PRAIRIE VIEW – The Prairie View A&M University football team officially kicked off the start of their month-long training camp for the 2023 campaign.  The Panthers opened Thursday morning with a 9 a.m. two-hour practice.  They will spend the remainder of their day with a series of team orientation sessions.
 
The first day yielded some promising looks but no contentment by head football coach Leonard Bubba McDowell.
 
"Practice went pretty well, there were some bad things and good things," said McDowell.  "Like I told the kids last night during our meetings, "we are going to make some mistakes, and what needs to happen is that the guys need to continue to get through the day, get back into the study room tonight, and learn from it and get better going into tomorrow."
The signal-callers impressed as activity wore on, allowing them to find their groove as evidenced by explosive downfield attacks that put defenders on their heels.

However, the battle for QB1 rages on. Regardless of the outcome, McDowell saw enough to where he feels encouraged by whoever ends up taking the mantle.

"I feel comfortable in saying that we have some capable quarterbacks that will be able to lead the team and have us in good shape," McDowell said. "Of course, there's still room for improvement, but in all, I feel good about who we have at the quarterback position. I felt all three did some good things, but when we look at the tape we will get an even better assessment."

Additionally, the defense flashed with resilience in goal-line situations as well as a willingness to fly to the ball, giving the second-year coach optimism in what projects as the strength of the 2023 Panthers.

Still, it wasn't all high marks as there were mental miscues to address. With the season-opener versus Texas Southern just weeks away, McDowell noted that the focus going forward is ensuring that the team plays to its experience level and avoids self-inflicted wounds.

The Panthers are set to have practice once daily through Sunday, August 6 from 9 – 11:05 a.m.  PVAMU will continue daily practice from 9-11:05 am putting pads on Wednesday, August 9 with the first scrimmage set for Saturday, August 12.  The final practice of camp will take place on Saturday, August 19.

The season kicks off on September 2 for the annual Labor Day Classic as the Panthers will face longtime rival Texas Southern inside Shell Energy Stadium at 6:00 p.m. 

Keep up with all the latest news and information for PVAMU athletics by following pvpanthers.com as well as through Twitter via the PVAMU general sports account (@PVAMUPanthers). You can also follow along on Instagram.com/pvamupanthers.