Keenan Leachman scored on a fumble return and had a pick-6, Aaron Allen threw two touchdown passes and Southern beat Alcorn State 44-21 Saturday.
With the win, the Braves jumped into sole possession of first place in the SWAC West division.
Allen threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Monterio Hunt to give Alcorn State (6-3, 5-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) a 10-7 lead with 3:11 left in the first quarter.
Leachman stripped Southern’s Kendric Rhymes and returned the fumble and returned it 27 yards for a TD 17 seconds later and then intercepted a pass to set up an 8-yard rushing touchdown by Malik Rodgers that made it 24-7 late in the first quarter.
Tavarious Griffin scored on a 52-yard pass from Allen early in the second and Leachman’s 88-yard interception return for a TD midway through the third quarter made it 41-14.
Rhymes opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run and Harold Blood threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Chandler Whitfield in the third quarter for Southern (5-4, 4-2).
Jarveon Howard had 18 carries for 128 yards rushing for Alcorn State.
