LORMAN, Miss. – The Prairie View A&M University football team lost at Alcorn State 34-21 Saturday at Spinks-Casem Stadium.
Making his first career start, redshirt freshman quarterback
Neiko Hollins completed 18 of 38 passes for 291 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. WR
Khadarel Hodge had his second straight 100-yard receiving game and third straight game catching at least one scoring pass, with four receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
"First of all, I have to tip my hat to Alcorn," said Prairie View A&M head coach
Willie Simmons. "They showed why they are the three-time Eastern Division champions. They came out and played a physical football game, controlled the clock, and held the ball for 40 minutes, kept us off the field, and kept us out of a rhythm offensively. We didn't do enough."
The Panthers (2-4 overall, 2-2 SWAC) scored touchdowns on their first two drives of the game. Hollins moved PVAMU 68 yards in only four plays, with Floyd's 45-yard catch and run on the second play of the possession setting up his nine-yard scoring catch two plays later for a 7-0 lead.
On the next Prairie View A&M possession, it took only three plays to move 64 yards. Hollins connected with Hodge on a 46-yard touchdown pass for a 14-0 with 2:13 to play in the first quarter.
Alcorn St. (5-2, 3-0) scored 24 second-quarter points and led 34-14 early in the fourth quarter.
Hollins led a touchdown drive on the ensuing possession.
Jalen Morton's 36-yard run on a reverse led to Hodge's 22-yard scoring reception on the next play with just under 12 minutes remaining, but the Panthers could get no closer.
"We missed some opportunities," Simmons said. "In the first half, we only ran 18 plays, and could just never get in a rhythm offensively. We kept the defense on the field too long. I thought they played well. To hold a high-powered team like that to 351 yards on 75 plays is a testament to the defense and how they played. We didn't do enough on offense and in the kicking game to give ourselves a chance against a team of this caliber."
The Panthers have a bye next week and return to action in the 2017 Homecoming game against Bacone College on Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. at Panther Stadium. Tickets are available online at
pvpanthers.com/tickets.
