The Prairie View A&M football team began preparations for their 2012 season with the start of spring practice on Tuesday evening.

This time last year, the Panthers had plenty of questions surrounding them due to the abundance of changes from the coaching staff to the departure of several key personnel on both sides of the ball.  While there are still some holes to address, familiarity shouldn't be a problem this spring as the entire football coaching staff returns from the previous season in addition to a thorough knowledge of the offensive and defensive playbooks.

“We're going to spend a lot of time on first and third down efficiency on both sides of the ball,” said head coach Heishma Northern.  “We also want to play better defense and shore up our special teams.  Position wise, we're going to focus on the offensive line, secondary and our young linebackers.”

With the conclusion of Tuesday's practice, the Panthers will have 14 practices from Saturday, March 3 to Sunday, April 1.  The 2012 Purple & Gold Football Game is set for Friday, March 30 at Blackshear Field at 6:30 p.m.  In addition, the team's annual Pro Day is scheduled for Wednesday, March 21.

PRACTICE DATES
Thursday, March 1                     6 p.m.
Saturday, March 3                     9 a.m.
Sunday, March 4                       5 p.m.
Tuesday, March 6                      6 p.m.
Thursday, March 8                     6 p.m.
Tuesday, March 20                    6 p.m.
Wednesday, March 21 (Pro Day) 3 p.m. (Waller ISD Stadium)
Thursday, March 22                   6 p.m.
Saturday, March 24                    9 a.m.
Sunday, March 25                      5 p.m.
Tuesday, March 27                    6 p.m. (Junior Pro Day @ 9 a.m. @ Waller ISD Stadium)
Thursday, March 29                   6 p.m.
Friday, March 30                      6:30 p.m. (Spring Game)
Saturday, March 31                    9 a.m.
Sunday, April 1                          5 p.m.