Both the Golden Lions and Panthers are coming off losses to Jackson State. With win number six being elusive for UAPB in the past two weeks, head coach Cedric Thomas says the key now is taking the practice prep to the field on gameday and making plays when they are there to be made.

"Our kids now know the game plan," Thomas said. "They know the schematics. You can throw x's and o's out the window. Now it's just a matter of when 2 o'clock comes, probably 2:47 or 2:41, when a play is going to come up for us to make. When you look at the Grambling game, it's two fumbles on the ground we don't make (the recovery). Last week at Jackson, we have a chance for a touchback (in the end zone on an interception) and we don't catch it. We make an interception, but run across the field (instead of returning the ball up the sideline). There's going to be a time Saturday that if we make that play, I'll wink at them and they'll know."

With the explosiveness of the Panthers offensively, run defense will be important in slowing the SWAC's second-leading rushing in Dawonya Tucker as well as QB Jalen Morton, both of whom who have set school records for single-game rushing yards in the past two seasons.

"We have to stop the run," Thomas said. "The head of the snake is Mr. Tucker. We have to make sure we corral the box and make Jalen be a big-time pocket quarterback. You look at their Rice game (last year). He made some big-time throws. In some of their big-time games, he's shown he can do it from the pocket. We have to make sure we make this team one dimensional."

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