GSU's Broadway: That's not the same old Prairie View

By Nick Deriso, Monroe News Star

Grambling's offense is still occasionally misfiring.
But that's not the only reason GSU ended up in a nail-biter last week with traditional league doormat Prairie View, coach Rod Broadway said.

"I tried to convince my team, and everybody who would listen to me, that Prairie View is a much better football team," Broadway said. "We didn't play as well as we had hoped, and a lot of that is due to Prairie View."

The Panthers scored two final-period touchdowns to tie the game, leaving Grambling to sweat out a lengthy field-goal attempt with seven seconds left on Saturday. It wasn't until GSU defender Nigel Copeland blocked Pedro Ventura's kick that the 17-14 victory was secured.

By way of contrast, Henry Frazier-led Prairie View teams had lost 156-46 over the last three State Fair Classics.

"Our primary goal is to keep Grambling under 50," Frazier joked last week.

Instead, Prairie View fell by the tightest margin since the last time GSU dropped a game in this series, 1986's 24-19 loss.

The Panthers — a group that last had a winning season since 1976 — are just that much better than they used to be, Broadway said.

The game confirmed what he already thought about Prairie View's dominant defense, which is allowing league lows for touchdowns and yards.

"I told our kids that it would be a defensive struggle, and it really was," Broadway said. "Prairie View is a pretty good football team. People better not go into the game thinking that's the same old Prairie View."

Grambling's offense did its part, of course, coughing up a fumble and two interceptions — including one pick that was returned for a critical touchdown in the Panthers' furious, but ultimately failed, fourth-quarter comeback attempt.

"That gave the momentum back to Prairie View, and they responded like you are supposed to do," Broadway said. "But our team hung in there."

Grambling strung together some lengthy drives, holding the ball for 34 minutes. Its offense collected 400 yards along the way.

But four trips to the red zone only resulted in two scores, and GSU almost fell to the Panthers for just the second time since 1965.

"We need to get that corrected from our end, and protect the ball a little better," Broadway said. "It was a close game; we're proud of our football team being able to win it. My hats off to Coach Frazier."