“I have to put the team on my back, we can’t lose, because we want to make history.” This is what starting quarterback Mark Spivey said after the 17-6 Prairie View win against Alabama State on Oct. 13 in Montgomery, Ala.
After the long 12-hour drive to Montgomery, the Panthers received plenty of rest, and were ready to make a statement to Alabama State and the SWAC by putting another win in their column.
Alabama State received the ball first, and immediately went three and out. With the ball in Prairie View’s possession, Spivey went to work. The drive started from their own 21-yard line, and concluded with a successful 44 yard field goal from Brady Faggard. With the field goal, the Panthers took the immediate lead, 3-0.
Subsequently, the next drive for Alabama State resulted in a touchdown, but the Prairie View special teams unit foiled their two-point conversion attempt. The next Prairie View drive came from an interception by Edward Moore. The drive consisted of a two-yard rush from quarterback Chris Gibson, and three consecutive incomplete passes from Spivey. The drive ended in a turnover on downs.
The second quarter started with a Prairie View defensive stand. Jon Johnson sacked Alabama State quarterback Chris Mitchell for a loss of 18 yards, which caused the punt to Prairie View. The Prairie View drive that followed was consistent, but came to a sudden halt as a rush for Gibson turned into a recovered fumble for Alabama State. The opposing team tried to capitalize on the mistake by attempting a 34-yard field goal, but the attempt came up short.
The next drive for Prairie View and Alabama State stalled. With 35 seconds left in the second quarter, Prairie View received possession at the opponents’ 47 yard line and moved the ball to their 12 yard line. With three seconds left, Faggard attempted a 29-yard field goal to close out the half, but the attempt was blocked, and sent the Panthers into halftime with the score of 3-6.
To start off the third quarter, the Panthers jumped their drive off at their own 36 yard line. On the fourth play of the drive, a miscommunication with the snap count brought about a bad snap, with Spivey’s only interception the end product. The next two Alabama State drives would end with a turnover on downs courtesy of the Prairie View defense. As the Panthers made big stops on defense, their offense would feed off their momentum, and drove the ball further down the field. After the second stop, in just six plays, Spivey rallied the troops to drive the ball 64 yards down into the end zone for the score.
The score came from a 14 -yard pass to Gabriel Osaze-Ediae, with Faggard complementing with the extra point, bringing the score to 10-6. As it was still anybody’s game, the Prairie View defense made sure that Alabama State ended their drives in either a punt or a turnover on downs, and they did just that by shutting them down for the rest of the game.
In the fourth quarter, Prairie View was consistent in making sure Alabama State offense was locked down. Prairie View’s final score came from the 13 play, 66-yard drive, that capped off with a seven yard aerial dive into the end zone by Donald Babers. Faggard added the extra point, making the final score 17-6.
This marks Prairie View’s first win against Alabama St. since 1931. Prairie View’s conference record is 3-2, and overall record is 4-2, for the first time since 1966.
After the game, head coach Henry Frazier III said, “The win was a team effort, the defense buckled down and didn’t break. The offense moved the ball and they played inspired football.”
Offensive accolades go to Spivey who was 14 of 27 for 131 yards, Donald Babers had a total of 83 rushing yards on 22 carries, four catches for 36 yards, and Gabriel Osaze-Ediae’s five catches for 71 yards.
Defensive accolades go to Jon Johnson, as he was selected SWAC Defensive Player of the Week with 10 tackles, three quarterback hurries, and one sack for a loss of 18 yards. Zach East had 10 tackles and Anthony Beck had seven.
The Panthers will head into an open week in the hopes of a third consecutive win in the homecoming game against Mississippi Valley State, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m.