Photo credit, Ms. Amira Mckoy (@msamiramckoy)
Texas Southern erased a nine-game losing streak by defeating arch-rival Prairie View A&M University, 27-9, in the Labor Day Classic on Saturday night at Panther Stadium.
It came down to defense for the Tigers, who had not won the classic since 2014. Texas Southern (1-0) recorded eight tackles for loss yards and five sacks, surprising last season’s SWAC champion.
New coach Cris Dishman, among the Tiger Faithfuls, couldn’t have been more satisfied with the victory.
Defensive lineman Keelon Cox gave the Panthers offensive front fits all evening. Linebackers Isaiah Bogerty and Jacob Williams joined Keelon to serve as a stocking stuffer as the attack mounted throughout the evening. All three are responsible for the Tigers’ five sacks and lost yards.
Prairie View took the early lead on Guillermo Garcia Rodriguez’s 37-yard field goal, but things began to spiral out of control shortly after.
Prairie View (0-1) committed nine penalties for 89 yards while seeking ways to move the ball effectively. Still, the spark it needed had never materialized. But the bright side watched 6’4″ senior receiver Shemar Savage snag six passes for 105 yards.
The Panthers trailed 13-6 at intermission and failed to make up ground in the second half as the Tigers outscored PV 14-3 in the third and fourth quarters.
Texas Southern quarterback K.J. Cooper led the offensive attack, passing for 126 yards on 19 of 29 attempts. Freshman running back Danny Green, Jr. scored twice and tallied 81 yards on 15 carries. Green’s effort helped the Tigers pile 346 yards of offense as opposed to Prairie View A&M’s 240.
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