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after passing for 348 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-28 victory at Incarnate Word. Odom is an accomplished runner who has revived the Tigers’ offense.

With Hollins handling the controls, Prairie View (5-5, 3-3) has won three of its past four games, averaging 35.5 points in that span.

“They have some electrifying players,” Haywood said. “It’s hard to believe they are (only) 5-5.”

Prairie View won last year 29-24 in the inaugural game at Panther Stadium. In eight of the last 10 meetings, the game has been decided by 10 or less points.

“It’s going to come down to which team will be prepared to play, who can handle the emotions of the game,” Simmons said. “It will be a highly emotional game, an energy-charged game. It should be a lot of fun for our fans and everyone who will attend.”

After losing its first seven games, TSU (2-8, 2-4) has won two of its last three, including 24-10 last week at Arkansas Pine-Bluff.

TSU is playing to salvage a season as well as gain momentum for next year; a victory Saturday for Prairie View would give the Panthers a third straight winning record overall as well as in conference.

“For us, that’s our primary motivating factor,” Simmons said. “So a huge game for us as a football team, a huge game for this program in our evolution. Even though this game moved to the end of the season, there’s still a lot riding on this game. You don’t have to say much what it means. It means everything. Bragging rights, standing in the conference.”

One of the reasons TSU is progressing late in the season is the play of its freshmen. The Tigers travel 24 freshmen with 18 playing regularly.

“As they start to mature, we become better as a football team,” Haywood said. “It’s unfortunate for the season that we’ve had, for our seniors, because our seniors are playing their last game of their college career. And we would like to send them off with a victory.”