This is a much different View

On the heels of a 9-1 season, the Panthers find themselves wanting more: a SWAC championship

Prairie View may be coming off its best season in years, but make no mistake about it, the Panthers finished short of their goal of winning a conference championship.

Last season, Prairie View finished 9-1, its best record since it went 9-0 in 1964, claiming both the Southwestern Athletic Conference and Black College national championships.

Prairie View's last SWAC title came that year. The Panthers have played 35 seasons of football since .

If they do make a championship push, Anthony Beck's play will have a lot to do with it.

“We had a lot of individual accomplishments and broke a lot of records last season, but we didn't win a championship, so that stuff doesn't mean that much,” Beck said.

Somehow, Prairie View will try to replace the leadership and experience of fifth-year senior quarterback Mark Spivey.

Junior Jay Bluford and Western Kentucky transfer Kenneth “KJ” Black will battle it out in training camp to determine who takes the starting role. Camp begins Aug. 10, and coach Henry Frazier III expects to name a starter by the third week of camp.

Defensively, Prairie View lost Zach East, its best linebacker.

“You start looking at those holes losing East and Spivey — those were our leaders,” Frazier said.

Reinforcements ready

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