The past 11 months have been rough for the Prairie View A&M football program.
In May, the Panthers were ruled ineligible for 2020-21 postseason competition, including the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game, because of low Academic Performance Rates.
On March 30, all football-related activities were put on pause after the team was forced to quarantine several athletes because of covid-19 protocols. That news resulted in the Panthers having to cancel two games.
Prairie View A&M is back on the field and will get a chance to spoil the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s special start when they meet at 3 p.m. today at Simmons Bank Field in Pine Bluff.
UAPB (3-0, 3-0 SWAC) can clinch a spot in the conference title game by either beating the Panthers or Texas Southern next week. The Golden Lions also could lock up a berth if Grambling State knocks off Southern today in the Bayou Classic.
The Golden Lions, who were idle last week, know the Panthers have been off for more than a month, but UAPB Coach Doc Gamble insists they’re not about to abandon the game-by-game approach they’ve used all season.
“We’ve got a consistent group that shows up and goes to work every single day,” he said. “[Prairie View] is well-coached and does some things that we’ve got to prepare for. They’ve got some creativity on offense, and I always like to see those types of things. And they play really good defense, so we know it’ll be tough.
“A lot of the guys on that staff over there were here before, especially during that run they made back in 2012.” The run Gamble is referring to is UAPB’s last title-winning march when Panthers Coach Eric Dooley was the Golden Lions’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He spent three years (2011-13) in that role before leaving for Grambling State. He stayed three seasons there before becoming the head coach at Prairie View.
There hasn’t been much in-game action for Prairie View A&M (2-0, 2-0) because it hasn’t played since beating Grambling State 17-10 on March 13.
Dooley has warned his team that this isn’t the same UAPB team from recent years, although Golden Lions quarterback Skyler Perry reminds him of one he used to coach at UAPB.
“I was fortunate enough to work there, and he kind of reminds me of Ben Anderson when he first got started,” Dooley said. “It’s just so ironic that he wears the same number [as Anderson], and he’s playing well. The young man can beat you with his legs as well as beat you with his arm.” Anderson, a Little Rock native, was an all-SWAC quarterback for the Golden Lions who was named the offensive MVP in UAPB’s 24-21 victory over Jackson State in that 2012 championship game.
“But the thing that I like is he protects the football,” Dooley said of Perry, who’s thrown for 804 yards, 8 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in his first year as the starter. “He understands the game. I don’t want a guy to just manage the game. [Perry] plays the game and understands the things that need to be done, and that all comes with being coached well.” Prairie View A&M does boast a stout defense, led by linebacker Storey Jackson and defensive lineman Jason Dumas. They have combined for 55 tackles and five sacks in two games.
Offensively, the Panthers have used a two-quarterback system with T.J. Starks and Trazon Connley, both of whom played when Prairie View A&M beat UAPB 37-20 in the teams’ previous meeting in 2019. The duo has a wealth of targets to throw to, namely wide receivers Chris Johnson (6 catches, 130 yards) and Travis O’Connor (11 catches, 104 yards).
Dooley said the Panthers were able to get some things accomplished over the past two weeks that helped them get ready for the Golden Lions. But for the most part, they’re just looking forward to playing again despite the unrest they’ve had to endure.
“We had an opportunity to work on Prairie View A&M University,” he said of his team’s long layoff. “I thought the coaching staff as well as the players did a good job. Those young men look forward to playing games on Saturdays.
“But I thought they handled the situation well and understood what we had to do to get better, make sure we scratch where it itches on our football team. So we had an opportunity to take care of ourselves and get some good practices in.”
At a glance
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M AT ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF
WHEN 3 p.m. today
WHERE Simmons Bank Field, Pine Bluff
RADIO KPBA-FM, 99.3, Pine Bluff
RECORDS UAPB 3-0, 3-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference; Prairie View A&M 2-0, 2-0
INTERNET uapblionsroar.com/live
TV None