BOX SCORE
Arkansas-Pine Bluff scored 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter as they rallied to defeat Prairie View A&M 36-29 at Blackshear Field on Saturday evening.
Prairie View A&M struck first as quarterback Jerry Lovelocke hit Spencer Nelson for an 18-yard touchdown strike early in the first quarter. UAPB tied the contest with a 1-yard run by Stephen Jones and a Chris Ewald PAT as the first quarter came to an end but PV moved ahead 13-7 after junior running Le'Darryae Groover scored from 13 yards out to open the second stanza.
The Panthers tacked on six more points through the oddest of ways as the second quarter progressed via several UAPB mishaps. Deep in its own endzone, Arkansas-Pine Bluff punter Aaron Godwin had two snaps sail over his head followed by a mislandled snap as the Panthers claimed a 19-7 halftime lead.
UAPB opened up the second half with a scoring drive that culminated with quarterback Ben Anderson and wideout Desmond Beverly hooking up for a 16-yard strike with 11:33 left in the third quarter. PV answered with a 26-yard field goal by Chris Barrick two minutes later and moved ahead 29-14 as Lovelocke found freshman tight end Olatunde' Idowu alone in the endzone for a 29-14 margin after Barrick's PAT with 4:18 left in the third quarter.
From that point, the Panthers fell victim to a variety of mishaps on both sides of the ball as UAPB stopped PV on a 4th-and-1 to open the fourth quarter and received a gift as PV was whistled for a personal foul following the stop which gave them field position at the Prairie View 41. The Panther defense held ground and forced UAPB into a 3rd-and-30 situation several plays later but committed a costly pass interference penalty and a first down. As a result, UAPB took advantage as the penalty led directly to an 18-yard touchdown pass by UAPB's Ben Anderson on the following play which trimmed its deficit to 29-21 after Ewald's PAT.
After a PV punt, UAPB came through in the clutch offensively as they hit on a 3rd-and-15 and a 4th-and-9 to extend its drive. Two plays after the fourth down conversion, UAPB's Stephen Jones rushed in for a score from one yard out to draw UAPB to within 29-27. UAPB elected to go for the two-point conversion and received a stroke of luck as Anderson fumbled the snap but somehow raced up the seam for the score which knotted the game at 29-all at the 7:27 mark.
PV began the ensuing drive with a pair of first downs but saw it stall as they couldn't convert a key 3rd-and-2 at its own 47. The Panther defense held ground as they forced UAPB to punt but the offense suffered two dropped passes and an interception on third down which gave UAPB field position at the PV 43. Seven plays later, Jones rushed in for the go-ahead score as UAPB moved ahead for good 36-29.
PV finished the game with 311 total offensive yards to UAPB's 306. Lovelocke passed for 259 yards on 22-of-37 passing with a pair of touchdown tosses while Spencer Nelson had a career-high 113 yards on seven receptions. Senior defensive end Adrian Hamilton had a career night with four sacks and 10 tackles.
PV returns to action next Saturday as they host Mississippi Valley at 6 p.m. in the 3rd annual Panther Prowl Family and Friends Day at Blackshear Field.
