The Prairie View A&M Panthers will be aiming for their first HBCU Celebration Bowl bid when they travel to take on Florida A&M (10-1), the nation’s first-ranked FCS team, in the SWAC Championship on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla. in a game televised on ESPN2. The winner of the SWAC Championship will meet MEAC champ Howard for the Black College national championship on Dec. 16 in Atlanta. The Rattlers come in as the heavy favorite after going undefeated in conference play, which includes a 45-7 win over the Panthers (6-5) in October. PV, however, has won three straight games to earn a spot in the conference championship game for the second time in three years.
Texans claim Derek Barnett off waivers
The Texans have perhaps bolstered their defensive front with the addition of former Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett, whom they claimed off waivers. So far this year Barnett, a former first-round pick, played only 99 defensive snaps in eight games and made just three tackles. A first-round pick in 2017, the 27-year-old had 150 tackles, 21.5 sacks, forced three fumbles and three fumble recoveries during his tenure with the Eagles.
TSU, PV get two players each on All-SWAC Team
Both Prairie View and Texas Southern had two players make the All-SWAC Football team this year. Texas Southern running back LaDarius Owens was named to the first team, while Tigers linebacker Jacob Williams made the second team. Offensive linemen Eric Dunn (first team) and Arrington Taylor (second team) were the Panthers’ lone representatives on the All-SWAC Team. Owens was also recently named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, which is given nationally to the offensive player of the year in Division I FCS and often dubbed Heisman of the FCS. Owens ran for a single-season TSU record 1,370 yards this season to go along with 24 rushing touchdowns and finished his career with a Tigers’ all-time best 3,114 yards.
Jabari Smith Jr. records double-double
Rockets second-year power forward Jabari Smith Jr. turned in a double-double during the 105-86 win over Denver, scoring 16 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.
Derek Stingley Jr. shines in secondary
Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. came through with five tackles (four solo), an interception and two passes defended during the 24-21 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
