Prairie View delivered one of the biggest statements of the 2025 HBCU football season, knocking off reigning SWAC and HBCU national champion Jackson State 23–21 on the road in Jackson to earn a trip to the Celebration Bowl. The Panthers will now meet MEAC champion South Carolina State on Dec. 13 inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a chance to claim the HBCU national title.
The win marks Prairie View’s first SWAC championship since 2009 and caps an incredible debut season for new head coach Tremaine Jackson, who arrived after leading Valdosta State to the 2024 Division II title game. In year one, he restored Prairie View to the top of the SWAC—and he did it by beating the conference’s modern dynasty in its own stadium.
Prairie View (10–3, 8–1 SWAC) controlled the game early, leaning on a physical ground attack and quarterback Cameron Peters, whose dual-threat performance set the tone. Peters rushed for 100 yards and the opening touchdown while throwing for 294 yards and another score, accounting for 394 total yards on the day.
The Panthers also dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 39:03 to Jackson State’s 20:57, allowing their defense to stay fresh into the fourth quarter.
Jackson State (9–3, 7–2 SWAC), last year’s Celebration Bowl representative, fought back behind backup quarterback Jared Lockhart, who threw for 156 yards and a touchdown, including a 52-yard strike that helped swing momentum in the third quarter. The Tigers scored 21 points in the period to erase a 16–7 deficit, highlighted by a 29-yard touchdown run from quarterback JaCobian Morgan and a physical 2-yard scoring plunge by running back Ahmad Miller.
But Prairie View answered with the game’s decisive play: a 40-yard touchdown pass from Peters to Cameron Bonner late in the third quarter, pushing the Panthers ahead 23–14. Jackson State cut the margin to two, but Prairie View’s defense slammed the door, holding the Tigers scoreless in the fourth quarter and forcing a turnover on downs at the PVAM one-yard line with 4:18 remaining.
Freshman kicker Diego Alfaro was clutch, hitting field goals from 19, 30, and 42 yards, providing the necessary margin in a tight championship finish.
With the win, Prairie View will play for the HBCU national championship for the first time in program history. Under Tremaine Jackson, the Panthers arrive in Atlanta as one of college football’s most compelling stories—reviving a historic program and knocking off a giant to earn their shot at the crown.