5 Keys to Victory for Prairie View in the SWAC Championship

Five keys to victory for the Prairie View A&M Panthers in the 2021 SWAC Championship game against the Jackson State Tigers on Saturday, Dec. 4.

Here are Prairie View A&M Panthers' five keys to victory in the 2021 SWAC Championship game against the Jackson State Tigers on Saturday, Dec. 4.

1. Control the Tempo

Jackson State prefers to dominate its opponents in all phases of the football game - offense, defense, and special teams.
Prairie View must rush the football effectively to balance the offense against JSU's aggressive pass rushers, who tend to wear down in their run defense.
The Panthers on fourth in the conference in time of possession at 31:31 minutes per game.
They are the second-least penalized team in the SWAC at 54 for 44 yards/game. Only at 4.91 penalties per game average.
Coach Dooley's squad is No. 3 with 166.9 yards of rushing per game.

Jawon Pass can duplicate the success Felix Harper and Andrew Body had facing the Jackson State's defense.
He has a strong arm and can be highly effective in the passing game.
He must take advantage of the one-on-one coverages, and run quarterback draws. Harper and Body made the Tigers defense pay. The problem was it wasn't consistently done.

The Panthers won't win without the defense creating more possessions for the offense.
Dooley's No. 3 defense in the SWAC must pressure Shedeur Sanders into interceptions. In 2021, PV has nine interceptions for 211 yards and two returned for touchdowns.
Prairie View is ranked 3rd in the SWAC for defensive efficiency at a 116.1 rating.
Jackson State is very good at ball security, so forcing out the football will challenge PV.
James Houston (JSU) leads the SWAC with seven forced fumbles and two touchdown recoveries.
Jason Dumas (PVAMU) has three forced fumbles and leads the Panthers, followed by Jessie Evans (2 FF).

Pass can throw the football and take shots at will.
I watched him abuse Texas Southern in the Labor Day Classic as he threw a 72-yard strike to Howard opening the second half - his longest touchdown pass of the season.
The signal-caller has passed for 2,555 yards (232.3 yards/game), 62.9% completion rate, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
Shilo Sanders will be ready in centerfield, be careful.
Jackson State's secondary has allowed only nine passing touchdowns and 158.8 yards/game - the fewest in the SWAC.

The Panthers' redzone offense is 5th in the SWAC.
In 11 games, 31 of 41 visits (75.6%) and 19 touchdowns; 12 of 13 on field goal attempts.
The negatives for PV in the redzone are 4 fumbles, 1 interception, and 3 turnovers on downs.
They cannot afford to squander any redzone opportunities on Saturday.