In a final effort to win the SWAC West, the Prairie View A&M Panthers defeated the Alabama State Hornets 21-14 in a defensive battle.

This game was a must-win for Prairie View A&M in order to make the SWAC Championship. They were tied with Alcorn State with identical 5-2 conference records, but PVAMU held the tiebreaker with a head-to-head victory over the Braves. However, if the Panthers lost and Alcorn State won, the Braves would have made it to the Championship. Instead, the Panthers' season lives on.

The first half was entirely a showcase between the two defenses. Ironically, Prairie View's defense ranks towards the bottom of the SWAC in most statistical categories, but they came to play in the first half. On the other hand, Alabama State's defense consistently ranks among the best defenses in the conference.

At the start of the game, Alabama State gained three first downs. The ground game left the Hornets wanting, but the passing attack picked up the slack. Quarterback Damon Stewart accurately hit his receivers and often took off when the pressure got to him. He almost hit a huge opening touchdown to receiver Kisean Johnson, but the ball was slightly out of Johnson's reach. On third down, pressure from PVAMU forced Stewart to throw the ball away.

The Panthers took over off the Hornet punt, but they went three-and-out. Their punt pinned Alabama State within their own 10-yard line. The confined space proved no problem to Stewart as he found tight end AJ Lewis for a 27-yard completion.

Unfortunately for the Hornets, two stuffed runs and a sack forced them to punt. The snap sailed over the punter's head and raced toward the end zone. He tried to kick it through the end zone to take the safety, but the officials ruled the ball down at the goal line. PVAMU took advantage of the field positioning and handed it off to their big tight end David Murray for the score.

The score remained at 7-0 for the rest of the first half. At the end of the first quarter, Alabama State began driving. They relied heavily on screen passes and scrambles from Stewart to get down the field, as well as some downfield completions. The Hornets stalled outside the red zone, but the field goal attempt swerved left of the goal posts.

Much of the second quarter consisted of three-and-outs and punts. Alabama State secured a turnover, but didn't do anything with it. Panther quarterback Trazon Connley tried a deep ball for a touchdown, but defensive back Mikey Victor picked the ball off.

The Hornets got as far as midfield before punting again. As time waned in the half, PVAMU's offense remained stagnant. They entered halftime with the lead despite Connley throwing for 0 passing yards and no completions.

The Panthers opened the third quarter with their first passing completion of the game for a first down. They followed the completion with a one-two punch from their running backs Caleb Johnson and Jamarious Brooks. Johnson and Brooks literally ran all the way down the field and into the red zone.

Prairie View switched it up with a quarterback run to get to the 10-yard line. After the run, Connley completed a pass to Brian Jenkins Jr. , who nearly scored but was stuffed at the goal line. They repeated their first half scoring play with a handoff to Murray, taking a 14-0 advantage after the methodical opening drive.

Prairie View's opening drive ate a considerable chunk of clock. Luckily for them, they immediately got the ball back after their defense forced a Hornet punt. A completion to receiver Shemar Savage put the Panthers within striking distance again, which was surprising considering the offense's ineptitude in the first half.

Despite the completion, however, the Panthers stalled just outside Alabama State's 20-yard line. They settled for the field goal, but the kick was blocked and the Hornets recovered at the end of the quarter.

To start the fourth quarter, the Hornets finally put points on the board. Stewart hit receiver Tyree Saunders for a short completion, though Saunders evaded defenders and turned the play into a 76-yard touchdown. Alabama State got another chance to put up points after a PVAMU punt, but their offense derailed after a sack.

On Prairie View's next possession, they put their stamp on the game. Connley threw a deep touchdown to receiver Chris Herron on the first play for a 54-yard touchdown.

Down 21-7, Alabama State got down the field all through the arm of Damon Stewart. The Hornets got inside the red zone, but Stewart took a sack that pushed them back to the 30-yard line.

An incomplete pass brought up fourth-and-23, and with time on the Panthers' side, the Hornets had to go for it. Unfortunately, Stewart got sacked again, causing a turnover on downs.

Prairie View punted, but not after burning clock and forcing Alabama State to take timeouts. The Hornets took over at their own 18-yard line with under a minute remaining.

Stewart completed a pass to receiver Demontrez Brown, but Brown threw a lateral to running back Ja'Won Howell to get to the opposite 34-yard line. Stewart completed two quick passes: one got the Hornets into the red zone, and the other was a 16-yard touchdown to Saunders. Alabama State trailed 21-14 and nearly recovered the onside kick, but the Panthers fell on the ball at the last second.

Damon Stewart had an incredible day through the air, throwing for 372 yards and two touchdowns on 27-38 passing. Kisean Johnson caught nine passes for 92 yards, while Tyree Saunders turned his six receptions into 120 yards and two touchdowns. The Hornets got very little out of the run game, with Marcus Harris II getting just six carries and 13 yards.

Prairie View's offense greatly benefitted from their defense, as the raw numbers aren't nearly as good as Alabama State's Trazon Connley completed just five passes for 109 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Chris Herron led the Panthers with one catch for 54 yards and a touchdown. Caleb Johnson led the way on the ground with 14 carries for 77 yards.

While the Hornets gear up to play Tuskegee in the Turkey Day Classic on Thanksgiving Day at 2 PM EST, PVAMU now prepares for Dec. 2, where they face Florida A&M for the SWAC Championship and a Celebration Bowl birth. Howard University awaits its opponent.