By Kyle Veazey, Clarion Ledger
Star receiver Hughes eyes championship run
A glance at Alcorn State's statistics from last season doesn't leave much to interpretation.
A wide receiver, Nate Hughes lies at the top, or near the top, of most of the offensive categories. Heck, he even attempted a pass, and ran 12 times for 62 yards - a higher yards per carry than either of the Braves' top three backs, to boot.
Now a senior, Hughes knows that much of Alcorn's 2007 success could hinge on whether he can come up with the right big play at the right time. And he's OK with that.
"It doesn't really put pressure on me," Hughes said. "In my eyes, I was always brought up that football is a sport of fun. I know that winning and making plays is having fun. I just look at having fun."
Hughes, who was part of a state title team at Starkville High in 2001, is part of an Alcorn State team that's getting tired of being average. Sure, the Braves have had winning records in each season since 2001. But the best record out of that six-year span was 7-4 in 2004, and the Braves have yet to visit the SWAC Championship Game.
This year's Alcorn State team returns 16 starters from last year's 6-5 team. The Braves, though, will play just a 10-game schedule this year, the 11th falling victim to a snafu that caused the cancellation of a classic in Las Vegas. Division I-A UAB is also on the schedule, on Sept. 15 in Birmingham.
No worries, Hughes said. He said this year's team motto was all about finishing what has been started.
"A lot of guys know the system for three or four years and a lot of them have played," he said. "Once you're playing as a freshman and a sophomore and get the homefield experience, you become a junior and senior and ought to know how to win."
Photo: Alcorn's Nate Hughes hopes to make many more plays like this touchdown against Jackson State in last season's Capitol City Classic.
And Hughes is the kind of electrifying player that can back up the strong talk.
Take last year's Capital City Classic as an example.
He had the game-winning catch in the 32-31 win over Jackson State to go along with a touchdown catch earlier in the game and a 71-yard punt return for a score. He was named the offensive most valuable player.
His 90-yard punt return against Prairie View A&M earlier in the season helped the Braves win there, too.
Hughes led the team with 103.7 all-purpose yards per game, a number boosted by that pair of punt returns. He averaged 20.9 yards per punt return last season.
And oh, yeah, he caught 40 passes, the most on the team, for 371 yards and four touchdowns.
"He's a big-play athlete for us," Alcorn coach Johnny Thomas said. "He's an outstanding receiver, he can catch the football very well, has outstanding speed, can return kickoffs and punts very well, and is one of the leaders of our team."
And that Hughes can lead his team is due in no small part to Thomas. Hughes' father was a teammate of Thomas' when Thomas was a star on the Braves' defense in the mid-1970s. Hughes said he thought of some other schools, but never seriously considering going anywhere else than Alcorn State.
"We used to go to all the Alcorn football games," Hughes said. "I don't think we missed an Alcorn football game in the (Steve) McNair era."
Photo: Alcorn State University Football Coach Johnny Thomas
The Band: Alcorn State
COACH: Johnny Thomas (Alcorn State, '78), 46-53 in 10th year at Alcorn State
RETURNING STARTERS: Offense 8, defense 8, specialists 2
RETURNING LETTERMEN:Not available
2006 RECORD: 6-5, 5-4 SWAC Eastern Division (tied, 2nd)
2006 HIGHLIGHTS: Three straight losses opened the season on a down note, but a four-game winning streak put the Braves in position to contend for the Eastern Division title. ... Tony Hughes' spark as a receiver and special teamer, including two punt returns, gave Alcorn an advantage. ... Braves' defense notched 35 sacks, which was second-best in the SWAC.
2007 SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
S1 Grambling State 6 p.m.
S8 Arkansas-PB 6 p.m.
S15 at UAB 6 p.m.
S22 at Alabama State 7 p.m.
O6 Prairie View 2 p.m.
O13 at Texas Southern 7 p.m.
O20 at Southern U. 3 p.m.
N3 Miss. Valley 2 p.m.
N10 Alabama A&M 2 p.m.
N17 at Jackson State 1 p.m.
Star receiver Hughes eyes championship run
A glance at Alcorn State's statistics from last season doesn't leave much to interpretation.
A wide receiver, Nate Hughes lies at the top, or near the top, of most of the offensive categories. Heck, he even attempted a pass, and ran 12 times for 62 yards - a higher yards per carry than either of the Braves' top three backs, to boot.
Now a senior, Hughes knows that much of Alcorn's 2007 success could hinge on whether he can come up with the right big play at the right time. And he's OK with that.
"It doesn't really put pressure on me," Hughes said. "In my eyes, I was always brought up that football is a sport of fun. I know that winning and making plays is having fun. I just look at having fun."
Hughes, who was part of a state title team at Starkville High in 2001, is part of an Alcorn State team that's getting tired of being average. Sure, the Braves have had winning records in each season since 2001. But the best record out of that six-year span was 7-4 in 2004, and the Braves have yet to visit the SWAC Championship Game.
This year's Alcorn State team returns 16 starters from last year's 6-5 team. The Braves, though, will play just a 10-game schedule this year, the 11th falling victim to a snafu that caused the cancellation of a classic in Las Vegas. Division I-A UAB is also on the schedule, on Sept. 15 in Birmingham.
No worries, Hughes said. He said this year's team motto was all about finishing what has been started.
"A lot of guys know the system for three or four years and a lot of them have played," he said. "Once you're playing as a freshman and a sophomore and get the homefield experience, you become a junior and senior and ought to know how to win."
Photo: Alcorn's Nate Hughes hopes to make many more plays like this touchdown against Jackson State in last season's Capitol City Classic.And Hughes is the kind of electrifying player that can back up the strong talk.
Take last year's Capital City Classic as an example.
He had the game-winning catch in the 32-31 win over Jackson State to go along with a touchdown catch earlier in the game and a 71-yard punt return for a score. He was named the offensive most valuable player.
His 90-yard punt return against Prairie View A&M earlier in the season helped the Braves win there, too.
Hughes led the team with 103.7 all-purpose yards per game, a number boosted by that pair of punt returns. He averaged 20.9 yards per punt return last season.
And oh, yeah, he caught 40 passes, the most on the team, for 371 yards and four touchdowns.
"He's a big-play athlete for us," Alcorn coach Johnny Thomas said. "He's an outstanding receiver, he can catch the football very well, has outstanding speed, can return kickoffs and punts very well, and is one of the leaders of our team."
And that Hughes can lead his team is due in no small part to Thomas. Hughes' father was a teammate of Thomas' when Thomas was a star on the Braves' defense in the mid-1970s. Hughes said he thought of some other schools, but never seriously considering going anywhere else than Alcorn State.
"We used to go to all the Alcorn football games," Hughes said. "I don't think we missed an Alcorn football game in the (Steve) McNair era."
Photo: Alcorn State University Football Coach Johnny Thomas
The Band: Alcorn State
COACH: Johnny Thomas (Alcorn State, '78), 46-53 in 10th year at Alcorn State
RETURNING STARTERS: Offense 8, defense 8, specialists 2
RETURNING LETTERMEN:Not available
2006 RECORD: 6-5, 5-4 SWAC Eastern Division (tied, 2nd)
2006 HIGHLIGHTS: Three straight losses opened the season on a down note, but a four-game winning streak put the Braves in position to contend for the Eastern Division title. ... Tony Hughes' spark as a receiver and special teamer, including two punt returns, gave Alcorn an advantage. ... Braves' defense notched 35 sacks, which was second-best in the SWAC.
2007 SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
S1 Grambling State 6 p.m.
S8 Arkansas-PB 6 p.m.
S15 at UAB 6 p.m.
S22 at Alabama State 7 p.m.
O6 Prairie View 2 p.m.
O13 at Texas Southern 7 p.m.
O20 at Southern U. 3 p.m.
N3 Miss. Valley 2 p.m.
N10 Alabama A&M 2 p.m.
N17 at Jackson State 1 p.m.
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