Texas Southern Newcomers Snap Decade Old Labor Day Classic Spell
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Posted By: Brian Simpkins on September 02, 2024 HOUSTON – In the 39th Labor Day Classic, 1st year head coach, Cris Dishman mustered Texas Southern (1-0, 1-0 SWAC) to a 27-9 road victory over Prairie View A&M (0-1, 0-1 SWAC), the first since 2014. The two-time NFL Pro bowler arrived in Houston after 2 seasons as an XFL defensive coordinator (Vegas Vipers) and played 8 seasons as a Houston Oiler. Following the SWAC Media Day preseason poll in July, TxSU took their last-place West Division projection to heart heading into playing the apparent second-place voted Panthers. Also in Birmingham, TxSU quarterback, Jace Wilson earned All-SWAC 2nd team Offensive honors. However, Wilson accounted for 2 carries of 3 yards during the Labor Day Classic. You might ask, who would surpass a preseason all-conference quarterback in Week One? Let me introduce you to the dime piece known as KJ Cooper. This 6-5, 215-pound junior quarterback was a junior college transfer from Minnesota State Community and Technical College (NJCAA), averaging 311.7 passing yards per game and 935 yards in three contests. During the classic, the El Paso native earned 178 offensive yards (126 passing, 52 rushing), 1 touchdown, and 19/29 passing. Cooper's longest throw was a 41-yard zip to AJ Bennett. The catalyst of TxSU’s win was Danny Green, Jr, a freshman running back from Dallas who earned 2 touchdowns and 81 yards on 15 carries. In 2023, the 5-11, 195-pound star led South Oak Cliff High School to a Texas Class 5A championship appearance with 1,395 yards and 23 touchdowns. Overall, Texas Southern commanded the categories of total offense (346 to 240 yards), possession time (37:00 to 23:00), third down conversions (6/15 to 4/15) and red zone scores (3/3 to 1/2). Texas Southern leads the all-time series record over Prairie View at 45-34-1 as they regain the Durley-Nicks Trophy. 1947 marked the rivaly's first matchup as the Labor Day Classic started in 1985. This Saturday at 6 p.m. CST, TxSU travels to crosstown FBS foes, Rice (0-1, 0-0 AAC) while PVAM heads to Northwestern State (0-1, 0-0 SLC). Photo Credits: Kyle T. Mosely, HBCU Legends If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Brian Simpkins
Contributing Writer, USA Lacrosse Magazine University of the District of Columbia class of 2025 Member Since October 2023 |
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