Angel City Classic Football Game

Prairie View A&M takes on Morehouse College today at the Coliseum in the Farmers Angel City Classic, an annual matchup of football teams from traditionally black colleges. Prairie View, a Prairie View, Texas, college founded in 1876, returns to Southern California after its Panthers defeated North Carolina A&T, 22-7, in last year's game. Morehouse, a liberal arts school in Atlanta, was invited to challenge Prairie View this year. But the Angel City Classic -- kickoff is at 2 p.m.

Somewhere between the band clinic, the youth game, the step show and the concert, there was a football game Saturday at the Coliseum. Not exactly USC versus Ohio State. However, for organizers of Saturday's Angel City Classic -- pitting Morehouse College against Prairie View A&M -- it was bigger than that. The game, won by Prairie View A&M, 28-17, was the centerpiece of the annual showcase for historically black colleges across the country.

Sandra Phillips did not attend either North Carolina A&T or Prairie View A&M universities, nor is she a big-time college football fan. But when Phillips heard those schools' football teams were playing in this year's Angel City Classic at the Coliseum -- kickoff is Saturday at 2:30 p.m. -- she made it a priority to call her son and ask him to buy tickets.

At Prairie View A&M and North Carolina A&T universities, the marching bands are well-oiled machines and a source of enormous pride. The football teams -- not so much. Bands and football squads squared off Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, highlighting a festival that was really about marketing the historically black colleges and raising their profiles on the West Coast.

The celebrated Angel City Classic halftime battle of the bands lived up to its billing as both North Carolina A&T and Prairie View A&M rocked the Coliseum crowd with music and dance on Saturday. But when it came to the football game, it was a much different story, especially for the Aggies, who lost their 18th consecutive game. Defensive back Val Ford returned two blocked punts for touchdowns and recorded a safety for Prairie View, which won easily, 22-7, before an estimated crowd of 50,000.