WALLER, Texas – Prairie View A&M kept fans on the edge of their seats from start-to-finish as they withstood a furious second half rally by Alabama A&M to claim a 53-49 win in an offensive shootout at Waller ISD Stadium.
AAMU came out and set the tone via the run on its opening drive as they marched 75 yards in seven plays to claim an early 7-0 lead following De'Angelo Ballard's 5-yard touchdown run and the PAT. The Panthers were forced to punt on their opening possession but the PVAMU defense responded and forced AAMU's second drive to end with a punt which followed with PVAMU's second punt of the night on its second possession.
After an AAMU punt, the Panther offense finally broke through as wideout Nick Pitre became quarterback Trey Green's favorite target as Pitre caught a 12-yard first down pass and a 38-yard touchdown strike on consecutive plays for a 7-7 tie after the PAT. AAMU would answer with 2-yard touchdown run from Tevin McKenzie to lead 14-7 very early in the second quarter but the Green to Pitre connection struck again as the Lake Charles, La. native needed only one play to strike big as he caught an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the drive to bring PVAMU within one at 14-13 followed by Owen Hoolihan's game-tying PAT.
The Panther defense forced an AAMU punt on the ensuing possession and the offense went back to work as the running game came alive and moved the Panthers down the field. Seven plays into the drive, Green threw his third touchdown of the night as he found wideout Raymond Jackson on a 29-yard touchdown reception. Hoolihan's PAT was blocked as the Panthers now led 20-14 at the 11:20 mark.
AAMU continued to struggle against the Panther defense as they were forced to punt once again and the Panther offense made the most of their next situation as they were pinned back at their own 1. The Green-to-Pitre connection on 2nd-and-10 got the Panthers out of their jam as a 30-yard reception gave PVAMU plenty of field to work with. From there, the Panthers turned to Green to march down the field as he connected with four receivers and the team converted three 3rd down conversions as Courtney Brown capped off the 15-play, 99-yard drive with a 12-yard run for a 26-14 lead as the PAT failed.
PVAMU opened the second half with a bang as Johnta' Hebert showed why he's an all-American kick returner as he returned the opening kickoff 84 yards to the AAMU 12. One play later, Green hit Pitre for the third time of the night as PVAMU was coasting with a 33-14 lead 21 seconds into the third quarter.
However, AAMU refused to go down easily as they converted two third down conversions with the latter ending with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Ballard to Octayvius Miles followed by the PAT for a 33-21 PVAMU lead. The Panthers punted on their next drive and once again on 3rd-and-9, Ballard threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to draw AAMU within five points (33-28) after the PAT. With momentum all the way in AAMU's corner, the Panthers avoided a major mistake as they fumbled the ensuing kickoff but received new life as the play was wiped away thanks to a Bulldog penalty.
With new life, the Panthers mixed up the run and pass to perfection as they marched 70 yards in 13 plays as De'Auntre Smiley scored from 2 yards out. The PAT was good as PVAMU led 40-28 with 3:13 remaining.
Both teams would trade punts as the fourth quarter approached and AAMU struck first in the final stanza as Ballard converted a key 4th down run into a touchdown as AAMU trailed 40-35. After a big kickoff return by Tommie Robins, the Panthers responded and was on the verge of punching it in but Green's pass from the AAMU 5 sailed into multiple coverage and was picked off. AAMU converted a 4th down play on the ensuing drive and used the momentum to pull ahead for the first time since the second quarter after Harvey Harris' 2-yard jump into the end zone.
Trailing 43-40 with less than five minutes remaining, PVAMU dug deep as Hebert returned the kickoff 48 yards to the AAMU 44 for solid field position. The Panthers appeared to convert their first 3rd down conversion of the drive as Hebert rushed all way to the AAMU 1 but a spot holding penalty put PVAMU in a negative predicament as it was now 3rd-and-11. On the next play, Pitre caught a 9-yard pass from Green and was two yards short but a late unsportsmanlike penalty from AAMU turned the tide as Brown took advantage of the new set of downs and rushed 21 yards for the touchdown and a 47-43 lead after the PAT.
The Panther defense turned up the heat with a strip sack on the next possession and it took Brown only two plays to increase the lead to 53-43 with 2:14 remaining. Once again though, AAMU would use 3rd down magic with two big conversions to set up a 53-yard strike from Ballard to O'Darius Williams. The PAT failed as PVAMU recovered the onside kick and escaped with the emotional win and its second straight comeback victory over AAMU.
PVAMU finished with 522 total yards with 349 coming via the air and 173 on the ground. Green threw for 345 yards and four touchdowns on 27-of-40 passing while Brown rushed for 114 yards on 14 carries and three touchdowns. Pitre exploded for 196 yards on eight receptions and three touchdowns. Foster Brown II had a team-high seven tackles.
The State Fair Classic is now on the horizon as the Panthers will head to Dallas to face Grambling State at 4 p.m. in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, Sept. 26 in the 90th anniversary of the game.
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