HOUSTON — Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M will renew one of HBCU football’s longest-running rivalries Sunday morning in the 41st Labor Day Classic at Panther Stadium.

Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT, and ESPN2 will televise the game nationally.

It’s the calm before the storm.  For over a year, the Tigers have been waiting to reclaim crosstown bragging rights after being stunned by quarterback Cam Peters' last season’s last-second touchdown pass to wideout Rodny Ojo at Shell Energy Stadium. The Panthers won 22-21.

The rivalry moves from its traditional Saturday night window to Sunday morning for the first time in the series. It also marks the first Labor Day Classic since 2019 not to be played on a Saturday night, which seems odd to most alumni and fans of the classic.

Coach Tremaine Jackson loves the idea, sharing with HBCU Legends that the early-morning game will help his team understand how to prepare for the timing of the Celebration Bowl.

The matchup will be the only college football game in its national television window, giving both programs a valuable showcase.

Texas Southern vs. Prairie View A&M: How to watch

• Matchup: Texas Southern (1-0) at Prairie View A&M (0-1)
• Event: 41st Labor Day Classic
• Kickoff: Sunday, Sept. 6, at 11 a.m. CT
• Venue: Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field, Prairie View, Texas
• Television: ESPN2
• Trophy: Durley-Nicks Traveling Trophy
• Series: Texas Southern leads 45-35-1

Where the teams stand

Texas Southern enters the Labor Day Classic at 1-0 after rallying from a 14-point first-quarter deficit to defeat North Carolina Central 42-30 on Aug. 29 at Thorne Stadium.

The Tigers trailed 24-14 at halftime before outscoring the Eagles 28-6 in the second half. Quarterback Cam’Ron McCoy passed for 185 yards and three touchdowns in his Texas Southern debut.

Running back Athean Renfro Jr. rushed 18 times for 163 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver JaQuan McGee caught four passes for 115 yards and two scores.

Special teams supplied the turning point. Jordan Thompson returned a blocked punt 34 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, giving Texas Southern its first lead.

Prairie View A&M enters at 0-1 after falling 49-30 to nationally ranked Tarleton State in the inaugural Chancellor’s Cup.

The Panthers produced 519 yards of offense and outgained Tarleton State 519-505. Quarterback Tevin Carter passed for 309 yards and one touchdown without an interception. He also rushed for 130 yards and another score, finishing with 439 yards of total offense.

However, Prairie View allowed 14 points in each of the first three quarters and surrendered 231 rushing yards.

Coach Tremaine Jackson supported moving the rivalry out of the season-opening slot because it allowed Prairie View to test itself against a nationally ranked FCS opponent before beginning SWAC play.

“I think it’s asinine that you open up with a conference rival game,” Jackson told HBCU Sports in August. “I think that’s crazy. That’s not college football. College football rivals happen in the end.”

Jackson said the Tarleton State matchup gave Prairie View an early measuring stick.

“We wanted to get on the grass as soon as we could to find out, get a glimpse of what we have an opportunity to be, so we can hurry up and get to work on what we need to do next, win, lose or draw,” Jackson said.

What is at stake

The winner will receive the Durley-Nicks Traveling Trophy during an on-field presentation immediately after the game. The Touchdown Club of Houston created the trophy to honor two championship-winning coaches who helped establish the programs’ football traditions.

Prairie View currently holds the trophy after defeating Texas Southern 22-21 in the 40th Labor Day Classic on Aug. 30, 2025, at Shell Energy Stadium. The announced attendance was 19,638.

The Panthers won on the final play when Cameron Peters connected with Rodny Ojo for a 17-yard touchdown as time expired.

That result reversed the outcome of the 2024 game, when Texas Southern defeated Prairie View 27-9 for its first victory in the series since 2014.

Sunday’s matchup is also the SWAC opener and first West Division game for both programs. The result could become an important tiebreaker in the race for the conference championship game.

Prairie View won the SWAC West and conference championship last season, defeating Jackson State 23-21 in the SWAC Football Championship Game. The Panthers then lost 40-38 to South Carolina State in four overtimes in the Celebration Bowl.

Texas Southern finished 6-5 overall and 5-3 in the SWAC, securing the program’s first winning season in 25 years.

The head coaches

Tremaine Jackson, Prairie View A&M, second season: The Houston native led Prairie View to the 2025 SWAC championship during his first season. The Panthers went 7-1 in conference play during the regular season, and Jackson earned SWAC Coach of the Year and Non-FBS All-Texas Coach of the Year honors.

Cris Dishman, Texas Southern, third season: Dishman is the 18th head coach in Texas Southern football history. He played 13 NFL seasons as a cornerback, including nine with the Houston Oilers. Dishman returned the Durley-Nicks Trophy to Texas Southern in 2024 and led the Tigers to their breakthrough winning season in 2025.

Three things to watch

1. Tevin Carter against an improving Texas Southern defense

Carter accounted for 439 total yards against Tarleton State and did not throw an interception. His ability to extend plays could test a Texas Southern defense that settled down after surrendering 14 points in the first quarter against North Carolina Central.

The Tigers allowed 16 points over the final three quarters, held the Eagles to 321 total yards and forced an interception.

2. Texas Southern’s running game

The Tigers rushed for 277 yards against North Carolina Central, led by Renfro’s 163-yard performance. Jacob Washington added a fourth-quarter touchdown that helped secure the victory.

Prairie View surrendered 231 rushing yards to Tarleton State. The Panthers must improve against the run to keep McCoy and the Texas Southern offense out of manageable down-and-distance situations.  Still, they did score 30 points against one of the best teams in the FCS.

3. Special teams and hidden yardage

Thompson’s blocked punt return changed the direction of Texas Southern’s opener. Prairie View, meanwhile, was outscored 14-3 in the third quarter at Tarleton State.

Last year’s Labor Day Classic was decided by one point on the final play. One blocked kick, long return or field-position swing could determine Sunday’s winner.

Labor Day Classic history

Texas Southern and Prairie View first played on Oct. 31, 1947, with the Tigers winning 13-7. The annual Labor Day Classic began in 1985.

Weather and the COVID-19 pandemic have occasionally altered the rivalry’s schedule. Hurricane Katrina relief efforts pushed the 2005 game to Thanksgiving. Hurricane Harvey forced the 2017 matchup to be rescheduled, and the pandemic moved the 2020 edition to spring 2021.

The Durley-Nicks Trophy honors Alexander Durley, the longtime Texas Southern coach who led the Tigers to the 1952 Black college football national championship, and Billy Nicks Sr., who won five national championships at Prairie View in 1953, 1954, 1958, 1963 and 1964.

The Touchdown Club of Houston held its 24th annual Labor Day Classic luncheon Wednesday at the Omni Houston Hotel. Jackson, Dishman, Prairie View athletic director Anton Goff, and Texas Southern Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Ashley Robinson participated in the event.

Everyone spoke well of one another at the two press conferences this past week.  Sunday’s contest will be a different story.  

Will Texas Southern get their vengeance?  Or will Prairie View A&M make another statement in hopes of returning to Atlanta in December?

We shall see.

Prediction

It's gonna be a good one!