PRAIRIE VIEW – Trailing by 18 points at halftime, the Texas A&M University-Commerce football team rallied on Saturday afternoon at Panther Stadium  to make it a one-score game in the fourth quarter, but came up an on-side kick recovery shy of chasing the Prairie View A&M Panthers, who took the 34-27 win.
 
The Lions fall to 1-7 on the season and this was the final road non-conference game of the season. The Panthers improve to 3-5 this season. Saturday was homecoming for Prairie View A&M, with the announced attendance being 13,937.
 
The Panthers got on the board with a 14-yard touchdown catch from Shemar Savage, thrown by Jaden Johnson, which was the first drive for either team in the game. On the ensuing drive, the Lions attempted a fake punt, but came up short in Panther territory.
 
Johnson found a wide-open James Burns, who broke away for a 59-yard touchdown catch and puts the Panthers up 14-0 with 10:04 left in the first quarter.
 
The first points of the game for the Lions came with 5:28 left in the first quarter on a 35-yard field goal by Luke Jackson (Bensalem, Pa.). Burns rushed in a 76-yard touchdown on the next drive.
 
Neither side scored in the second quarter. Jackson opened the third with a 23-yard field goal, which was answered by the Panthers with a Gulliermo Garcia Rodriguez field goal from 49 yards out to put PVAMU ahead 24-6 with 7:25 left in the third.
 
Johnson found Burns for another long touchdown, this time for 80 yards to extend the Panther lead. Burns finished the game with 76 rushing yards and a touchdown on one carry as well as 139 receiving and two touchdowns on two receptions.
 
The Lion comeback began with a 51-yard touchdown pass from Will Madonna (Lakewood, Calif.) to Sean Sallis (Carrolton – Creekview), followed by a 21-yard touchdown catch from Tyson Schilling (St. Paul, Minn.) from Madonna.
 
Garcia Rodriguez kicked in a 37-yard field goal to put the Panthers ahead by 14 with 2:30 left in the game, but the Lions drove down the field and capped it off with a one-yard touchdown rush from Madonna.
 
The Panthers recovered the ensuing on-side kick to essentially end the game. This was the first loss ever for the Lions against Prairie View A&M as the two teams met for the fifth time overall, and first time since 1977.
 
For the Lions, Ron Peace (Malakoff) started the game at quarterback and went 13 for 26 with one interception, throwing for 167 yards, while Madonna played most of the second half, throwing for 178 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception, on 17 for 30 passing.
 
BK Jackson (Missouri City – Ridge Point) rushed for 71 yards to lead the Lions, while Sallis caught four passes for 116 yards.
 
Defensively, Brandon Tucker (DeSoto) totaled 12 tackles, including 1.5 for loss, and Max Epps (Spring – Dekaney) had an interception in the end zone to stall a Panther scoring chance.
 
The Lions outgained the Panthers 345-236 in the air and had the 443-395 advantage in total offense. A&M-Commerce had possession for 30:37, while Prairie View A&M had it for 25:15.

POST GAME INTERVIEW
 
UP NEXT
The Lions head to McNeese next Saturday at 7 p.m. for the final road game of the season.