Arkansas-Pine Bluff Football Overview

2019 APB Football Overview: In 2019, UAPB alum Cedric Thomas enters his second season as head coach of the Golden Lions, who are members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). 

In 2018, APB went 2-9 in Thomas’ first season at the helm, with the Lions losing four games by a touchdown or less, including a pair of overtime defeats. They were 1-6 in conference, 1-4 at home and 1-5 away.

Thomas became head coach at Arkansas-Pine Bluff after spending six seasons at Alcorn State, initially coaching defensive backs (2012-15), before spending the last two seasons as defensive coordinator (2016-17). 

For 2019, APB is picked to finish fifth in the SWAC’s Western Division, behind Southern (defending champion), Prairie View, Grambling, and Texas Southern.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff returns nine starters on offense and six starters on defense from its 2018 team. 

Last season, APB's offense finished third in the SWAC with 4,658 yards, an average of 423.5 yards per game.

APB had six games of at least 400 yards total offense, including two 500-yard games, highlighted by a season-high 579 yards vs. Morehouse. 

The Golden Lions ranked fourth in rushing offense, averaging 185 yards per game. APB ranked fourth in passing offense, averaging 238.5 yards per game.

The Golden Lions ranked sixth in scoring offense, averaging 25.3 points per game. 

The APB offensive line allowed only 10 sacks last season, fewest in the SWAC.

Defensively, APB ranked 10th in the SWAC in total defense, yielding 558.1 yards per game.

The Golden Lions ranked ninth in rushing defense, allowing 260.3 yards per game.

APB ranked 10th in passing defense, allowing 297.8 yards per game. 

The Golden Lions ranked 10th in scoring defense, allowing 43.2 points per game.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff ranked fifth in the SWAC in sacks, recording 25 last season. The defense made at least one sack in each of the final six games of the season, including 12 over a three-game stretch at Grambling (five), Alabama A&M (four), and Southern (three). 

The 2019 Golden Lions are highlighted by four players who were named to the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s 2019 preseason All-SWAC team. Running back Taeyler Porter, wide receiver DeJuan Miller and defensive end Jalen Steward earned first-team preseason honors. Kick-returner Tyrin Ralph was named to the preseason second team. 

Porter (#2), a 5-10, 195-pound senior, was a first-team All-SWAC and BOXTOROW All-American last season after he posted seven 100-yard rushing games and led the Southwestern Athletic Conference in rushing. Porter rushed for 1,220 yards in only 10 games, highlighted by a career-best 38-carry, 226-yard, three-touchdown game at Grambling. The game capped a stretch of four-straight 100-yard rushing games for Porter. Porter gave APB a 1,000-yard rusher for the first time since 2006. 

Steward (#58), a 6-4, 245-pound senior, also was a first-team All-SWAC performer in 2018 and is the top returning tackler for the Golden Lions' defense. He made 70 stops last season while and led the team in sacks (seven) and tackles for loss (16). He made a season-high 12 tackles against Prairie View. In three seasons at APB, including the last two as a starter, Steward has made 131 tackles and 29.5 tackles for loss.

Miller (#13), is a 6-2, 184-pound sophomore. Last season, he caught 56 passes for 801 yards and six touchdowns in earning SWAC Freshman of the Year honors. Miller had four 100-yard receiving games over the last five weeks of the season. In the last six games of the 2018 season, Miller caught 44 passes for 588 yards and five touchdowns.

Ralph (#7) is a 5-8, 160-pound junior kick returner. Last season, Ralph ranked second in the SWAC, averaging 12.9 yards on 15 returns with one touchdown. He posted three returns for 74 yards and one touchdown, a 58-yard return for a score, vs. Cumberland. Ralph, who also caught 43 passes for 444 yards and two touchdowns, averaged 12.7 yards on three attempts at Jackson State, and averaged 11.0 yards on three attempts vs. Alabama A&M. 

Shannon Patrick (#10), who is a 6-2, 205-pound junior, started at quarterback as a sophomore last season. Into the second game of the season, Patrick already had thrown for over 650 yards and six when he suffered a season-ending injury.

Replacing Patrick was freshman Skyler Perry (#11), 6-3, 197 pounds. Perry became the first true freshman QB in APB history to surpass 1,500 yards passing (1,748 yards) and eight touchdowns. He was nominated as a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award for Freshman of the Year. 

Patrick, as a junior, and Perry, as a sophomore, return this season and are battling for the starting position.

Another key returner is redshirt-senior running back Keshawn Williams (#21), 5-10, 195 pounds, who missed the 2018 season because of an injury. In 2017, Williams led the Golden Lions in rushing (682 yards on 125 carries) and receiving yards (339 yards on 30 receptions). 

A key loss for the Golden Lions is kicker/punter Jamie Gillan, who was a senior last season. Gillan earned first team honors at both positions, was second in the conference in punting average (42.5), and led the SWAC with 20 field goals made. Gillan signed a free-agent contract with the Cleveland Browns.

Zack Piwniczka (#47), a sophomore, is expected to replace Gillan as APB’s kicker/punter.

APB 2019 Football Schedule: August 31, at TCU; September 7, at Alabama A&M; September 14, vs. Langston; September 21, Tennessee State (in Nashville); September 28, vs. Southern; October 5, vs. Lane (homecoming); October 12, vs. Mississippi Valley State; October 26, vs. Grambling; November 2, at Jackson State; November 9, at Prairie View A&M; November 23, vs. Texas Southern.

APB 2019 Football Guide: here

APB 2019 Football Video: here

APB 2018 Football Results: vs. Morehouse College, lost, 34-30; vs. Cumberland University, won, 55-0; at South Dakota State University, lost, 90-6; vs. Prairie View A&M, lost, 62-13; at Florida International, lost, 55-9; vs. Jackson State University, lost 30-27; at Mississippi Valley State, lost, 48-47 (2OT); at Grambling State University, lost, 45-38 (OT); lost, 45-14; at Texas Southern, won, 15-10.

APB Football Historical Overview: The Golden Lions began playing football in 1916. They have an all-time record of 348-451-44. 

APB competes in the NCAA Division 1 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the Western Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). APB has been a member of the SWAC since 1998. They also were a member of the SWAC from 1936 to 1969. They have won one SWAC championship, in 2012, under head coach Monte Coleman.

The Southwestern Athletic Conference, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is made up of historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) in the southern US. The SWAC is widely considered the premier HBCU conference. 

The SWAC is one of three conferences – the others being the Ivy League and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – that does not participate in the FCS football playoffs. The SWAC instead splits its schools into two divisions, and plays a conference championship game. Three of the SWAC's teams, Alabama State in the Turkey Day Classic, and Grambling and Southern in the Bayou Classic, play their last games of the regular season on Thanksgiving weekend, preventing the SWAC Championship from being decided until the first weekend of December, long after the tournament is underway.

In addition to Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the SWAC consists of these nine schools: Alabama A&M, Alabama State University, Alcorn State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi State University, Grambling State University, Prairie View A&M University, Southern University, and Texas Southern University. 

When TCU plays Arkansas-Pine Bluff on August 31, 2019, the Horned Frogs will be facing a SWAC opponent for the fourth time in their history.

TCU defeated Grambling State 56-0 in the Frogs’ 2012 season-opener. This was TCU’s first football game as a Big 12 member and the Frogs also made their debut in the new Amon G. Carter Stadium, after its $164 million rebuild. The victory was the 110^th career win for TCU head coach Gary Patterson, making him the Frogs’ all-time winningest head football coach. 

In 2017, TCU beat Jackson State 63-0 in the Frogs’ season-opener.

In 2018, TCU beat Southern 55-7 in the Frogs’ season-opener. 

When the Frogs and the Golden Lions meet, TCU will be playing a team from Arkansas for the third time in the past four year. In 2016, TCU lost in Fort Worth to the University of Arkansas, 41-38 (2OT). In 2017, the Horned Frogs beat the Razorbacks, 28-7, in Fayetteville.

APB Football Stadium: Simmons Bank Field, formerly known as Golden Lions Stadium, was built for $14 million. The stadium opened on campus in 2000. It is considered one of the best stadiums in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. 

In 2018, thanks to a $2.5-million gift to the university by Simmons Bank, the stadium received several enhancements, including a state-of-the-art video scoreboard and a turf field, which replaced a grass field. The renovations were finished three days prior to the Golden Lions; 2018 season-opener against Morehouse College, which Arkansas-Pine Bluff lost, 34-30. The gift by Simmons was the largest gift ever made for the college. Simmons Bank Field has a capacity of 16,000. Adjoining the football field is the J. Thomas May Field House which houses a weight room, athletic training facility, locker rooms, administrative offices, meeting areas, and coaches offices.