Alcorn falls to Alabama A&M

LORMAN, Mississippi — The Alcorn State defense did its part to pull off a SWAC upset of Alabama A&M Saturday afternoon at Jack Spinks Marino Casem Stadium, but the offense gave away two turnovers for touchdowns and was unable to put up enough points to get the Braves the win.

“I thought we came out and fought like champions,” Braves’ head coach Melvin Spears said. “We just can’t afford to make the little mistakes we made.”

Alcorn jumped out to a 7-0 lead early, but Alabama A&M was able to take the lead by the end of the first quarter with a 49-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown and a 30-yard interception return for a score. The Braves fought back to tie, but the Bulldogs were too much for the Braves in the fourth quarter and added two touchdowns to win 28-14.

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Alabama A&M football: MAKE IT SEVEN

LORMAN, Mississippi - Alabama A&M football coach Anthony Jones may not have been looking ahead to Jackson State, but his team certainly was Saturday. The Bulldogs came out flat as a pancake against an Alcorn State team that had beaten the likes of Mississippi Valley State and Concordia-Selma.

Fortunately, Jones got their attention at halftime, and they escaped danger. Free safety Rico Porch and cornerback Clarence Morris came away with defensive touchdowns in the first quarter and quarterback Deaunte Mason, and running back Kaderius Lacey scored on short touchdown runs in the fourth quarter as A&M downed Alcorn State 28-14 at Spinks-Casem Stadium.

"We had an attitude adjustment at halftime," said Lacey, who finished with 158 yards rushing, including 144 in the second half. "We didn't play to the best of our ability in the first half. We know how bad we want it, and we didn't want to blow our season like that.

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SIOUX NICKNAME: Alcorn State still home of the Braves

Grand Fork, North Dakota -- As a student at Alcorn State University in Mississippi from 2000 to 2004, Latoya Shields was a devoted fan of Alcorn Braves athletics. As the school’s sports information director today, she still is. “Once a Brave, always a Brave,” she said.

Except in the post-season.

Alcorn State is a small, historically black college, and it boasts among its alumni the civil rights figure Medgar Evers, “Roots” author Alex Haley, the late NFL quarterback Steve McNair and Leslie Frazier, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.

Except for UND, still home of the Fighting Sioux, Alcorn is the only NCAA member school resisting the association’s 2005 ban on use of American Indian names, mascots and imagery.

Vigorously backed by its alumni, Alcorn chose to keep its nickname and accept NCAA sanctions. Thus, its athletic teams still take the field as the Braves — until a Braves team reaches post-season play. Then, the only symbol identifying Alcorn State athletics is a brave capital A — a symbol that bears no small resemblance to a teepee.



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Spears makes return to SU as Alcorn coach

Baton Rouge, Louisiana -- This weekend's game will be a homecoming of sorts for so many more than the Southern University faithful. Sure alums, former faculty members, administrators and fans from all over will converge on the Baton Rouge campus on Saturday in anticipation of seeing old friends, watching a little football and hearing the SU band, also known as the Human Jukebox perform.

But as Southern (2-5, 2-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference) prepares to host Alcorn State (2-4, 1-4) Saturday at 5:30 p.m. inside A.W. Mumford Stadium, the Jaguars are also aware it will be a homecoming for several players and coaches from the visiting team.

Alcorn first-year head coach Melvin Spears, a Clinton native, grew up a short drive away from the SU campus.

Michael Roach, a Baton Rouge native and a 1985 graduate of SU, is Alcorn's assistant head coach/defensive coordinator. Roach played football at SU and later coached at the school after graduation. Until last year, he was also the head coach at Southern Lab, which is located on the SU campus.







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Alcorn State crushes Concordia - Selma 58-16

LORMAN, Mississippi — Darius Smith threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score as Alcorn State crushed Concordia-Selma 58-16 on Saturday. Smith finished 9 of 18 for 162 yards passing with an interception for the Braves (2-4), and Arnold Walker added 115 yards on 21 carries.



The Braves actually trailed Concordia-Selma of the NAIA 6-0 early in the opening quarter, but then ripped off 51 straight points to sink the Hornets. Smith’s scores opened and closed the run, including 41- and 18-yard touchdown passes to Terrance Lewis and a 10-yard scoring scamper.

Alcorn State tallied five interceptions off three separate Concordia quarterbacks, and William Thomas returned one of those 45 yards for a score. Terrance Jenkins also ran back a blocked punt for a 42-yard touchdown for the Braves.

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Alabama State beats Alcorn State 31-23

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Greg Jenkins passed for a career-high 297 yards and three touchdowns and Nick Andrews became the all-time school leader in receiving touchdowns as Alabama State held off Alcorn State 31-23 in a Southwestern Athletic Conference game Saturday night at Cramton Bowl.

Alabama State (4-1 overall, 4-0 SWAC) is the lone undefeated team in the conference, improving to 4-0 for the first time since 2005. Alcorn State (1-4, 1-4) lost its fourth game by a margin of eight points or less this season.


Highlights, interviews as Alabama State beats Alcorn State 31-23. Courtesy Alabama State University Athletics

Tied 10-10 at halftime, the Hornets scored touchdowns on consecutive possessions to take the lead for good. Jenkins' nine-yard touchdown run gave Alabama State the lead for good at 17-10 with 11:40 remaining in the third quarter. Andrews' 16-yard touchdown catch gave the Hornets a 23-10 lead with 6:13 to play in the quarter.




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Alabama State hopes to avenge 2010 loss as they host Alcorn

MONTGOMERY, Alabama - Alabama State opens October at home when the Hornets host Alcorn State Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Cramton Bowl.

"I think these guys have put in the work this week," head coach Reggie Barlow said of his team's preparation. "Friday is really a jog-through day for us. Spirits are good and they have good energy. Guys seem to be pretty relaxed. We'll meet later tonight and get them ready for tomorrow."



The Hornets have started strong this season with a 3-1 record to begin the 2011 season. The September schedule had Alabama State on the road three times and ASU will play just its second home game Saturday night.

"We've been gone for a while, to only have one home game to start after traveling to Mississippi (twice) and Michigan," Barlow said. "It's going to be good for us to be back at home. We know our fans will come out, support us and give us good energy and hopefully our guys will feed off of that."

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Grambling, Alcorn State coaches have long history

Shreveport, LA - You know all the old favorite sayings, don’t you? Life has a funny way of coming full-circle. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Stuff along those lines. Sometimes, they’re overused. Sometimes, they’re right on the money.

Clearly, Saturday’s game in Shreveport is a case of the latter.

At Independence Stadium, Grambling and Alcorn State will square off in the latest chapter a long-running, old-fashioned football rivalry. They’ll kick off the season in a game that will give the winner an early leg up in the Southwestern Athletic Conference standings.



In other words, this meeting feels like old times.

“Even back in the good old days, Alcorn was always that first game for Grambling,” Grambling coach Doug Williams said. “I think that’s the way it should be.”

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Alcorn Braves anxiously await Bridge's sophomore season

Birmingham, AL — New coach Melvin Spears' recipe for Alcorn State football success: Something old (Marino Casem's old-school fundamentals) and something new (Brandon Bridge, Alcorn's 18-year-old sophomore quarterback).

Spears talked about both Casem and Bridge at length here Tuesday during SWAC Football Media Day in downtown Birmingham. Spears played for Casem, known as The Godfather of the SWAC, from 1978 to 1982. During that time, Alcorn won one SWAC championship and had four winning seasons.



"We played Alcorn football, Godfather football," Spears said. "We were fundamentally sound. We played hard and practiced hard Monday through Thursday and then Saturday took care of itself. That's what we want to bring back."

But Spears, a wide receiver at Alcorn, never played with a teammate with the skills of Bridge, the Canadian who is nicknamed Air Canada. Bridge threw for more than 2,600 yards and 26 touchdowns as a freshman when Alcorn finished 5-6.

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Where are They Now? Football proves to be right for Tate

TAZEWELL, Va. — Brandon Tate never expected to play college football. Basketball was his game.

At least that is what he thought. Rick Trickett, who was West Virginia’s offensive line coach at the time, begged to differ. Trickett, who is now in the same position at Florida State, was at a Macon, Miss., high school to recruit a pair of athletes who wound up at Mississippi State.

“I originally thought I would be a basketball player and that changed toward the latter part of my high school career,” Tate said. “He was recruiting those two guys and we had a basketball game. “He was there to see them and he just happened to see me on the basketball court with them.” That was good fortune for both. Tate, a four-sport athlete, caught Trickett’s eye.

“He said, ‘Hey, if you can run and jump like that on a basketball court, I am pretty sure you can do it on the football field’ and he offered me a scholarship right there on the spot,” said Tate, the new head football coach at Tazewell.

Tate wasn’t totally convinced...

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Alcorn State's Luther Riley to host celebrity basketball camp

LORMAN, MS — New Alcorn State University men’s basketball coach Luther Riley has a message for local parents: Don’t miss out. Riley, who was named the Braves’ new hoops coach in April, is planning to bring his celebrity basketball camp to Alcorn State. And he’s trying to get many local children involved.

“Parents, if I were you, I wouldn’t miss out on this grand opportunity,” Riley said. “We have scholarships available for campers.”



The Luther Riley 2011 Celebrity Basketball Camp is open to boys ages 5 to 17 and takes place June 26-30. The camp will cost $135 for campers that will commute every day, and $200 for campers who plan to stay overnight. Overnight campers will stay in the school’s dorms on campus.

“I want every kid from ages 5 to 17 in Natchez that’s a young man to be at my camp,” Riley said. “But that’s only if you’re serious about basketball.”

The camp will feature L.A. Clippers guard Mo Williams and Sacramento Kings forward Demarcus Cousins, as well as other celebrities, Riley said. Riley himself is a certified Nike instructor.

“Anytime kids might be at the edge, where they didn’t make their high school or AAU teams, I can provide them that edge,” Riley said.

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Cal comes back for 10-6 win over Alcorn State

Excerpt:
Houston, TX - Few things have come easily for Cal this season. Saturday was no different.

Cal's struggles unfolded in the second inning on Saturday, when Alcorn State (27-30) put together its biggest inning of the day. The Braves picked up six hits off Cal starter Kevin Miller, including an RBI double from Eduardo Gonzalez to start the scoring followed by an RBI groundout by Jann Butler and RBI singles by Brandon Hollins and Angel Rosa for a 4-0 lead.

The last hit prompted Esquer to call on sophomore southpaw Justin Jones, whom he hoped to use as today's starter. Jones (8-6) responded with 6 1/3 magnificent innings, keeping the Braves off the scoreboard until the ninth when they scratched out two unearned runs.

"With no tomorrow, we were going to fire all of our bullets now or never," Esquer said. "It didn't go as planned. We wanted to have Justin ready to go (today). But in an elimination game, it doesn't do you any good to have him rested for tomorrow if there is no tomorrow."


Videographer: swactube; Alcorn State SWAC Baseball Championship Ceremony.  GREAT SEASON BRAVES!!

Cal Baseball Defeats Alcorn State, 10-6

HOUSTON, TEXAS - Behind the outstanding relief pitching of sophomore left-hander Justin Jones and a six-run third inning, the Cal baseball team defeated Alcorn State, 10-6, Saturday (June 4) in NCAA regional action at Rice's Reckling Park. Jones (8-6), who entered the game in the second inning with the Golden Bears down 4-0, went on to pitch 6.1 innings, allowing only two hits, no earned runs, with three walks and 10 strikeouts.

With the win, Cal improved to 32-21 overall, and will next play the loser of the No. 1-seed Rice and No. 2-seed Baylor game Sunday, June 5 at 2 p.m. CT (12 p.m. PT). If the Bears win the Sunday afternoon game, they would play the winner of Rice-Baylor at 6 p.m. (4 p.m. PT) Sunday night.

Trailing 4-0, Cal's offense came alive in the top of the third inning off of Alcorn State (27-30) starter Troy Williams (7-6, 2.2 innings, six hits, six runs, two earned runs, one walk, one strikeout). Sophomore designated hitter Vince Bruno started the inning with a single and later scored on junior catcher Chadd Krist's two-run double to left field - his Pac-10 leading 24th double of the season. Other key hits for the Bears in the third inning was junior right fielder Chad Bunting's two-run double down the left field line after an error by the Braves' third baseman Antolin Morales, and sophomore center fielder Darrel Matthew's RBI double down the right field line.

The game slowed down considerably after the third inning as neither team scored between the fourth and the seventh inning and Jones settled into a grove after replacing Bear senior right-hander Kevin Miller. Finally, Cal added an insurance run in the eighth inning on senior left fielder Austin Booker's RBI single up the middle, and scored three runs in the top of the ninth on a sacrifice fly to center field by Matthews and a two-run throwing error by Alcorn State second baseman Ryan Akins.

The Braves scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the ninth before Cal closer Matt Flemer struck out Morales to end the game.

"I thought today was one of those classic elimination games where the outcome is in doubt to the very end," said Cal coach David Esquer, who led the Bears to their first NCAA regional victory since he coached Cal to a 9-3 win over Minnesota in the 2001 Baton Rouge, La. Regional. "It was two teams playing for their seasons. I thought Alcorn State played a great ball game. I thought they were up to the challenge. But I've got to hand it to our club too, with Justin Jones coming in there and shutting down their momentum. Justin came in there when we had to have it. He gave us a chance and our offense was able to come back.

"It was a big win for us. It was hard fought, not easy. We don't do it easy, so this was typical Cal baseball at this point."

Krist was again an offensive force for the Bears, going 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI. On Friday, he was 3-for-4 with a double, triple and an RBI single. Sophomore second baseman Tony Renda added a pair of hits and Bunting and Matthews had two RBI apiece.

Box Score

Post Game Quotes/Game 3, Alcorn State vs. California, Cal Head Coach David Esquer

“I thought today was one of those classic elimination games where the outcome is in doubt to the very end. It was two teams playing for their seasons. I thought Alcorn played a great ball game. I thought they were up to the challenge. But I’ve got to hand it to our club too, with [pitcher] Justin Jones coming in there and shutting down their momentum. He came in there when we had to have it. He gave us a chance and our offense was able to come back.

“It was a big win for us. It was hard fought, not easy. We don’t do it easy so this was typical Cal baseball at this point.”

On starting pitcher Kevin Miller:  “Kevin Miller’s been outstanding for us. He’s pitched so many different roles for us – probably our most valuable pitcher. We expected him to be outstanding as usual. They did a good job. They rolled some hits up the middle; they were aggressive; they had a hit and run that was a big play for them. They jumped on him for four funs and we just couldn’t stop them. Then we when had to go to Justin. With no tomorrow we were going to fire all our bullets now or never.”

By Cal Athletics Media Relations

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Houston Regional: Rice cruises past Alcorn State 14-2

Houston, TX -- By the sixth inning, Rice lefthander Abe Gonzales made up his mind to finish what he started. The top-seeded Owls backed up Gonzales’ first career complete game with season-high 22 hits on the way to a 14-2 victory over fourth-seeded Alcorn State at the Houston Regional.

“I didn’t ever think about not going the whole game,” Gonzales said. “I felt like that’s what I should do, I felt like that’s what I could do and it was time to do it.”

Rice will play second-seeded Baylor in a winner’s bracket game at 6 p.m. Saturday at Reckling Park. The Bears beat California 6-4 in the regional opener.

Gonzales held the Braves to a pair runs while keeping the nation’s third-best base-stealing team off the base paths. He allowed seven hits, did not walk a batter and kept coach Wayne Graham from having to use his bullpen early in the four-team, double-elimination tournament. The previous career-high for Gonzales was 6 2/3 innings against East Carolina earlier this season.

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Bravehawk chosen as new mascot at Alcorn State

Ole Miss won't be the only university with a new mascot on the football field this fall. After a quiet, months-long process, Alcorn State University has overwhelmingly selected the bravehawk as its new sideline spirit builder.

Alcorn athletic teams still will be known as the "Braves" but a costumed hawk will cheer alongside them, in a move similar to the University of Mississippi's plan to incorporate a new black bear mascot to represent the Rebels.

"We knew it was something that had to be done," said Corey Cooper, a senior radiation technology major from Vicksburg who served on the mascot committee. "The mascot sets the mood, so there was a big need for it." The effort to adopt a new on-field mascot at Alcorn has nearly mirrored ...

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Spears picks quarterbacks coach for ASU

LORMAN — Alcorn State University head football Melvin Spears continues to round out his coaching staff, naming New Orleans native and former Grambling State University star Bruce Eugene as his quarterbacks coach.

Eugene, a 2005 graduate of Grambling, played for newly named Grambling coach Doug Williams, and got tutelage from Spears, who was the quarterbacks coach at the time.

Eugene became one of the top players in Division 1-AA college football, breaking Grambling and SWAC records in the process. He was a three-time finalist for the Walter Payton Award.


Videographer: UrbanSportsITG

CURRENT HIRES:

Melvin Spears Jr., Head Football Coach
Vyron Brown, Offensive Coordinator
Quantas Floyd, Defensive Backs Coach
Darius Matthews, Tight End and Wide Recievers Coach
Bruce Eugene, Quarterbacks Coach

Spears Hires Matthews as Wide Receivers and Tight Ends Coach

Alcorn State University head football coach Melvin Spears announces that Grambling State graduate Darius Matthews has been added to his coaching staff In charge of the wide receivers and tight ends. Matthews worked with Spears in 2006 at Grambling State as the running backs coach.

Matthews is glad to be at Alcorn State: “It’s a chance for me to play a role in establishing a winning program. I’ll have the chance to work with a proven winner in coach Spears and to become a part of the Alcorn State family.”

Matthews comes to ASU from East Feliciana High in Jackson, Louisiana where he served as offensive coordinator. He was offensive coordinator at Clinton High in Clinton from 2007 thru 2010 and running backs coach at Grambling from 2006 thru 2007.

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Alcorn State baseball opens 2011 season against Alabama

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama baseball team (0-0, 0-0 SEC) opens the 2011 season with the Tide playing host to the Alcorn State Braves (0-0, 0-0 SWAC) in a three-game weekend series. The two teams will break in a new year at The Joe on Friday at 6:05 p.m. Game two is slated to begin at 2:05 p.m. on Saturday with Sunday's first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m.

SATURDAY IS DOUBLE DAY AT ALABAMA
On Saturday, Alabama fans can enjoy two Crimson Tide games for the price of one. The baseball team will host Alcorn State at 2 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. game between Alabama and Arkansas in men's basketball. Fans can use their men's basketball ticket to gain admittance into both the baseball and basketball games.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Alcorn State is coming off a season that saw the Braves post a 27-28 overall record and finish fifth in the Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC) with a 15-8 record. ASU returns 20 letter winners, including 14 position players (six starters) and six pitchers (two starters). Alcorn State's season came to an end when they lost 15-2 to Grambling in the championship game of the SWAC Tournament.

Rodney Warren returns for his senior season after leading the Braves with a .392 average a year ago. As a junior, Warren had 69 hits in 176 at-bats, with 15 doubles, six home runs and 47 runs batted in. The Braves return the heart of their lineup, as Eduardo Gonzalez and Kilby Perdomo also return. Gonzalez led the 2010 team with 78 hits and tied Perdomo for the team lead with 54 RBI. Gonzalez posted a .353 average, 16 doubles, a team-best four triples and six dingers. Perdomo was the team's leader in home runs with 10 and runs scored with 61 and finished third on the team with a .348 average.

Other returners, Cole Vicars and Kenneth Rowan hit .317 and .313, respectively, last season. The top returning pitcher for ASU is Steve Easter. The junior posted a 7-4 overall record as a sophomore, which included six complete game performances. He led the team with 81 strikeouts, while his 99.2 innings pitched ranked second most and his 4.96 ERA was third best on the team. Cederic Pomerlee made 15 appearances with 13 starts as a junior and finished the season with a 5-7 record and a 5.45 ERA. Pomerlee had 79 strikeouts in 76.0 innings pitched.

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Dr. Carolyn Meyers and Dr. M. Christopher Brown II selected as preferred candidates for the presidency of Jackson State University and Alcorn State University

Dr. Meyers was strong advocate for athletics at NSU

Dr. Christopher Brown II

The preferred candidates to lead Alcorn State University and Jackson State University say they are aware of the daunting budget situations they would face as leaders of Mississippi's two largest historically black universities.

The state College Board announced Monday it had selected former Norfolk State University President Carolyn Meyers as JSU's potential new leader and Fisk University Vice President Christopher Brown to take the helm at Alcorn. Each will visit the respective campus next week to meet with alumni, students, faculty and staff before the appointments are finalized.

Reached by phone Monday, Meyers and Brown both said they were "humbled" by the selection.

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BIO for Dr. M. Christopher Brown II (former executive vice president and provost, Fisk University)
BIO for Dr. Carolyn Winstead Meyers (former president, Norfolk State University)

Alcorn State graduate Leslie Frazier Named Interim Head Coach, Minnesota Vikings

Tony Dungy: Leslie Frazier's 'ability to communicate' will help him with Vikings

New Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier got an endorsement on Monday from his former boss, ex-Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy. Frazier, installed as Vikings coach following the dismissal of Brad Childress, was the secondary coach for the Colts when Dungy led them to a Super Bowl win after the 2006 season.

Dungy told the St. Paul Pioneer Press that Frazier will have a significant challenge in taking over the 3-7 Vikings in the middle of a disappointing season, but added that his former assistant has the right mentality for it.



Leslie Frazier Bio + Coaching Resume

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - (Monday Nov. 22, 2010): Brad Childress Fired by Vikings, Leslie Frazier Takes Over.  Leslie Frazier has served as the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings under Brad Childress since 2007. Frazier took over for Mike Tomlin who left Minnesota for the Pittsburgh Steelers head coaching job.

Frazier’s Vikings defense led the NFL in 2009 with 48.0 sacks and the team ranks 3rd in NFL with 131.0 sacks since 2007. The Vikings defense ranked No. 6 in the NFL in 2009, the second-straight season ranked No. 6 in ...

Long overdue, Frazier gets golden opportunity

When I ran into defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier at the Vikings' summer training camp, I asked him about his head-coaching aspirations, when he thought he might get a shot and what in the world happened to his once red-hot candidacy. Frazier laughed and said he wasn't sure, but he insisted he was still interested in moving up -- provided, of course, it was the right job.

Frazier is First SWAC Alumnus as NFL Head Coach

Alcorn State graduate Leslie Frazier was named as the interim head coach of the Minnesota Vikings Monday, becoming the first Alcorn State and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) graduate to become a head coach in the National Football League.

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Late defensive stand ends Alcorn's four-game slide

LORMAN, MS — Alcorn State accomplished what it needed to Saturday against Southern University by snapping a four-game losing skid. But the game ended up being much closer than Alcorn would have liked.With just one touchdown in the second half, the Braves survived a late Jaguars surge with a last-minute defensive stop to escape with a 27-20 win.

“A win is a win is a win, and I’ll take it any way I can, but (we still made) mistakes,” Braves head coach Earnest Collins said. “Today, the difference in the mistakes we made the last few weeks is, we had a better defense out there to make up for it.”

Jags just short again

LORMAN, Miss. — Four yards.

On a beautiful sun-drenched afternoon in the Mississippi woods, after Southern had made so many mistakes, fallen asleep and fallen 24 points behind Alcorn State in the second half of yet another college football game to remember, the late-arriving, late-thriving Jaguars found themselves 4 yards away from a game-tying touchdown.

With less than a minute remaining in the Braves’ 27-20 thriller of a victory, both teams lined up for the most crucial play of all.Southern, still searching for its first big win under a new coaching staff, faced a fourth-and-goal at the 4.

Joseph comes alive in second half

LORMAN, Miss. — In the first half, he hurried throws, scrambled away from trouble, and watched as his receivers dropped a handful of on-the-money passes.

This was not how Southern quarterback Dray Joseph envisioned his first college start. Early on, in a heartbreaking, down-to-the-wire 27-20 loss at Alcorn State on Saturday, Joseph looked exactly like what he was: A true freshman who wanted to win it all by himself.

“He just had to calm down,” SU quarterbacks coach Ted White said. “He’s played in a couple games, but he still hasn’t had a lot of snaps. Until you get in there, in real live action, that’s when your experience starts to gather.”

Revitalized running game

LORMAN, Miss. — A renewed focus on the rushing game, and contributions from untapped sources played key roles for Alcorn State on Saturday afternoon at Jack Spinks Stadium.

Terrance Lewis and Jaquez Caldwell each scored touchdowns as Alcorn State held off a late Southern rally en route to a 27-20 win.

Before this week, Lewis had primarily played wide receiver while Caldwell had seen most of his action at running back, but those things changed against Southern.

Alcorn holds off late Southern rally, wins 27-20

Alcorn State jumped to a 24-point third quarter lead, then held off a frantic Southern comeback for a 27-20 Southwestern Athletic Conference win Saturay at Lorman, Mississippi.A fourth-and-goal pass by Southern's Dray Joseph got the Jaguars down to the Alcorn 1-yard line in the game's last minute, but fullback Lee Mitchell was tackled just short of tying the game.

Alcorn (4-4, 3-3 in the SWAC) led 27-3 after Terrance Lewis' 1-yard touchdown run with 10:26 left in the third quarter. But the Jaguars (2-6, 1-5) stormed back with a 5-yard touchdown run by Sylvester Nzekwe, a 22-yard field goal by William Griswold, who also kicked a 49-yarder in the first quarter, and a 54-yard run by Corey Cushingberry.

Attendance: 18,075

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Eliminating turnovers key to ASU Braves' success

LORMAN, MS — If the Alcorn State Braves are going to end a four-game losing streak, they are going to have to kick the bugaboo that has haunted them the entire season — turnovers. The Braves have turned the ball over a total of eight times in their last three games, all conference losses which dropped their record to 2-3 in the SWAC.

And Alcorn head coach Earnest Collins knows eliminating the mistakes will be a big key as his team hosts Southern University (2-5, 1-4 SWAC) at 2 p.m. Saturday. “We have got to cut down on our turnovers if we want to beat our old nemesis,” Collins said. “We’ve turned the ball over way too much.”

JSU, Alabama State, Alcorn all chasing East championship

What a messy East. The Southwestern Athletic Conference Eastern Division is more jumbled than its counterpart in the Southeastern Conference. OK, maybe not quite that bad. But with about a month left in the season, three Eastern teams have a legitimate shot at winning the division and going to Birmingham for the conference title game.

The East became so muddled last week when Jackson State missed a chance to grab a two-game lead in the division. Couple that with Alcorn State's third straight conference loss last week and the East has turned into one unpredictable mess, where Alcorn (3-4, 2-3), Jackson State (5-2, 3-2) and, now, Alabama State (4-3, 3-3) have a legit shot to take the crown.



SU’s struggles, improvement no surprise to Alcorn’s Collins

Earnest Collins said he wasn’t surprised to see Southern struggle early on this season. But he also said the Jaguars are getting better each week in their first year under Stump Mitchell, and he’s not surprised at that, either.

“With Southern, you knew they were going to have to get it on track,” said Collins, who, as the second-year coach at Alcorn State, knows about every pothole and speed bump a new football program is sure to hit.

Canadians playing well for Alcorn State

True freshman Brandon Bridge has already earned a nickname fitting of a young passer full of talent and promise, a subtle reference to a former Alcorn State legend: Air Canada. Problem is, Bridge’s defensive countryman has yet to earn such a permanent moniker. Some folks call inside linebacker Herve’ Tonye-Tonye by his last name, while others prefer “The Canadian Barbarian.”

“They call him a bunch of different stuff, but he doesn’t have one nickname like Brandon,” said his older brother, Raymond, who is also his roommate.

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Warren's 5 TDs fuel Grambling State Tigers

GRAMBLING, LA — Running back Frank Warren continued his stellar senior season with a career-high five touchdowns Saturday against Alcorn State. Grambling needed every one of them, despite building a 35-14 lead in the third quarter, as the Braves (3-3, 2-2) fought back with two fourth-quarter touchdowns before falling 38-28 to the Tigers (5-1, 5-0).

"They're never easy, never easy," Grambling coach Rod Broadway said. "We had an opportunity to put 'em away, but we just weren't good enough to do it, and we let 'em hang in there." Four of Warren's touchdowns came by the rush, another on a 9-yard reception at a critical moment in the second quarter.

Warren Outdoes Bridge as Grambling Stops Alcorn State

Frank Warren scored five touchdowns to edge out Brandon Bridge's four scores as Grambling State outlasted Alcorn State, 38-28, in a SWAC conference game Saturday.

Warren, the no. 2 rusher in the Football Championship Subdivision, ran for 202 yards on 29 carries and four touchdowns. He scored the other TD on a 10-yard pass from GSU backup quarterback Danny Reyes just before the half.

Bridges threw for touchdowns of 44, 25, 19 and 30 yards for the Braves (3-3, 2-2). He completed 33 of 47 passes for 404 yards.

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Attendance: 6980