PRAIRIE VIEW – The Prairie View A&M football team returns to friendly confines for its home opener against FCS contender Nicholls State Saturday evening. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. from Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field.
Both sides come in looking to rebound from tough outings against FBS oppositions. Prairie View A&M (1-1) will try to move above .500 following a 37-17 defeat at Houston, while the Colonels are coming off a bye week after a season-opening 49-14 loss to Kansas State.
This will be a rematch from Sept. 16, 2017 season, during which Prairie View A&M fell 44-13 at Nicholls. Since then, new play makers have emerged for the Panthers, who have scored 30 or more points in six of a possible 13 contests with Eric Dooley at the helm.
The contest shapes up as a potential shootout, as the Panthers will bring the nation's 17th-ranked passing offense (299 yards per game) to the table, while the Colonels return much of an offense that ranked top-12 among FCS teams in 2018.
Scouting the Competition:
- Nicholls State (0-1) enters the contest ranked No. 10 in the FCS. Last season saw the Colonels win a share of the Southland Conference championship behind 2018 Southland Player of the Year Chase Fourcade, a dual-threat coming off a subpar outing versus Kansas State. Fourcade accounted for more than 3,500 total yards of offense and 34 touchdowns (21 passing, 13 rushing) in 2018.
- The Colonels return an experienced defense – albeit one that may have its hands full with Prairie View A&M's explosive offense – that brings back its top two pass rushes in Sully Laiche (8.5 sacks in 2018) and Evan Veron (7.0 sacks in 2018) and also fields a solid secondary anchored by Darren Evans (2 INT, 11 total passes defensed in 2018) and Khristian Mims (2 INT, seven total passes defensed in 2018).
- Nicholls State ranked 11th nationally in rushing defense during 2018, limiting opponents to 105.4 yards per game on the ground. The Colonels are also one of the more disciplined teams in the nation, having committed just two penalties this season.
Panthers News and Notes:
- Senior running back Dawonya Tucker comes into the contest ranked as one of the most efficient and explosive runners in the country. Tucker has gained 205 yards on just 21 tries to this point in the season, good for a scintillating 9.76 yards a pop, a number that ranks second in the nation.
- Since Panther Stadium opened its doors in 2016, the Panthers have averaged 32.9 points per contest in true home games. Of the 12 contests played at the new Blackshear Field, Prairie View A&M has scored 30 or more points in eight of those games.
- The Panthers rank 21st in the nation in total offense, averaging 466.5 yards of offense per contest.
- Prairie View A&M will look to improve upon a 1-5 record against teams from the Southland Conference.
How to Follow:
- The game will be broadcast HERE. Live Stats will be provided HERE.
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