Prairie View falls to Alabama State

It was a rainy day at Black Shear Field as the Prairie View A&M University Panthers fell to the Alabama State University Hornets, allowing the slim chance they had to be SWAC contenders slip through their fingers.
 The Panthers came out charged for the first quarter, taking advantage of the Hornets' lack of enthusiasm to gain an extensive lead. Senior Deandre Cooper set the tone, receiving a 10-yard touchdown pass from sophomore De'Auntre Smiley, with Chris Barricks adding point-after to give the Panthers the lead.
Prairie View's second touchdown came from sophomore Courtney Brown's one yard dash for the 14-0 lead. Sophomore Fred Anderson led in rushing yards, gaining 64 in the game to add to the 221 yards gained total.
The Panthers had 327 passing yards with junior Jerry Lovelocke 19-29 in attempts and completions. Prairie View got the lead in the last minute of the third quarter. In the final quarter of the game the Panthers had a lull, allowing the Hornets to score two touchdowns. The game ended with a score of 35-21 as the Hornets left Blackshear Stadium victorious.
This loss effectively ends the Panthers' hopes at going to the SWAC championship, as they have fallen a full three games behind the Golden Lions of Arkansas Pine-Bluff with only two games remaining. The Panthers picked up their level of play late, but their slow start made it a difficult road going forward.
With the Panthers coming into the season with such promise, many of their fans are scratching their heads as to what happened this season.
Some would point the finger to the defense, who allowed and average of 33.6 points allowed per games in SWAC play, and blew second half leads in three seperate games.
However, all of the blame cannot be lumped there.
The offense, which was fairly consistent all season, also came up short during the second half of several games, as well as having some key turnovers at inopportune times.
The Panthers have an opportunity to finish their season strong and enter the 2013 season with some momentum. The team still has two road games to play against Mississppi Valley and Arkansas Pine-Bluff. Major performances in these games will be pivotal for the Panthers to go into the offseason on a strong note. The Panthers take the field again Nov. 10, against Mississisippi Valley State University. had the longest reception of 31 yards.
The Panthers lost their juice the second quarter allowing the Hornets to score four touchdowns, leaving the half in a 14-20 deficit behind Alabama State. During halftime, three high school bands gave the Prairie View spectators a show that was shortly interrupted by lightning that delayed the game for nearly two hours.