Big Plays Haunt Panthers In 37-35 Labor Day Classic Loss To TSU

HOUSTON. Texas --  Texas Southern used several timely third down conversions and took advantage of several Prairie View A&M turnovers to claim a 37-35 win in the 30th annual Labor Day Classic at NRG Stadium.

PVAMU failed to capitalize on an early Jerome Howard sack as they returned the gift on the first play of the next drive as a Jerry Lovelocke fumble led to a TSU recovery and a touchdown at the 7:21 mark.

On the following possession, the Panther offense began to click as Johnta' Hebert and Arthur Lockett combined to rush for 44 yards on the drive to move the Panthers into scoring position. Seven plays in, Lovelocke found Gabe Dunlap for an 11-yard touchdown and 7-7 tie with 5:14 remaining.

After a TSU punt, TSU began to implode with multiple personal fouls which led to a 3-yard run by Hebert. Barrick's PAT was good as the Panthers led 14-7 after the first quarter.

TSU's Homer Causey connected with Fred Plummer on a 51-yard pass on the final play of the quarter which set up a 26-yard field goal by Eric Medina and a 14-10 PVAMU lead. The Panthers were forced to punt on their following possession and TSU moved ahead 17-14 midway through the second quarter as Causey found Malik Cross for a 44-yard strike.

Despite the deficit, PVAMU hit with a big play of its own on the first play of the ensuing drive as Lovelocke found Nick Pitre for a 76-yard strike and a 21-17 lead with 6:16 remaining. An offsides penalty by the Panthers allowed TSU a second chance after a missed field goal as the Tigers closed to within 21-20 on Medina's 30-yard field goal with two seconds remaining.

On PVAMU's first play of the second half, TSU's Tray Walker stepped in front of Lovelocke and ran 16 yards unscathed for a 27-21 lead with 13:10 remaining. After a Panther punt, TSU converted three third down conversions and scored on a 20-yard Medina field goal for the 27-21 advantage.

After a slow third quarter which saw PVAMU score no points, the Panthers relied on their special teams for a big play in the fourth quarter as TSU's Fred Plummer fumbled a punt which was recovered by longsnapper Joe Sable. Four plays later, the Panthers trailed 30-28 as Lovelocke rushed in from one-yard out with 11:27 left in regulation.

Both teams traded punts after the score and TSU's Daveonn Porter struck big with a 53-yard run slightly after the six-minute mark. Two plays later, the Tigers moved ahead 37-28 as Plummer scored on a 27-yard reception from Small in the corner of the endzone. Down by two scores, the Panthers rallied with a 41-yard strike from Lovelocke to Keylon LaSalle to move into scoring position. Two plays later, the Panthers went deep into their playbook and used some razzle dazzle as Hebert took a pass from Lovelocke and found a wide open Gabe Dunlap for the 37-35 deficit after Barrick's kick.

With no timeouts left, PVAMU had one final chance to get the ball back but TSU's Small found Cross for a 14-yard reception on 3rd-and-12 which turned out to be nail in the coffin as TSU won for the second time in three seasons over the Panthers.

PVAMU finished with 369 total yards (227 P, 142 R) while TSU amassed 488 total offensive yards. Lovelocke finished with 202 yards on 10-of-26 passing and two touchdowns followed by 68 rushing yards from Hebert. Dunlap caught five passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns while Jerome Howard led the defense with 12 tackles, a sack, tackle for loss and a forced fumble.

The Panthers return to action at McNeese State on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. in Lake Charles, La.

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