Prairie View A&M hopes to regain championship form

Henry Frazier III was the face of the Prairie View A&M program for the last seven years before resigning as coach in December to become head coach at North Carolina Central. That left the task of carrying on the program's success to former defensive coordinator Heishma Northern.

Frazier led the Panthers to winning seasons in each of his final four years, winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship in 2009. Northern played a huge role in that success, orchestrating a defense that was second in the Football Championship Subdivision in scoring defense in 2007 and third in 2008. The pressure will be on Northern to build on Frazier's numbers. Anything less than a strong season in 2011 would constitute a setback for the program.

The Panthers return only 10 starters and plan to go with a two-quarterback system in the early going. There will be some new faces at the skill positions and young starters at linebacker and in the secondary. Some growing pains could be in store.

Story lines

Will a two-quarterback system work?

Northern said he plans to play quarterbacks Jonathan Troast^[1] and Jerry Lovelocke through the first two or three games. But this strategy could have some drawbacks, especially if the offense struggles to build momentum in the early going.

Who will emerge as a big-time rushing threat?

Prairie View graduated a top-notch rusher in Donald Babers^[2], who ran for for more than 3,400 yards and 34 touchdowns in four years as a starter. The Panthers likely will go with a running back-by-committee, with Ledarryae Groover and Jeremaine Waddy set to split most of the carries.

Will the Panthers be able to handle a road-heavy schedule?

The Panthers will play only four games in the Houston area, including three scheduled home games. Prairie View will spend six of its last seven games on the road, so it'll have to get used to playing in front of unfriendly crowds.

Is Northern prepared to be a head coach?

Northern spent six seasons as the Panthers' defensive coordinator to ready himself for a shot at a head-coaching job. His rsum suggests that he's got all the tools needed to successfully manage his own program, but he'll still have to prove himself on the field.

Circle your calendar

Sept. 4 vs. Bethune-Cookman

Prairie View has been on a quest to prove itself as a bona fide program on a national level for the last few years. A good way to do it is to beat the defending black college national champion in a nationally televised matchup in Orlando, Fla.

Sept. 10 vs.



Texas Southern

The Panthers have won four straight and six of their last seven meetings with the Tigers^[3], doing so en route to going undefeated in SWAC play and winning the conference championship in 2009. They'll likely have to dethrone the defending champion to have another shot at achieving league supremacy.

Oct. 1 vs. Grambling State

The Panthers beat this SWAC powerhouse in 2009 for their first victory in the series since 1986 before suffering a 34-17 setback last season. There's no sugarcoating the importance of this contest: A loss likely would kill Prairie View's hopes of winning the Western Division title if it is still in contention at that point.

Outlook

The Panthers are entering a new era under Northern, and they'll do so with a lot of new starters on both sides of the ball. Prairie View will retain its 3-4 look on defense, but the spread offense employed by offensive coordinator Mark Orlando^[4] should provide a boost for a passing attack that was largely stagnant in 2010. The Panthers were picked to finish third in the SWAC Western Division, and that's likely where they'll end up.

Bold prediction

The Panthers will take down defending Eastern Division champion Alabama State on Oct. 29 in Shreveport, La., opening the door for another program to win that division.

Predicted finish

7-4 overall (7-2 SWAC)

References

1. ^{^} Jonathan Troast (www.chron.com)
2. ^{^} Donald Babers (www.chron.com)
3. ^{^} Tigers (www.chron.com)
4. ^{^} Mark Orlando (www.chron.com)