Missed FG attempt keeps TSU winless

Photo: Alcorn State wide receiver Nate Hughes (5) catches pass for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

By BRANDON C. WILLIAMS, Houston Chronicle

Alcorn St. spoils homecoming party with 22-20 victory

It was a shame that Lady Luck left Alexander Durley Stadium early Saturday afternoon because Texas Southern could have used some of her charm in the final five seconds of its homecoming game.

Instead, TSU lost to Alcorn State 22-20 when Tigers kicker D'Javan Conway missed a 27-yard field-goal attempt as time ran out.

Texas Southern falls to 0-6 overall and 0-5 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play.

"What a gut check," Tigers coach Steve Wilson said. "He (quarterback Donnie Shorts) drove us downfield and put us in a position, but we missed the kick. There's nothing more you can say about that."

With TSU taking over at its 20 with 1:11 remaining and no timeouts, Shorts, who replaced injured starter Tino Edgecombe, marched the Tigers to the Braves' 10-yard line. Shorts had runs of 28 and 7 yards as he made up for a fumble at the Alcorn State 44 that appeared to put the game away with 2:30 remaining.

Conway's kick appeared to be good, but the wind pushed the the ball about four feet wide of the goalpost.

"He's hit that kick before," Wilson said of Conway. "I just feel bad that he didn't hit it."

The final drive concluded what had been a roller-coaster afternoon for Shorts, who threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Davis to give the Tigers a 17-10 lead at the half. But Shorts' performance was offset by his fumble and an interception that led to the decisive score — a 3-yard scoring pass from Tony Hobson to Nate Hughes with 10:46 remaining.

The Braves (1-5, 1-4) won despite totaling only 142 yards of offense as the TSU defense had its best showing of the season. Led by ends Derrick Gray (2 1/2 sacks) and Matthew Valmore, linebacker Mike Boyd and cornerback Chris Salvant, the defense held its ground all game long.

The Tigers' offense helped make it easy for Alcorn State, committing four turnovers. Caesar Cobb returned an Edgecombe fumble 60 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter, and Roderick Williams' 81-yard interception return early in the fourth quarter opened the door for Hughes to catch the second of his two TD passes.

TSU's special teams provided two of the games' biggest plays. The standing-room-only crowd got its biggest thrill of the day when William Osbourne returned a kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown to give the Tigers a 10-7 lead in the second quarter. Then, a blocked punt by linebacker Willie Blakney set up a Conway field goal of 22 yards late in the third quarter, which gave TSU a 20-16 lead.

The field goal actually proved beneficial for the Braves, whose defense denied the Tigers, who had first-and-goal at the Alcorn State 6, a chance to break the game open.

"We wasted an awful lot of opportunities," Wilson said. "We just couldn't make the most of them."

With the loss, the prospect of a winless season looms large for TSU.

"All we can do is hold our heads up and keep fixing our mistakes," Boyd said.

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