STWF Sports| DALLAS, Texas| September 26, 2026 — Grambling State came within one score of a late comeback Saturday night, but Prairie View A&M made the key plays down the stretch to secure a 21-14 victory in the 101st State Fair Classic at the Cotton Bowl.
Playing in front of 42,942 fans, the Tigers fell to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in SWAC play, while Prairie View A&M improved to 2-3 overall and 2-0 in conference action.
Grambling struck first and carried a 7-0 lead into the latter stages of the second quarter, but Prairie View answered before halftime and then controlled the middle portion of the game with 14 unanswered points across the third and fourth quarters.
The Tigers finished with 265 total yards, including 193 through the air, while Prairie View totaled 317. Grambling’s defense kept the matchup competitive with four sacks and held the Panthers to 3.6 yards per rushing attempt.
Grambling Strikes First
The Tigers opened the scoring with 7:36 remaining in the second quarter when Ashton Frye connected with Nae’Saan Dickerson on a 50-yard touchdown pass.
The play capped a seven-play, 75-yard drive and gave Grambling a 7-0 advantage.
Prairie View responded less than four minutes later as quarterback Tevin Carter found Travon Jones for a 37-yard touchdown, tying the game at 7-7.
Grambling’s defense then delivered one of its biggest stops of the first half. With Prairie View threatening late in the second quarter, Jon Horton and Corey Amos combined for a fourth-down sack of Carter at the Grambling 34-yard line, sending the game into halftime tied.
Grambling State’s Resilience After the Break
Panthers Take Control After the Break
Prairie View grabbed its first lead of the night midway through the third quarter.
The Panthers marched 83 yards on a drive that lasted more than five minutes before Jahbari Kuykendall scored on a 17-yard run to make it 14-7.
Grambling answered with a promising possession of its own, as Jacobe Robinson connected with Davon Mitchell for gains of 26 and 11 yards before Patrick Williams II added another 17-yard completion.
The drive unraveled, however, when Robinson was sacked for a 25-yard loss, putting the Tigers behind the chains and eventually forcing a punt.
Prairie View then extended its advantage early in the fourth quarter.
Carter capped a 77-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Kheagian Heckaman with 9:13 remaining, pushing the Panthers’ lead to 21-7.
Tigers Make Late Push
Grambling refused to go quietly.
After another defensive stop, Robinson moved the Tigers quickly downfield, hitting Jordan Bride for 15 yards before finding Tyson George for a 47-yard touchdown with 3:10 left.
The score cut the deficit to 21-14 and gave Grambling one final opportunity to get the ball back.
Prairie View answered by leaning on the ground game. Carter broke off runs of 12 and 15 yards, and Kuykendall converted a crucial third-and-2 with a 5-yard gain to move the chains and allow the Panthers to run out the clock.
Robinson finished 9-of-18 for 131 yards and one touchdown, while George led the receiving corps with 63 yards and a score on two catches. Dickerson added 52 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Lonell Cunningham led Grambling with 11 tackles. Marcellius Johnson added 10 tackles and a sack, while Horton finished with 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss.
The Tigers showed fight throughout the night, but costly negative plays and Prairie View’s ability to sustain second-half drives ultimately proved decisive.
In a rivalry that again came down to the fourth quarter, the Panthers made just enough plays to leave the Cotton Bowl with the State Fair Classic victory.
