By BRANDON C. WILLIAMS, Houston Chronicle
Gibson, Panthers throw balanced attack at Tigers in 34-14 win
Mother Nature provided her share of thunder and lightning around Reliant Stadium on Saturday night. The Prairie View A&M defense delivered the rest.
The Panthers forced five turnovers as they manhandled rival Texas Southern 34-14 in the 23rd annual Labor Day Classic. Despite being outgained 463-301, Prairie View used its defense to set the tone by engulfing the Tigers with a third-quarter storm that drowned any chance of a TSU comeback.
"We started out a little rusty, but once we settled down, we took care of business," Prairie View coach Henry Frazier III said.
The Panthers (1-0) more than took care of their end, harassing TSU quarterback Tino Edgecome into three interceptions and sacking him five times. The Tigers (0-1) were able to move the ball all night long, but they constantly shot themselves in the foot, committing nine penalties and missing two field goals.
"We have the best defense in the (Southwestern Athletic) Conference," Panthers quarterback Chris Gibson said.
Edgecome's second interception proved to be the backbreaker. Trailing 20-0, TSU was threatening to score when Anthony Beck picked off an Edgecome pass and scampered 92 yards for a touchdown that gave Prairie View a 27-0 lead, sending most of the 16,827 in attendance home with 9:34 remaining.
TSU also struggled with holding on to the ball. Running back Brent Wilson fumbled twice, including at the Panthers' 4 late in the third quarter.
"The turnovers inside the red zone hurt us," said TSU coach Steve Wilson, who lost his third Labor Day Classic in four attempts. "That kind of ineffectiveness led to the change in momentum."
Momentum began to slip away from the Tigers early in the third quarter when Gibson scored the game's first touchdown on a 51-yard run at the 13:27 mark. Gibson accounted for 226 yards of offense, including 123 rushing yards on 14 carries.
"Football is all about momentum," Gibson said. "Once we scored, it seemed like everyone else began to play loose and played the way we know we're capable of."
While Gibson's passing numbers (10-for-21, 103 yards and an interception) weren't gaudy, the senior did a masterful job of moving the offense and keeping the Panthers almost mistake-free.
"He came out and did an exceptional job," Frazier said. "We made some adjustments at the half, and the offense came out and stepped up."
The Prairie View special-teams unit helped turn a 3-0 halftime lead into a one-sided win. A blocked punt put the Panthers at the Texas Southern 27. Calvin Harris eventually scored from 6 yards out to make it 17-0.
Prairie View's Pedro Ventura, who averaged 44.9 yards on his seven punts, allowed the Panthers to dominate the field-position battle. Fellow freshman Brady Faggard connected on a pair of field goals from 34 and 23 yards.
TSU was able to avert a shutout when backup quarterback Donnie Shorts found Brian Wilson for a 54-yard touchdown pass with 4:32 remaining. Shorts also connected with B.J. Haith on a 32-yard scoring toss with 1:18 left.
"We just couldn't finish drives," Wilson said. "We couldn't block, we couldn't run, and we threw interceptions. We did everything we didn't need to do. We've got to plug the holes and make the moves we need to make. (But) the bottom line is about scoring points."
Gibson, Panthers throw balanced attack at Tigers in 34-14 win
Mother Nature provided her share of thunder and lightning around Reliant Stadium on Saturday night. The Prairie View A&M defense delivered the rest.
The Panthers forced five turnovers as they manhandled rival Texas Southern 34-14 in the 23rd annual Labor Day Classic. Despite being outgained 463-301, Prairie View used its defense to set the tone by engulfing the Tigers with a third-quarter storm that drowned any chance of a TSU comeback.
"We started out a little rusty, but once we settled down, we took care of business," Prairie View coach Henry Frazier III said.
The Panthers (1-0) more than took care of their end, harassing TSU quarterback Tino Edgecome into three interceptions and sacking him five times. The Tigers (0-1) were able to move the ball all night long, but they constantly shot themselves in the foot, committing nine penalties and missing two field goals.
"We have the best defense in the (Southwestern Athletic) Conference," Panthers quarterback Chris Gibson said.
Edgecome's second interception proved to be the backbreaker. Trailing 20-0, TSU was threatening to score when Anthony Beck picked off an Edgecome pass and scampered 92 yards for a touchdown that gave Prairie View a 27-0 lead, sending most of the 16,827 in attendance home with 9:34 remaining.
TSU also struggled with holding on to the ball. Running back Brent Wilson fumbled twice, including at the Panthers' 4 late in the third quarter.
"The turnovers inside the red zone hurt us," said TSU coach Steve Wilson, who lost his third Labor Day Classic in four attempts. "That kind of ineffectiveness led to the change in momentum."
Momentum began to slip away from the Tigers early in the third quarter when Gibson scored the game's first touchdown on a 51-yard run at the 13:27 mark. Gibson accounted for 226 yards of offense, including 123 rushing yards on 14 carries.
"Football is all about momentum," Gibson said. "Once we scored, it seemed like everyone else began to play loose and played the way we know we're capable of."
While Gibson's passing numbers (10-for-21, 103 yards and an interception) weren't gaudy, the senior did a masterful job of moving the offense and keeping the Panthers almost mistake-free.
"He came out and did an exceptional job," Frazier said. "We made some adjustments at the half, and the offense came out and stepped up."
The Prairie View special-teams unit helped turn a 3-0 halftime lead into a one-sided win. A blocked punt put the Panthers at the Texas Southern 27. Calvin Harris eventually scored from 6 yards out to make it 17-0.
Prairie View's Pedro Ventura, who averaged 44.9 yards on his seven punts, allowed the Panthers to dominate the field-position battle. Fellow freshman Brady Faggard connected on a pair of field goals from 34 and 23 yards.
TSU was able to avert a shutout when backup quarterback Donnie Shorts found Brian Wilson for a 54-yard touchdown pass with 4:32 remaining. Shorts also connected with B.J. Haith on a 32-yard scoring toss with 1:18 left.
"We just couldn't finish drives," Wilson said. "We couldn't block, we couldn't run, and we threw interceptions. We did everything we didn't need to do. We've got to plug the holes and make the moves we need to make. (But) the bottom line is about scoring points."
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