Prairie View A&M turned an HBCU rivalry into an FCS statement on Sunday, overwhelming Texas Southern 52-14 in the Labor Day Classic.
The defending SWAC champion did not merely collect its first win of the season. Prairie View looked like a program ready to defend its title — and potentially become a factor beyond the HBCU football championship picture.
Quarterback Tevin Carter led the charge with five total touchdowns. He completed 16 of 22 passes for 217 yards and four scores while adding a 24-yard touchdown run.
Jahbari Kuykendall set the tone by returning the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. Carter followed with a 24-yard scoring pass to Dejuan McDaniel, helping Prairie View A&M build a 17-0 first-quarter advantage.
Texas Southern briefly settled into the game before an extended weather interruption. Cam’Ron McCoy’s 17-yard touchdown run cut the margin to 17-7, but the Tigers never got any closer.
Prairie View A&M pulls away after delay
Prairie View broke the HBCU rivalry open with four touchdowns during a dominant third quarter.
Carter scored on a 24-yard run before connecting with Travon Jones for a 39-yard touchdown. He later found Chase Bingmon for a 46-yard score. Bingmon added a two-yard touchdown run that pushed the margin to 45-7.
Carter and Jones connected again from two yards out in the fourth quarter. Texas Southern scored with five seconds remaining to produce the final margin.
Prairie View A&M finished with 397 yards and did not commit a turnover. Its defense forced two takeaways and held McCoy to 81 passing yards. Marcus Williams recorded three sacks. View the complete box score.
The result carried more weight because Texas Southern entered with legitimate momentum. The Tigers went 6-5 in 2025, producing their first winning season in 25 years under head coach Cris Dishman. They then opened 2026 by beating North Carolina Central 42-30.
Prairie View did not dismantle a program with no signs of progress. It overwhelmed a rival that appeared ready to take another step.
A wider FCS conversation may be coming
Sunday’s performance also changed the way Prairie View’s season-opening loss should be viewed.
The Panthers fell 49-30 at Tarleton State, but the score did not tell the entire story. Prairie View A&M produced 524 yards, slightly more than Tarleton’s 506, and entered halftime within eight points.
Tarleton entered that matchup ranked fifth in both major FCS polls. The Texans strengthened the result one week later by beating FBS opponent Bowling Green 20-13 on the road.
That does not transform Prairie View’s loss into a victory, but it provides a meaningful measuring stick.
The Panthers showed they could move the ball against a top-five FCS opponent. Against Texas Southern, they showed they could turn that production into a dominant conference win.
Prairie View also carries championship evidence from last season. The Panthers defeated Jackson State 23-21 in the 2025 SWAC Championship Game, claiming their first league title since 2009. They later pushed South Carolina State through four overtimes before falling 40-38 in the Celebration Bowl.
That résumé makes Prairie View A&M more than an early favorite in the SWAC West. The program has won a conference championship, traded punches with the MEAC champion and generated 921 yards across its first two games of 2026.
One September win does not establish a national FCS contender. Still, the Panthers have supplied enough evidence to enter the discussion.
The Labor Day Classic usually provides bragging rights and an early look at the SWAC West race. This time, it may have introduced an HBCU program capable of building a broader FCS profile.