Jahbari Kuykendall detonated the Labor Day Classic right from the jump, taking the opening kickoff 90 yards to the house and setting off an absolute frenzy in Panther Stadium. Unlike last year’s nail-biting, walk-off thriller, this one was a statement. Prairie View A&M didn’t just beat rival Texas Southern on Sunday; they absolutely routed them 52-14 in a game nationally televised on ESPN2.
The Panthers Came Out Swinging and Never Let Up
That Kuykendall return was just the spark. The junior from Westside caught the ball at his 10-yard line, veered left, and followed a wall of blockers straight into the end zone. Talk about an electric start to a rivalry game! But PVAMU wasn’t done. On their very first offensive possession, quarterback Tevin Carter connected with Damien McDaniel on a 24-yard scoring pass, pushing the Panthers to a 14-0 lead less than five minutes into the game. Ethan Eddings then nailed a 37-yard field goal with eight seconds left in the opening quarter, extending the lead to 17-0. A lightning delay stopped the game for 57 minutes, but it barely seemed to cool off Prairie View. Texas Southern QB Cam’Ron McCoy didn’t even complete his first pass until midway through the second quarter. While TSU managed to cut it to 17-7 by halftime, it felt like the Panthers were just getting warmed up.
Third Quarter Collapse For TSU, Domination For PVAMU
If you blinked in the third quarter, you missed Prairie View A&M blowing the doors off. The Panthers exploded for 28 unanswered points, turning a ten-point halftime lead into an absolute laugher. Tevin Carter was unreal, slinging four total touchdowns on the day and running for another. He hit Chase Bingmon for a 54-yard scoring strike out of the backfield, then found Travon Jones wide open for a 39-yard touchdown that pushed PVAMU up 38-7. Jones ended up with two receiving scores, showing how many weapons Carter has at his disposal under second-year coach Tremaine Jackson. Even the defense got in on the action, with linebacker Tyler Morehead getting a crucial fumble recovery deep in PV territory late in the first half and defensive end Dorian Gates adding another. Special teams were solid too, with Corey Thompson Jr. and Rondell Carter standing out on kickoff coverage. Texas Southern tried to fight back, with McCoy scoring on a 17-yard run and Athean Renfro Jr. piling up 85 rushing yards, but it was nowhere near enough.
This rivalry might have favored Texas Southern 45-36-1 all-time, but Prairie View A&M has now won 19 of the last 23 matchups. Both teams hit the road this Saturday, facing FBS opponents: Texas Southern heads to UTEP, and Prairie View takes on Baylor. We’ll see if the Panthers can keep that fire going against even tougher competition!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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