HOUSTON -- Robert Hersh kicked a 47-yard field goal on the last play to give Texas Southern a 44-41 victory against Prairie View A&M on Saturday night at Reliant Stadium in the season opener for both teams.
After Jerry Lovelocke ran 5 yards for a touchdown to enable Prairie View A&M to tie the score with 1:16 remaining, Texas Southern's Billy Rosenberg stepped in front of a short kickoff and gave the Tigers possession at their 49-yard line. Five plays later, Dantavio Parker hit Harry Brown with a 9-yard pass to the Prairie View A&M 30 with four seconds remaining, setting up Hersh's kick attempt.
Texas Southern, which overcame a 20-7 deficit at the end of the first quarter, used two quarterbacks. Parker played earlier in the game before relieving Riko Smalls, who passed for 222 yards and a touchdown and ran for 101 yards, for the final drive. Fred Plummer had five receptions for 142 yards for the Tigers, and Edward Perkins-Loving rushed for 88 yards and two TDs.
Courtney Brown had 86 yards and three touchdowns rushing for the Panthers.
Hersh made three field goals, including a 42-yarder that gave Texas Southern a 41-34 lead in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers opened the Darrell Asberry coaching era with a win and snapped a five-game losing streak in the series. It was the second straight meeting between the schools decided on a late field goal, as Prairie View won 37-34 on a kick with four seconds remaining a year ago.
