PRAIRIE VIEW, Tx — Prairie View A&M outlasts Alcorn State in a Homecoming shootout! Coming off a tough stretch in conference play, Prairie View A&M looked to get back on track against a talented Alcorn State team on Saturday in front of its homecoming crowd.
Prairie View got off to a strong start after Malik Gucake returned a fumble 61 yards for a touchdown, giving the Panthers a quick 7-0 lead. The Panthers continued to build on that momentum with Tevin Carter connecting with Rodny Ojo for a 21-yard touchdown to make it a 14-0 lead. However, Alcorn responded with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Jaylon Tolbert to Fredrick Robertson. Prairie View answered right back with Carter scoring on a 54 yard rushing touchdown, giving the Panthers a 21-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Alcorn began to find its rhythm in the second quarter. Tolbert connected with Robertson for a 63-yard touchdown pass to cut Prairie View’s lead to 21-14. The Panthers responded when Carter found Ethan John for a 26-yard touchdown, extending their lead to 28-14. The Braves continued to fight back. Tolbert connected with Ernest Temple for a 12-yard touchdown before finding Damien Jones for another score, tying the game at 28-28. Prairie View managed to regain the lead before halftime after Ethan Eddins made a 31-yard field goal, putting the Panthers ahead 31-28.
Alcorn continued to put pressure on Prairie View. Tolbert connected with Robertson for a 16-yard touchdown pass, giving the Braves their first lead of the game at 35-31. With both teams trading scores throughout the game, Prairie View needed a response to keep Alcorn from pulling away.
Ojo explained that sticking to the team’s approach was important when facing Alcorn’s offense. “Stay true to our rules. Keeping things clear, concise, and making things easily understood,” Ojo said. The Panthers answered in the fourth quarter with a score from Carter on an 18-yard rushing touchdown, putting Prairie View back in front 38-35. Carter played an important role in the Panthers’ offense, finishing with 150 passing yards and 80 rushing yards while accounting for two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. Jahbari Kuykendall also helped the Panthers on the ground, recording 89 rushing yards on 10 carries.
Alcorn refused to go away, as Kenyon Bowyer connected on a 25-yard field goal to tie the game at 38-38 with just over seven minutes remaining.
When asked about the biggest challenge Alcorn presented, Ojo pointed to the Braves’ scoring ability and explained how Prairie View tried to respond.
“The biggest challenge Alcorn State presented was that they could score pretty well. How we adjusted to it was offensively holding the ball longer to give their offense fewer possessions with the football,” Ojo said.
Prairie View’s defense came up with a key stop on Alcorn’s next possession, forcing the Braves to turn the ball over on downs and giving the Panthers another opportunity to take the lead.
With less than two minutes remaining, Prairie View moved into scoring position. Eddins connected on a 37-yard field goal with 1:56 left in the game, putting the Panthers ahead 4138. With 1:52 left in the game Alcorn had the chance to do what they did all game, but when needed Prairie View’s defense stood their ground to force a stop to secure the win.
With the 41-38 win, Prairie View improved to 3-5 overall and 3-2 in SWAC play, while Alcorn State fell to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in conference play. Even though Alcorn had 505 offensive yards, compared to Prairie View’s 397 offensive yards, the Panthers made key plays on both sides of the ball when they needed them most to come away with the win.
