PRAIRIE VIEW – The Prairie View A&M football team is ready for the first of several litmus tests as it heads to the Reservation to open league play against defending conference champion Alcorn State Saturday.

The Panthers will try to rebound from a disappointing 42-35 loss to FCS No. 10 Nicholls State, a contest where the Panthers led 21-6 at one point before a forgettable third quarter derailed their momentum.

"I thought our guys competed for 60 minutes, and we had a chance right there to win that thing at the end but it didn't bounce the way that we would've liked it to," PVAMU head football coach Eric Dooley said. "I'm not proud of the loss, but I'm proud of the way our guys competed, and now we have to move forward against a team that won the (SWAC) championship last year so we know what they bring to the table and what we have before us."

The Panthers have dropped their last two contests to the Braves, the most recent outing a 27-13 defeat in 2018, the second-lowest scoring output by the Dooley-led Panthers since he took over the team that year.  

This marks the first of three matchups against perennial league contenders, which should allow Prairie View A&M (1-2) a better look at its championship aspirations. The contest features the Panthers' SWAC-best offense taking on the league's top-ranked defense in the Braves (1-2), who lead the SWAC in total defense and scoring defense.

During the league's weekly coaches' teleconference, Dooley expressed confidence in the Panthers' place among the conversation of SWAC title contenders, adding that the team is on the cusp of realizing its potential.

"We know we're in conference play now, and everything's going to stick. We know we're playing a worthy opponent that's use to going to the championship," Dooley said. "I think we've got a good football team. We've got all three phases. I think (the players) they are coming together and they're understanding what we're trying to accomplish. The chemistry is right there. I like what I see in all three phases, we've just got to continue to press."

The Braves will attempt to shake off a 17-14 loss at the hands of McNeese State last weekend. Alcorn stands to come in with a usually formidable, multi-faceted rushing attack. De'Shawn Waller spearheads a ground game that averages 186 rushing yards per game. Additionally, quarterback and Preseason SWAC Offensive Player of the Year Noah Johnson adds an explosive play making element to the Braves' offense.

A potential area to watch will be trench warfare. Prairie View A&M has been particularly productive in getting after the quarterback, having generated a conference-best 11 sacks so far this season. The Braves have allowed the second-most sacks among all league teams.

However, if the Panthers expect to make an early statement against a team searching for its sixth-straight SWAC title game appearance, Dooley stressed that it will come down to the finer points of execution.

"You've got to play assignment-sound football," Dooley said. "You've got to make sure you're playing disciplined football. You've got to make sure you're playing smart football, and you've got to play for 60 minutes because you're playing a good football team. We've got to finish … we've got to understand that when we have leads, we have to take over a game and finish."

The contest will be broadcast on ESPN3 from Spinks-Casem Stadium, with kickoff set for 5 p.m.  Fans can also listen live on pvpanthers.com/Panther Sports Network.