DALLAS – The Prairie View A&M University football team arrived in Dallas earlier today in advance of Saturday's State Fair Classic game against Grambling.
The two winningest teams in the Southwestern Athletic Conference over the last 10 years, the Panthers (2-2 overall, 2-0 SWAC) and Tigers (4-1, 1-0) meet in the Cotton Bowl at 4 p.m. The PVAMU Sports Network will have radio coverage of the game, starting with the pregame show at 3:30 p.m. Fans can listen in Houston on Synergy Radio 1480 AM or online at pvpanthers.com/sportsnetwork.
Panthers' football visited a pair of elementary schools earlier in the day, stopping by Rosa Parks / Millbrook Elementary and H.I Holland Elementary school. Vice President / Director of Athletics
Ashley Robinson, Head Football Coach
Willie Simmons, along with assistant coaches and support staff, read books to students and stressed the importance of education to the young, captive audience.
After a walkthrough practice at SMU, the Panthers now lock in on the defending SWAC champion Tigers. Both teams rank in the top three in the conference in numerous categories, among them scoring (PVAMU 2
nd at 29.0 ppg/GSU 3
rd at 28.4 ppg), scoring defense (PVAMU 3
rd at 24.2 ppg/GSU 1
st at 20.0 ppg), rushing offense (PVAMU 1
st at 28.0 ppg/GSU 3
rd at 149.8 ppg), total offense (PVAMU 2
nd at 415.2 ypg/GSU 3
rd at 339.0 ypg), and total defense (PVAMU 1
st at 316.5 ypg/GSU 3
rd at 345.4 ypg).
Prairie View A&M has won two in row, with wins over Alabama State (34-0) and Jackson State (38-9), with each performance led by great defense. PVAMU has allowed only nine points, forced eight takeaways, and made seven sacks in the two wins. Offensively, the Panthers have posted back-to-back 30-point games, including a season-high 38 against Jackson State last week.
Grambling has won four in a row, with wins over Northwestern St. (23-10), Jackson St. (36-21), Miss. Valley St. (38-6) and Clark-Atlanta (31-20). The Jackson State win does not count toward the SWAC standings.
Prairie View A&M's 68 wins has been surpassed only by Grambling's 76 since the beginning of the 2007 season. The Panthers' 35-32 win over GSU in 2009 en route to the SWAC Championship renewed the rivalry between the teams, as each has won four times over the past eight years.
