Prairie View A&M University
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PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL 2015 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE DAY DATE OPPONENT SITE TIME NOTE Sat. Sept. 5 Texas Southern* Houston, Texas 8 p.m. 31st Labor Day Classic, TSU has won two of past three, former hc is now dc Sat. Sept. 12 at Texas State San Marcos, Texas 6 p.m. First meeting since 2013, Texas State leads all-time 11-2 Sat. Sept. 19 Alabama A&M* Waller, Texas 6 p.m. Home opener, Panthers have won 8-of-10 over AAMU since 2006 Sat. Sept. 26 vs. Grambling State Dallas, Texas 4 p.m. Panthers have won 4-of-6 since ‘09, GSU ended slide last year under Fobbs Sat. Oct. 3 University of Faith Waller, Texas 1 p.m. First meeting between the two schools Sat. Oct. 10 Mississippi Valley* Waller, Texas 2 p.m. Homecoming, Panthers have won 7-of-8 since 2007 over the Delta Devils Sat. Oct. 17 at Southern* Baton Rouge, La. TBA SU has won two straight, homecoming in Baton Rouge Sat. Oct. 31 Arkansas-Pine Bluff* Waller, Texas 1 p.m. PV Sports Hall of Fame Game, Panthers have won 5-of-6 over Golden Lions Sat. Nov. 7 at Alcorn State* Lorman, Miss. 2 p.m. Coach Simmons’ former employer, ASU has won 2 straight games Sat. Nov. 14 at Alabama State* Montgomery, Ala. 2 p.m. Win last season over ASU snapped 4-game slide Sat. Nov. 21 Jackson State* Waller, Texas 1 p.m. Senior Day, haven’t defeated JSU two-in-a-row in 43 years Sat. Dec. 5 SWAC Championship Houston, Texas 3 p.m. Have not made a title game appearance since 2009 *- SWAC CONTESTS PRAIRIE VIEW A&M FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK New Sheriff In Town Uncharted Territory Renowned offensive coordinator Willie Sim- With a new coaching staff in place, one of the most important elements needed mons has been selected as the 32nd head football coach in to secure a trust between the returning players and new staff was not available as the Pan- Prairie View A&M history on December 16, 2014. Simmons thers did not conduct spring practice due to APR sanctions from the previous year. While the comes to Prairie View A&M after an impressive three-year team did the most they could do in terms of conditioning, it remains to be seen how quickly stint as the offensive coordinator at Alcorn State, which re- will the team pick up the new schemes. cently won the SWAC and SBN Black College National Cham- Ironically, this is not new for head coach Willie Simmons as he was hired at pionships. With Simmons on staff, Alcorn State fielded one of Alcorn State in the summer of 2012 and had even less time to get familiar with his offensive the most potent offenses in the country as they led the SWAC unit. Despite the limitations, Simmons and his freshman quarterback at the time led Alcorn in seven offensive categories while also finishing second in State to a 22-21 upset over defending SWAC Champion Grambling State. the nation amongst Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams in scoring offense with 44 points per game during the 2014 season. Building Blocks PVAMU has had its fair share of defensive struggles over the past few seasons but there is light at the end of the tunnel as the team returns a pair of All-SWAC sophomore Plenty of Firepower Back defenders in defensive lineman Devohn Reed and defensive back Damond Jackson. The cupboard will not be bare as six starters are back from one of the most ex- In 2014, Reed had a breakout season as the Houston native earned All-SWAC iciting offensive units in the nation. The Panthers will have to replace NFL free agent signee honors which saw him account for 36 tackles, seven tackles for loss and two sacks. Soph- Jerry Lovelocke at quarterback but he will be surrounded by one of the top backfields in omore defensive back Damond Jackson (80 tackles) earned All-SWAC Second Team all of FCS in seniors Johnta' Hebert and Courtney Brown. Honors last season and was a Jerry Rice Award Watch List nominee for most of the season. Several freshmen saw extensive playing time on the defensive line last season and should improve on their production as the team will have to fill big holes at linebacker Hebert Earns Early Preseason Honors with the graduations of SWAC Defensive Player of the Year Jerome Howard and first After a career-best 2014 season, senior running back Johnta’ Hebert looks teamer Danny Brownell. to close out his career at Prairie View A&M in style as the Baton Rouge, La. native was named to the 2015 STATS FCS Preseason All-America Team as an all-purpose back. Last season, Hebert led the FCS in all-purpose yards per game (225.3) and finished second in WELL-ROUNDED STAFF the SWAC in rushing with 1,063 yards (106.3 ypg). He also had six games of 100-plus yard The Prairie View A&M football staff is well-traveled across the football land- performances with a high of 157 versus Alcorn State. Hebert also had at least one rushing scape as several FBS and FCS conferences are represented on the staff. Head football coach touchdown in nine of the team’s 10 games. Willie Simmons hails from the ACC (Clemson) and is joined by recruiting coordinator/de- Heber was also recently named to the 2015 STATS FCS Offensive Player of fensive tackles coach Jo Nixon (Florida State). Linebackers coach Willie Mack Garza the Year Watch List. The STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year Watch List can undergo played in the old Southwest Conference (Texas) while wide receivers coach Reggie Moore revision during the 2015 season. A national panel of over 150 sports information and media played in the Pac-12 at UCLA. Safeties coach Bubba McDowell and cornerbacks coach relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries will vote on the winner fol- Brandon Sharp were Big East standouts at Miami and Louisville, respectively. Defensive lowing the regular season. coordinator Ralph Street played at Marshall in the MAC while offensive coordinator/ offensive line coach Alex Jackson and tight ends coach Joseph Henry both played in the SEC at Georgia and Arkansas, respectively. Quarterbacks coach KJ Black began his Guess Who’s Back career at Western Kentucky in the Sun Belt before tranferring to Prairie View A&M for his Head coach Willie Simmons may find himself pulling out the 2002 Emi- final two seasons. nem single title ’Without Me’ as the song featured the lyric "Guess who’s back, back again, Shady’s back, tell a friend, Guess who’s back, guess who’s back, Guess who’s back, Guess who’s back, Guess who’s back Guess who’s back... CELEBRATION In Prairie View’s case, substitute Shady for Courtney Brown as the senior The Prairie View A&M football team will have an extra incentive beyond the running back from Lake Charles, La. suffered a preseason knee injury last season and was SWAC Championship this season as the opportunity to partiicpate in a postseason bowl forced to miss all of 2014. Prior to the injury, Brown burst onto the scene in 2013 as he game is now available with the creation of the Celebration Bowl. surpassed the 1,000-yard mark and became the first running back to do so at PVAMU since The Celebration Bowl is a new postseason game pitting the conference 2008 and only the second back at the school since 1988 at the time. champion from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The inaugural game will be played Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015, at the Geor- gia Dome in Atlanta and televised on ABC. 1 PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY PVPANTHERS.COM PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL PRAIRIE VIEW A&M FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK A Change Is Going To Come In what can only be described as an historic moment at Prairie View A&M Uni- versity (PVAMU), the $60 million dollar Football Stadium & Athletic Field House is currently under construction. The 2-year project, which began in December, included the demolition of the existing Blackshear Field and the construction of a new state-of-the-art facility in the same location. The complex will feature a 15,000-seat stadium, with the capability of expansion to 30,000-seats. “Indeed this is truly a momentous occasion for the entire Prairie View A&M University community,” said Dr. George C. Wright, President, Prairie View A&M University. “Alumni, students, faculty and staff wanted a state of the art, first class facility that was worthy of our beloved Panthers and we all worked together make the dream come to frui- tion.” Prairie View A&M will play its home games at nearby Waller ISD Stadium for the 2015 season. Planned stadium amenities include: 2 PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY PVPANTHERS.COM PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL PVAMU FOOTBALL INFORMATION THE PANTHERS THIS SEASON Founded: 1876 Lettermen Returning: 41 Location: Prairie View, Texas Lettermen Lost: 25 Enrollment: 8,300 Starters Returning/Lost: 12/10 Nickname: Panthers Offensive Starters Returning: 6 Colors: Purple and Gold Offensive Starters Lost: 6 Affiliation: NCAA Division I Defensive Starters Returning: 6 Conference: Southwestern Athletic Conference Defensive Starters Lost: 6 President: Dr. George C. Wright Specialists Returning: 4 Athletic Director: Ashley Robinson Specialists Lost: 1 Senior Women's Administrator/Assistant AD: Alicia Pete Associate Athletic Director: Monique Carroll COVERING THE PANTHERS Faculty Athletic Representative: Dr.