PRAIRIE VIEW, TX --The Braves traveled 403 miles from home to take on today's conference foe in their second guest appearance for Homecoming and their second showdown on the “Hill”. Would today's game be a repeat of last week? As they handed the Eastern division leaders Alabama A&M their first loss of the season and shifting their stance in the division, only the Braves could determine their fate. Alcorn State entered today's competition 3-2 in conference play and 3-4 overall. Prairie View picked up their sole win against the defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champions Grambling State two weeks ago in the Southwest Airlines State Fair Classic.
In the first quarter of action from Blackshear Field, it was all Panthers football. They scored first and often with Spencer Nelson dancing in the end zone on a twenty-six yard run with 1:28 left in the quarter putting the Panthers up 7-0. To end the quarter, an on-side kick was recovered by PV setting Chris Barrick up for a twenty-three yard field goal with ten seconds on the clock…..and it's good. Prairie View closed the quarter with a 10-0 lead over Alcorn State.
The second quarter told a different story for the Braves. Breathing life into the Braves defense was sophomore
Devon Francois forcing a fumble and recovering it for an eighty-five yard touchdown. With 10:32 left in the second the Braves were on the board with a score of 10-7. Not to be taken lightly, the Panthers struck back with a scoring drive of their own with a touchdown by Jacoby Anderson at the 8:52 mark…PAT good and PV leads 17-7. As the quarter came to a close and the Braves were looking for another opportunity to light up the scoreboard, kicker
Ernesto Santillan boots a field goal through the upright, good for three and your score with 1:19 on the clock was 17-10. Down by only a touchdown the Braves can see the light at the end of tunnel but the Panthers had something else in store….a late forty-six yard touchdown by Greg Thurmond from now back-up quarterback De'Auntre Smiley end the half sending the Braves in down by fourteen (24-10).
The showdown on the hill continued from the first half as PV picked up where they left off…..scoring. With 11:28 in the third quarter Fred Anderson scores off a fifteen yard run extending their lead to 31-10. The Panthers decided to stay with injured quarterback Smiley as he connects with Deandre Cooper for a fifty yard pass. The clock read 7:08 and the Panthers lead was 38-10. With faith the size of a mustard seed the Braves still continued fighting despite what the scoreboard displayed. In his first kickoff return touchdown of the season, senior receiver and return specialist
Terrance Lewis broke one for ninety-four yards with 6:53 left in the third quarter, chipping away at the Panthers 38-17 lead. To close out the quarter it was all Braves ball whereas they scored on the last two scoring drives of the quarter with the last being a three yard pass from freshman quarterback
Jordan Payne to senior wide-out
Nick Brooks for a score of 38-24.
Welcome to the fourth and final quarter of action from Prairie View, TX. Jacoby Anderson padded his stats on the first scoring drive of the quarter with a fourteen yard pass from Nelson adding to the Panthers lead (45-24). Never giving up, the Braves charged back with a nineteen yard pass from freshman quarterback
John Gibbs to senior wide receiver
Nick Shumaker. With 10:14 left in the quarter the score was now 45-31. Looking to the take the life out of the Braves, Olantunde' Idowu scored on a five yard pass from Smiley securing the Panthers victory. At the five minute mark before the end of the game and the Braves winning streak the score was 52-31. The Braves definitely didn't go out without a fight; Gibbs in his first game in front of his hometown crowd scored the final touchdown of the game on a quarterback keeper twelve yard run. The final score from the Hill was 52-37.
The Braves are entering a bye week however they will continue preparation for their next competition as they travel to Itta Bena, MS to take on the Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley State University on November 3. Kick-off is slated for 1:00 p.m.
