The Tigers of Jackson State University will return home on Saturday, Oct. 4th to face off against the Panthers of Prairie View A&M University.
Jackson State is coming off its first win in Southwestern Athletic Conference play. Prairie View is still winless in SWAC play.
Last week, JSU defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a wild matchup that needed overtime to determine the winner. Hungry for their first conference win, the Tigers fought all the way to the end to win 33-30 on the road against the Golden Lions.
The offense found their groove and began to show improvements in all phases of the game. The most important improvement that the Tigers saw was in turnovers. The Tigers, for the first time this season, played an entire game with zero turnovers.
The Panthers of Prairie View dropped to 0-4 last week after losing to Grambling State University 26-20 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. The Panthers are 0-3.
Grambling State was able to put up 485 yards of total offense against the Panthers defense last week. GSU used a balanced attack to expose the Prairie View defense.
Earlier in the year, Prairie View lost to the defending SWAC champion Southern Jaguars. When asked about Prairie View, freshman quarterback Jarrad Hayes of Southern University said, “They’re an experienced bunch. They have an explosive running game with some very capable wide receivers. Their quarterback is big and has a huge arm. Defensively, they bring pressure, but they aren’t very good at stopping the run.”
The Panthers will come in hungry to get their first win of the season. Although Prairie View has not won this season, they have been competitive in every game with an exception of McNeese State University. PVAMU has only lost its three conference games (Grambling State, Southern, and Texas Southern) by a total of 18 points including a three point loss to the Texas Southern Tigers.
Last year, JSU defeated Prairie View in a high scoring shootout at the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La. At the end of the third quarter, the game was tied 38-38. The Tigers pulled away in the fourth quarter to escape Shreveport with a 51-38 win.
The Tigers will need to find a consistent force in the running game this week as starting running back Rakeem Sims endured a knee injury in the overtime period against UAPB. It is not determined how long he will be out, but he is not expected to play this week. Look for sophomore Jarius Moore and junior Alexander Montgomery to carry the load in the ground game for the Tigers this week.
Jackson State must add on to the momentum created by last week’s wild win. Another win in SWAC play will boost JSU into a tie for second place in the SWAC East standings, behind the winner of the Alcorn State/Alabama State game this Thursday on ESPNU.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m at Mississippi Veteran’s Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Miss.
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