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THINGS LOOKING UP IN PRAIRIE VIEW
By Mike Marzelli/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Monday, August 21, 2006 9:20 AM CDT
This is the seventh installment in a nine-part series profiling each of UAPB?s Southwestern Athletic Conference opponents.
Prairie View A&M may only be eight years removed from its NCAA-record 80 game losing streak, but third-year head coach Henry Frazier has taken the Panthers a long way down the road back to respectability.
Frazier took over in 2004 with A&M coming off two consecutive one-win seasons and immediately tripled the team?s win total. Last season the Panthers finished 5-6 ? their best season since 1988 ? and earned the program?s first SWAC road win in 17 years.
More importantly for the fans in Texas, Frazier made good on his promise to improve Prairie View?s standing against rival Texas Southern. The Panthers downed the Tigers in 2004 for the first time in 17 years, and Frazier became the first A&M coach to win the Labor Day Classic twice in a row since 1963-64 when they repeated the feat last season.
The next goal for Frazier is to guide the program to its first winning season since 1976, and the chance to do so is there in 2006.
?We?re not a laughing stock anymore, and that was my first order of business. I wanted to bring respectability back to this once proud program, and I think we?ve accomplished that,? Frazier said. ?The work is not done though. We still need to improve and we?re looking to take another step towards that this season.
Prairie View started last season 1-4 before finishing 4-2, and it is looking to carry that momentum over into this season. Back are 16 starters, including eight on each side of the ball. The Panthers also boast five preseason All-SWAC selections, and were predicted to finish third in the SWAC?s Western Division.
One area of the team that stands out as arguably Prairie View?s strongest is special teams, where both sophomore placekicker Mario Sanchez and senior punter Eric Hernandez were First Team selections in the preseason.
Offensively the Panthers lone all-league choice was offensive lineman Bennett Fagan, who is one of five returning starters up front.
Junior Chris Gibson is the most experienced returning quarterback, but Gibson only competed 15 passes for 143 yards in 2005. Gibson and redshirt junior Mark Spivey have competed throughout camp for the starting job, which Frazier deems the squad?s ?biggest question for this season.?
Frazier has said his top priority this season is establishing a legitimate passing attack. The Panthers averaged a SWAC-low 100 yards per game through the air last season, and had only two receivers catch more than 10 balls.
As a means to that end, Frazier signed six wide receiver recruits, and hopes that will have the position looking up.
?We couldn?t throw the ball when we needed to, bottom line,? Frazier said. ?We were too one-dimensional, and we need to fix that.?
Junior running back Arnell Fontenot rushed for 849 yards and eight touchdowns as a sophomore, and gives Frazier a solid threat carrying the football again in ?06.
The running game will also benefit from the return of Kerry Wilson, who was A&M?s second leading rusher a year ago and gained a career-high 118 yards against the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff.
Prairie View?s defense improved last season as the year went along, en route to finishing second in the SWAC in rushing yards allowed per game at 121.3.
Senior linebacker Van Sallier was voted Second Team All-SWAC in the preseason after making 80 stops, and defensive end Jermaine McGhee leads the charge up front.
Junior corner back Hakeem Muhammad was also an all-league choice after earning SWAC Newcomer of the Year honors last season.
http://www.pbcommercial.com/articles/2006/08/21/sports/sports1.txt
By Mike Marzelli/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Monday, August 21, 2006 9:20 AM CDT
This is the seventh installment in a nine-part series profiling each of UAPB?s Southwestern Athletic Conference opponents.
Prairie View A&M may only be eight years removed from its NCAA-record 80 game losing streak, but third-year head coach Henry Frazier has taken the Panthers a long way down the road back to respectability.
Frazier took over in 2004 with A&M coming off two consecutive one-win seasons and immediately tripled the team?s win total. Last season the Panthers finished 5-6 ? their best season since 1988 ? and earned the program?s first SWAC road win in 17 years.
More importantly for the fans in Texas, Frazier made good on his promise to improve Prairie View?s standing against rival Texas Southern. The Panthers downed the Tigers in 2004 for the first time in 17 years, and Frazier became the first A&M coach to win the Labor Day Classic twice in a row since 1963-64 when they repeated the feat last season.
The next goal for Frazier is to guide the program to its first winning season since 1976, and the chance to do so is there in 2006.
?We?re not a laughing stock anymore, and that was my first order of business. I wanted to bring respectability back to this once proud program, and I think we?ve accomplished that,? Frazier said. ?The work is not done though. We still need to improve and we?re looking to take another step towards that this season.
Prairie View started last season 1-4 before finishing 4-2, and it is looking to carry that momentum over into this season. Back are 16 starters, including eight on each side of the ball. The Panthers also boast five preseason All-SWAC selections, and were predicted to finish third in the SWAC?s Western Division.
One area of the team that stands out as arguably Prairie View?s strongest is special teams, where both sophomore placekicker Mario Sanchez and senior punter Eric Hernandez were First Team selections in the preseason.
Offensively the Panthers lone all-league choice was offensive lineman Bennett Fagan, who is one of five returning starters up front.
Junior Chris Gibson is the most experienced returning quarterback, but Gibson only competed 15 passes for 143 yards in 2005. Gibson and redshirt junior Mark Spivey have competed throughout camp for the starting job, which Frazier deems the squad?s ?biggest question for this season.?
Frazier has said his top priority this season is establishing a legitimate passing attack. The Panthers averaged a SWAC-low 100 yards per game through the air last season, and had only two receivers catch more than 10 balls.
As a means to that end, Frazier signed six wide receiver recruits, and hopes that will have the position looking up.
?We couldn?t throw the ball when we needed to, bottom line,? Frazier said. ?We were too one-dimensional, and we need to fix that.?
Junior running back Arnell Fontenot rushed for 849 yards and eight touchdowns as a sophomore, and gives Frazier a solid threat carrying the football again in ?06.
The running game will also benefit from the return of Kerry Wilson, who was A&M?s second leading rusher a year ago and gained a career-high 118 yards against the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff.
Prairie View?s defense improved last season as the year went along, en route to finishing second in the SWAC in rushing yards allowed per game at 121.3.
Senior linebacker Van Sallier was voted Second Team All-SWAC in the preseason after making 80 stops, and defensive end Jermaine McGhee leads the charge up front.
Junior corner back Hakeem Muhammad was also an all-league choice after earning SWAC Newcomer of the Year honors last season.
http://www.pbcommercial.com/articles/2006/08/21/sports/sports1.txt
No 40+ yd field goals for PV which means zero points once our one-dimensional offense is halted @ the 20-35yd lines. :smh:
We'd give him ALL the opportunities to kick he could ever want. :gift:
