Prairie View and Texas Southern Face Off In 26th State Farm Labor Day Classic

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2010 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (September 5, 2010) On the afternoon of September 5, two of the biggest rivals in college football will meet head-to-head at Houston’s Reliant Stadium as the Prairie View A&M Panthers face off against the Texas Southern Tigers in the 26th edition of the State Farm Labor Day Classic.

For the first time since 1967, both teams enter with winning records.
This year’s classic promises to live up to the hype as the Panthers are the defending SWAC Champion while Texas Southern closed out the 2009 season full of momentum as they amassed a winning record for the first time since 2000.

Both teams feature exciting quarterbacks with Prairie View’s K.J. Black taking the snap for the Panthers and Arvell Nelson playing the roll of field general for Texas Southern.

Both squads are lead by solid head coaches in Prairie View’s Henry Frazier III and TSU’s Johnnie Cole

The last time these two teams met, the Panthers downed the Tigers 17-7 in the 25th edition of the Classic.

The game was played before more than 21,000 fans at Reliant Stadium, which saw Prairie View quarterback Jay Bluford rebounded from an early interception to throw a pair of touchdown passes to secure the win.

TSU’s Demarckus Washington intercepted a Bluford pass and returned
it 55 yards for a touchdown midway through the first quarter to give the Tigers the early lead.

Bluford countered with a scoring pass to Gabe Osaze-Ediae later in the quarter to tie up the game.

Prairie View then took the lead on Brady Faggard’s field goal with 6:42 left in the third quarter.

Bluford again took to the air, connecting with Brandon Bell for a 15-yard touchdown in the final period to complete the scoring.

Kickoff is set for 4:00pm Houston time.