Southern University’s William Griswold’s 42-yard field goal to end the first half made traveling Panther fans weary, but Prairie View’s 21 unanswered second-half points led the Panthers to a 30-16 victory in the Shreveport Classic at Independence Stadium Saturday.
The Panthers were led by the ‘Killer Bs,’ senior quarterback K.J. Black and senior running back Donald Babers, the dynamic duo and heart of the Panthers’ offense.
After a slow start, Black threw for 306 yards and two second-half touchdowns. Babers registered 27 carries for 122 yards, and brought in two touchdowns of his own.
In front of an estimated 20,000 HBCU fans, PVAMU struck first as Babers ran in from three yards out at the 8:11 mark in the first quarter.
The Jaguars responded with 13 unanswered points of their own, including SU quarterback Jeremiah McGinty’s 65-yard bomb to wide receiver LaQuinton Evans at the 12:18 mark in the second quarter.
With the score 13-7, senior defensive end Quinton Spears blocked his second punt of the season, which caused a scramble in SU’s end zone, resulting in a safety for PVAMU with 47 seconds left in the half.
Unfortunately for Prairie View, the momentum changed hands when Black fumbled on PVAMU’s 15-yard line, setting up Griswold and leaving the score 16-9 at halftime.
PVAMU approached the second half with fire on offense, and dominance on defense. Panthers’ linebacker Raheem Cardwell made the defensive play of the game, when he forced the Jaguars’ wide receiver Curry Allen to fumble, which was recovered on SU’s 28-yard line.
Two plays later, Black found wide receiver Shaun Stephens for a 22-yard strike, to open up the scoring in the second half. Babers answered Stephens score with a one-yard drive into the end zone at the 8:51 mark in the fourth quarter.
Wide receiver Glen Upshaw also got into the act as he received a 38-yard TD, giving PVAMU a 30-16 lead.
PVAMU’s wide receivers Stephens and Brandon Bell, both had over 100-yards respectively.
Prairie View’s victory over Southern makes three straight wins since the 2008 season. The Panthers’ next match-up will be in Jackson, Miss., against Jackson State University Tigers for their homecoming on Oct 30.