MONTGOMERY, Ala. – For the second straight week, the Alcorn State University football program used a quick start to pick-up a win on the road. The Braves shutout Alabama State in the first half and finished on top 24-10 Thursday evening at ASU Stadium.
It marked the third win in a row for the Braves (4-2, 2-0 SWAC) who held a huge advantage in total yards through two quarters, 330-10. It was also Alcorn’s third straight road victory dating back to last season.
Alcorn, which won the time of possession battle 32:04-27:56, was run-heavy in the second half and effectively burned out the clock. The Braves bundled it with key defensive stops in the red zone in the second half to secure the win.
The Braves recorded a pair of 100-yard rushers as senior De’Lance Turner notched 169 yards and senior Lenorris Footman 122.
Footman ended with a pair of rushing touchdowns and one throwing. He threw for 160 yards including 97 to senior Norlando Veals.
The Hornets (0-5, 0-2 SWAC), who were coming off a bye week, were led by Ezra Grey who rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown and registered 30 yards receiving.
Alcorn quickly got on the board with a highlight-reel 50-yard touchdown run by Footman on the opening series of the game. He busted through the middle, broke tackles and carried a defender into the end zone to put Alcorn up 7-0 at the 13:15 mark. Footman rushed for 66 yards on the drive.
The Braves tacked on a 32-yard field goal by sophomore Corey McCullough to lead 10-0 with 5:50 left in the first quarter. The drive was set up by runs of 16 and 21 yards, respectively, by Turner.
Early in the second quarter, Alcorn marched down the field again and scored on a 21-yard pass to Veals after Footman got out of the pocket on the right side. It capped a 12-play, 84-yard drive which included catches by Veals and junior Charles Hughes as the Braves were on top 17-0.
Alcorn put together another long drive midway through the second quarter of seven plays, 71 yards, which resulted in a touchdown. The big plays were a 27-yard reception by Veals as he was able to shake loose for a first down on a 1st and 20, followed by a 28-yard run by Turner through the right side. The scoring playing was an eight-yard scramble by Footman to the right to increase the advantage to 24-0 at the six-minute mark.
The Braves carried the 24-0 edge into the intermission.
The Hornets moved the ball offensively for the first time in their opening drive of the second half. They got all the way to the Alcorn four-yard line, but hurt themselves with penalties. What was once a 1st and goal from the 4-yard line turned into a 4th and goal from the 41-yard line after a sack by senior Michael Brooks on third down, and ASU was forced to punt.
Though on its next series, ASU got on the board with a 52-yard touchdown rush through the middle by Grey. It cut the deficit to 24-7 with 5:02 remaining in the third quarter.
The Hornets further chopped into the lead 24-10 after a 27-yard field goal by Hunter Hanson with 14:17 left in the fourth quarter. ASU had the ball on the Alcorn one-yard line, but after a false start penalty and a sack by sophomore Travelle Ware, the field goal unit came out.
ASU tried to make a late comeback but turned the ball over on downs with 2:01 left in the game. The Hornets were faced with a 4th and 19 at the Alcorn 38 when they had to go for it, but a pass break-up by sophomore Javen Morrison ended the drive.
Courtesy: Alcorn Sports Information
[…] 3-2 SWAC) has a much more difficult path. The Hornets, currently in sole possession of 2nd place, suffered a 24-10 loss to division-leading Alcorn State on Oct. 5. The head-to-head loss puts the Hornets at a disadvantage in the event of a tie at the end of the […]