Weakened UAPB wary of pushover
BECK CROSSARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
As the perennial cellar dweller of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, Prairie View A&M is normally a welcome stop on Arkansas-Pine Bluff's schedule.
But based on the way things have gone for the Golden Lions this season, not even beating Prairie View A&M is a sure thing.
UAPB, which has never lost to the Panthers in eight seasons under Coach Lee Hardman, limps into Blackshear Field today for a 2 p.m. kickoff.
"I haven't had a season like this in a long time," UAPB Coach Lee Hardman said. "Everybody seems to be going down.
"It's no different than anything else in life. We're going through a tough time and we have to dig in and keep pushing."
Injuries have decimated an already struggling offense. The receivers corps has lost starters Mark Bradley, Tavoris Haynes and Kerrick Williams to injuries.
Compounding problems is an ankle sprain suffered last week by senior running back Ron Johnson, who is listed as questionable for today's game.
"We've got to piece together a game plan with the players who are healthy," Hardman said. "Ron is day-to-day and might get to play some, but we don't know how much.
"It really hurts because he is such a big part of this offense. We'll depend on Dwight McKissic to pick up some of the slack."
At quarterback, Roger Linn will become the third player to start at that position this season. LaKendrick Powell started the first five games before being yanked in favor of Fred Leonard.
"The other two have had their opportunity," Hardman said of Powell and Leonard. "Linn has been working hard and his attitude has been good. He's not a bad quarterback so we're going to give him this chance."
Prairie View A&M, which hasn't had a winning season in five years, notched a 34-17 conference victory over Mississippi Valley State on Oct. 6 and comes into the UAPB game off a bye week.
But like the Lions, the Panthers have had difficulty scoring. They've been outscored by an average of 29-16 and average just 239.1 yards per game.
Quarterback Deshun Baker is the offensive statistics leader, averaging a mediocre 132.2 passing yards per game. He has thrown 11 interceptions and four touchdowns.
"They're playing better than they have been in the past," Hardman said. "They'll be sky-high since it's homecoming, and we can't afford to let them get the momentum early."
The positive news is that UAPB's defense has improved every game. The Lions held Jackson State 22 points under its season average last week in a 14-9 road loss.
The Tigers' two touchdowns were set up by UAPB turnovers.
"The defense has done an excellent job," Hardman said. "We can't expect them to score for us, but we will depend on them again to give us good field position for the offense."
This article was published on November 3, 2001
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