Tremaine Jackson Accepts Blame for Prairie View A&M's Loss at Mississippi Valley State

HOUSTON — Tremaine Jackson, one of HBCU football's most accessible coaches, typically gives reporters lengthy, detailed answers. But during Monday's SWAC Coaches media call, his responses were brief and, at times, curt.

Asked about the 16 penalties for 159 yards Prairie View A&M committed in Saturday's 28-27 loss at Mississippi Valley State, Jackson declined to discuss them. "Altogether, no comment on penalties," he said.

The next question cited quarterback Tevin Carter's 15-of-23 passing for 62 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Jackson answered in three words. "Needs to play better."

To be fair to the Panthers’ leader, his longest answers focused on one subject — himself as head coach.

"I told everybody I didn't do a very good job," Jackson said. "It's not hard for me to say that at all. This was my 72nd football game as a head coach. I did a bad job."

Prairie View A&M head football coach Tremaine Jackson answers questions from the media at the Week 6 SWAC Media Call. | SWAC

How the Lead Got Away

Prairie View (2-4, 2-1 SWAC) led 24-0 on Saturday at Rice-Totten Stadium in Itta Bena, Miss. Mississippi Valley State outscored the Panthers 28-3 the rest of the way.

Ethan Eddins kicked a 30-yard field goal with 5:27 left to put Prairie View up 27-21. Josh Brown answered with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Brownlow with 2:11 remaining, and Luka Sari's extra point gave the Delta Devils their first lead of the day.

Mississippi Valley State earned its first SWAC win of the season and handed Prairie View A&M its first conference loss, tightening the race for the SWAC West title as the 2026 season enters the home stretch.

Sep 12, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Prairie View A&M Panthers head coach Tremaine Jackson during warmups before the game against the Baylor Bears at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jackson: I’ll Do A Better Job

Jackson's opening statement was two sentences. "Went to Mississippi Valley, we lost. Now we look forward to playing Southern."

Wayne Cartwright asked whether Jackson wanted the loss to sting or wanted the slate wiped clean. Jackson pointed to his own job.

"As the head football coach, I have to do a better job preparing our football team for all situations, all football games and everything football," he said. "So I'll do a better job at that, and we look forward to getting ready to play."

Later, he switched to the third person.

"I know people say I like to talk a lot, right?" Jackson said. "So what I will say in talking this time is Tremaine Jackson did not do a very good job of getting this football team ready to play. So Tremaine Jackson will try to do a better job of getting this football team ready to play."

Asked by Dr. Kenyatta Cavil of Inside the HBCU Sports Lab how he moves through a loss like this one, Jackson said the team did not travel well and did not do anything well.

"I'm solely responsible for the football program and its preparation," he said. "So obviously I missed something along the way. I think we know what that is."

He would not say what it was. Jackson said the team had issues, some controllable and some not. When Cavill asked whether those issues were internal or external, Jackson said, "I'll just keep it to myself."

He also told Perry White the program has been in this spot before. "Luckily, we've been here before and we've dug ourselves out of this before, and we'll dig ourselves out of it again," Jackson said. "So that's what I told them."

'We're the Ones Being Overlooked'

Carl “Lut” Williams asked whether the Panthers overlooked Mississippi Valley State. Jackson rejected the premise.

"We don't overlook anybody. We're the ones being overlooked. So how dare we?" Jackson said. "The only people that think that we were going to be any good was people that don't know anything about football, in my opinion."

Jackson said the Panthers have goals but do not judge themselves by outside expectations. "We won't know what we are until the very end of the season," he said.

He then turned the question back on the room. "I think some people that's asking me questions might overlook some folks," Jackson said. "We don't overlook people. We respect the game too much to do that."

Williams also asked about a quarterback who transferred from Catawba and has not played this season. Jackson said the player has not been hurt. "Tevin Carter is our quarterback," he said.

Southern Comes to Panther Stadium

Prairie View hosts Southern at 2 p.m. Saturday at Panther Stadium—the game streams on SWAC TV.

Asked by White about Marshall Faulk's team, Jackson kept it brief. "I see another good football team," he said. "And we better be ready to play."

He offered more when asked about the film. Jackson said Southern has one of the best running backs the Panthers have seen on tape, big perimeter players, and linemen who can get after an opponent.

"We've had issues with D-lines that get after you," Jackson said. "So we got to make sure that we fix our issues and be ready to play."

Sept. 12, 2026; Southern University Jaguars head football coach Marshall Faulk looking at his team in pregame warmups before facing the University of Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium in Houston, Texas. | Kyle T. Mosley, HBCU Legends on SI

Jackson said someone told him that morning that Prairie View has never beaten Southern at Panther Stadium. "That would be before my time, but if that's true, you got to make sure that doesn't happen to us too," he said.

Asked by HBCU Legends about the challenges Southern poses for his defense, Jackson pointed to the Jaguars' ability to use bigger personnel groups, spread the field, and run the ball in multiple ways. He also noted that Southern's receivers are beginning to make plays downfield and its quarterbacks throw the ball well.

Jackson also said he interned with Southern's offensive line coach with the Jaguars. "They're night and day different up front than they were a year ago," he said.

He praised Faulk and the culture he is building, even with results that have not matched expectations. Jackson said much of that progress does not show up in outside commentary. "A lot of things that you don't see, I think you don't hear about on certain podcasts and streams," he said.

"We got our work cut out for us like we do every week," Jackson said. "We'll get ready for it."

FAQs on Prairie View Football

What was the score of Prairie View A&M vs. Mississippi Valley State?

Mississippi Valley State won 28-27 on Oct. 3 at Rice-Totten Stadium in Itta Bena, Miss., after trailing 24-0.

What did Tremaine Jackson say about the penalties?

Asked about the Panthers' 16 penalties for 159 yards, Jackson said, "Altogether, no comment on penalties."

Who is Prairie View A&M's starting quarterback?

Jackson said Tevin Carter is the Panthers' quarterback.

When does Prairie View A&M play Southern?

Prairie View hosts Southern at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at Panther Stadium. The game streams on SWAC TV.

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