Texas Southern made new head coach Cris Dishman’s debut a memorable one as they went into Panther Stadium and humbled defending SWAC West Champion Prairie View 27-9, picking up their first Labor Day Classic win since 2014.
The Tigers grabbed the lead in the first quarter and never let up, starting off a new era of football with an impressive win. Here are the keys to TxSU’s victory.
Stopping the run
The Tigers forced the Panthers to be a one-dimensional outfit, holding them to just 21 total yards rushing on the evening. Texas Southern spent a lot of time in the PVAMU backfield, collecting eight tackles for loss and five quarterback sacks. Linebackers Isaiah Bogerty and Jacob Williams, along with defensive lineman Keelan Cox, terrorized Prairie View, combining for four sacks and four 1/2 tackles for loss.
Establishing the run
Offensively, Texas Southern got a solid game from freshman running back Danny Green Jr., who made his collegiate debut memorable with 81 yards on just 15 carries and two touchdowns. Overall, the Tigers collected 163 yards on the ground, chewing up valuable time while keeping the Prairie View defense on their heels and the offense off the field.
Dual threat QB gets it done
K.J. Cooper, an El Paso native who came to the Tigers from Minnesota State Community and Technical College, provided just enough passing plays (19 of 29 for 126 yards) as well as the ability to run (52 yards on 6 carries) to lift Texas Southern to the win.
Discipline
Texas Southern was able to avoid something Prairie View was not – penalties.
The Tigers were penalized twice for 25 yards, while the Panthers were called for nine infractions, totaling 89 yards of sorely needed real estate. Staying out of trouble usually means winning football, and that was certainly true for TxSU Saturday night.