The Alcorn State Braves (4-1, 3-0) are inching ever so closely to that Eastern Division title and a return trip back to the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championship game in Houston, Texas. The Braves traveled to Arkansas this week to take on the cellar dwellers in the Western Division the Arkansas Pine-Bluff Golden Lions (1-4, 0-3) and with similar results from their last three contests the Braves came out on top 61-14.
Unlike last week the Braves’ offense was clicking on all cylinders. At the very beginning of the first quarter at the 14:43 mark quarterback John Gibbs Jr. scored on a 1 yard run and with a Haiden McCraney point after attempt (PAT) being good the score was 7-0, Braves. But not to be outdone the Golden Lions scored 2 minutes and 17 seconds later when Kyle Coleman caught a 10 yard pass from quarterback Marcus Terrell and with a Jamie Gillan successful PAT the score was now tied at seven. This must have awakened the beast in the Braves because 10 seconds later Darryan Ragsdale scored on a 65 yard run and with a McCraney PAT going straight through the uprights the score was now 14-7, Braves. Then at the 7:17 mark Gibbs Jr. scored on a four yard run and with a McCraney PAT being good the score was now 21-7, Braves. But Alcorn was not finished with their dominance in the first quarter as Joe Price had a 50 yard run and with a successful PAT by McCraney the score was 28-7, Braves, to end the quarter.
The second quarter saw Alcorn ease up off of the proverbial offensive gas pedal as they only scored once which was at the 9:07 mark when Jarvis Turner caught a 30 yard pass from Gibbs Jr. and with another McCraney PAT being good the score at halftime was 35-7, Braves.
In the third Alcorn continued their offensive onslaught as Gibbs Jr. scored on a 3 yard run at the 11:21 mark and with the PAT by McCraney being good the score was now 42-7. Then with only 3 minutes and 48 seconds elapsing from the last score the Braves scored yet again when Jordan Payne scored on a 10 yard pass from Gibbs Jr. and with a successful McCraney PAT the score was 48-7, Braves. The Golden Lions got on the score board for the first time since the first quarter when Dante McDonald scored on a 27 yard run and with a Jaime Gillan PAT being good the score was now 48-14 to end the third.
Entering the fourth quarter the Braves showed why they are the Eastern Division leaders by scoring early in the fourth quarter at the 14:05 mark when Jordan Payne caught a 22 yard pass from quarterback Lenorris Footman but with a failed McCraney PAT the score was 54-14. Alcorn’s final score in the quarter came at the 9:51 mark when Lenorris Footman scored on a 22 yard run and with a successful McCraney PAT the final score was 61-14.
The Braves have a bye next week to prepare for the showdown that everyone is anticipating. On Saturday, October 17th, the Braves will take on the Grambling State University Tigers at Spinks-Casem Stadium at 2:00 pm for their Homecoming.