TSU Vulnerable to Prairie View Pass, Panthers Soar in 40-17 Win

Prairie View quarterback Jawon Pass had over 400 yards of total offense and handed Texas Southern a crushing 40-17 defeat in the 36th Labor Day Classic.

Houston, TX -  Prairie View's aerial attack grounded Texas Southern to secured their seventh-straight victory over the Tigers in the 36th Labor Day Classic.

Prairie View quarterback Jawon Pass had over 400 yards of total offense on a humid and sticky Houston night inside BBVA Stadium. 

The Panthers' signal-caller connected on 25 of 37 passes for 354 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception.   He was equally potent rushing the football with 52 yards on 7 carries.  His only blemishes were a fumble and interception in the first quarter.   

Sept. 4; Prairie View A & M's QB Pass warming up. Credit: Kyle T. Mosley

Pass would lead the Panthers to a first-half 20-3 score after locating wide receiver Antonio Mullins for a 14-yard touchdown strike and a Reyes' extra point with 3:07 remaining.

The Tigers secondary had difficulty defending Mullins who caught 10 receptions for 131 yards and 1 touchdown.

The 18,297 in attendance watched an anemic TSU offense in the first half.  Six of seven drives stalled and yielded 5 punts, one fumble, and a field goal.

Pass tossed a 52-yard bomb to speedy Jailon Howard in the first quarter and came out of slinging after intermission with a stunning 72-yard strike for a touchdown to the wideout.  

Prairie View extended its lead after Reyes boomed another extra point, 27-3. 

Sept. 4, 2021; Prairie View A & M WR Howard after he scored a 72-yard touchdown reception.  Credit: Kyle T. Mosley, HBCU Legends

 

Howard finished the night with "Hall of Famer Randy Moss-type" numbers -  4 receptions, 136 yards, and 2 touchdowns.

TSU quarterback Jalen Brown matched the Panthers touchdown with one of his own.  He marched the Tigers 73 yards, then flipped a 2-yard pass to Jyrin Johnson in the endzone.   

Texas Southern was down 27-10 with 10:50 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

Coach Eric Dooley's Panthers kept the pressure on coach Clarence McKinney's Tigers after leading 30-10 going into the 4th quarter.

TSU crawled closer, 30-17, off an impressive 11 play, 90-yard drive.  Unfortunately, the 4th quarter possession took 12:11 minutes off the clock.

PVAMU had two 4th quarter scores before the game closed.  Luis Reyes' 31-yard field goal and Raymond Graham's 1-yard TD run would give the Panthers a 40-17 win over the Tigers.

BATTLE OF THE BANDS

Being a former "band head" from my days as Drum Major in New Orleans a band's performance is a times more important than the football game.  Prairie View won the battle over a smaller and undermanned TSU band.  TSU is rebuilding, but PV had more snap and punch to its show.  As my old band director, Lloyd Harris Jr. would say, "It's a business, Dad!"  This year PV took care of business.

WHY PV WON

• Prairie View's offensive line gave QB Pass more time in and out of the pocket.
• TSU could not finish drives.
• PV's wideouts used their speed to create separation.
• TSU had under 50% passing.  The receivers dropped a few in their hands, but it's always a recipe for disaster.
• TSU's third-down conversions at 4 of 14 tell the story.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• TOTAL OFFENSE:  PVAMU - 486 yards, TSU - 274
• PUNTS: PVAMU - 1, TSU - 6
• POSSESSION TIME: PVAMU - 36:22, TSU - 23:38
• 3rd DOWN CONVERSIONS:  PVAMU - 8/16, TSU - 4/14
• 4th DOWN CONVERSIONS: PVAMU - 2/2, TSU -1/3
• FIRST DOWNS: PVAMU - 23, TSU -19

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

PRAIRIE VIEW A & M UNIVERSITY

• QB Jawon Pass: 25/37, 34 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
• RB Lyndemian Brooks: 15 rushes, 61 yards, 1 TD
• Jailon Howard: 4 receptions, 136 yards, 3 TD
• Antonio Mullins: 10 receptions, 131 yards, 1 TD
• Drake Cheatum: 9 tackles, 1 TFL
• Tre'Shaud Smith: 8 tackles, 1.5 TFL
• Rashaud Powell: 6 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 Sack

TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

• Jalen Brown: 20/41, 181 yards, 1 TD
• LaDarius Owens: 9 rushes, 49 yards, 1 TD
• Ke'Lenn Davis: 7 receptions, 79 yards
• Jyrin Johnson: 5 receptions, 43 yards, 1 TD
• Tim Walton Jr.: 8 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 0.5 Sacks, 1 FF, 1 PD
• Tarik Cooper: 8 tackles, 1 FF
• Juli. Marcantel: 6 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 FR, 1 INT

GAME INFO

• Date: 9/4/21
• Site: Houston, TX
• Stadium: BBVA
• Attendance: 18,297
• Kickoff: 7:00 PM CT
• End of Game: 10:35 PM CT
• Duration: 3:35

SERIES HISTORY

• Prairie View A & M has a seven-game winning streak.
• TSU last win on 8/31/14
• TSU lead series 44-32-1