If there is anything the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff football seniors can do for one final act on their home field today, it might help break a seven-game losing streak, matching last year’s lengthy slide.
Skyler Perry, who will play in his 43rd career game, can put on a passing clinic to remember. He’s only averaged 155.4 yards per game and completed 53.4% of his passes with 5 touchdowns through seven games while battling injuries to his throwing hand and shoulder.
Mark Evans II can strengthen his case for a high draft pick next spring at left tackle, but he’ll want to help protect the left-handed quarterback and spring sophomore running back Kayvon Britten, who has surpassed 200 yards twice at Simmons Bank Field at Golden Lion Stadium this year.
Nathan Seward can hawk the ball and lock down Prairie View A&M’s talented receivers.
Whatever the Golden Lions (2-7, 0-6 SWAC) can do just might put another year of frustrations to the side, with one game remaining on Thanksgiving.
It will also help Don Treadwell’s case to become the permanent head coach. He’s 0-2 in the interim, with decisive losses at Florida A&M and Grambling State.
Prairie View (5-4, 4-2) has grander plans with first-year Coach Bubba McDowell. The Panthers can secure a second-straight trip to the SWAC championship game, as they hold a one-game lead over Texas Southern, Southern University and Alcorn State.
The latter two teams have beaten the Panthers.
Alcorn State did so in overtime, 23-16 last week, to keep the title chase going.
“We’ve got to go down there and just get back to playing football the way we are capable of playing,” McDowell said.
“We’ve got to minimize the mistakes, the errors that have occurred the last several games, and we’ll be all right.
Make no mistake about it, the best team that comes to play is the team that will win the game.” Treadwell was not available during the SWAC’s weekly Zoom conference earlier this week, because he spoke at the Little Rock Touchdown Club luncheon.
But he has spoken positively about the Golden Lions’ efforts through the coaching change from Doc Gamble and their last two games in homecoming environments.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS
Prairie View went 3-0 against teams from other Football Championship Subdivision conferences but hit a speed bump against Southern in a game marred before kickoff by a brawl that resulted in multiple suspensions.
The Panthers have scored 50 or more points in two of the past three games and rank third in the SWAC in scoring at 29.6 points per game.
Neither Prairie View
(144.7 yards per game) nor UAPB (170.7) have produced much total offense this season, ranking in the bottom five of the conference.
Two of the top five running backs in the SWAC, UAPB’s Britten (90.7) and Prairie View’s Jaden Stewart
(86.9) will duke it out today, while Panthers quarterback Trazon Connley (107 for 178, 1,187 yards, 6 touchdowns) goes into the game with numbers similar to Perry’s.
“He’s developing, doing what we ask him to do,” McDowell said.
“We just got to give him time. We’ve been really good protecting him offensively up until this game.
The kid was pretty much running for his life the majority of the second half [against Alcorn].”
EVANS VS. EVANS
Brothers will go head-to-head today when Mark Evans tries to protect the Lions’ offense against Panthers linebacker Jessie Evans, a sophomore.
The brothers played high school football in Houston.
Jessie Evans has 48 tackles, 11.5 of them for losses and 3 of them sacks.
But McDowell was high on Mark Evans, who has drawn comparisons to UAPB graduate and Miami Dolphins left tackle Terron Armstead.
“He’s one of those guys who have the ability to go to the next level,” McDowell said.
“In order to be good, you have to be consistent at what you do. He’s been consistent over the years at Pine Bluff.
I think he’s going to be an even better pro player as well.” Kickoff is at 2 p.m. today with coverage at uapblionsroar.com/watch and KPBA-FM 99.3.