The Panther football team defeated the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils, 26-21, in a thrilling match Saturday that had fans on their feet to the very end.
A key to the Panthers’ success was the running game. Sophomore running back Donald Babers had 215 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.
The Devils gave the Panthers a tough test as their quarterback Paul Roberts led them to a score on their first possession.
It was early in the second quarter when the Panthers scored their first touchdown by Babers. The Panthers missed the extra point to pull within one point of the Devils.
The Delta Devils then orchestrated a drive to take a 14-6 lead with a Ronald Brewer touchdown run.
With the crowd rallying behind them, the Panthers scored with just 23 seconds left in the first half. Quarterback Chris Gibson capped off the 9-play, 61-yard drive with a touchdown run.
The momentum of the game shifted for the Panthers in the third quarter when conference tackle leader, Zach East, forced a fumble and the Panthers recovered. On the very next play, the Panthers’ offense scored with Mark Spivey throwing a 61-yard touchdown pass to Shaun Stephens. The Panthers, who dominated the line of scrimmage, continued to do so and Babers scored his second rushing touchdown of the day from 37 yards out, sending the entire crowd into a frenzy as the Panthers took a 12 point lead with 11:16 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Panthers’ work was not complete as Roberts led the Devils to a 10-play, 53 yard drive where he ran in for the two-yard score with 6:38 left on the clock.
The Panthers ran as much time as they could off the clock and left the Devils with 2:08 after Gibson threw an incompletion on a fourth down to turn the ball over on downs.
The Panther fans could nearly taste the victory. After the Devils’ two first downs, the play was centered on the Panthers’ 46-yard line. The crowd rose to their feet to cheer on the defense. The Devils received a holding penalty to back them up and the Panthers’ defense sacked them on two of the next three plays. After another incompletion from Roberts the Panthers kneeled the ball to seal the victory.
Annette Sneed, a class of 1982 alumna, said, ” I am a regular visitor of the Homecoming game and I am happy to see them be victorious at Homecoming and to be having a good season.”
With this victory the Panthers improve to 5-2 overall and 4-2 in the conference. Next week, the Panthers will travel to Pine Bluff, Ark. to take on the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions.