The calendar has shifted to another November, and that usually signals another Alcorn State push for a division championship.
The Braves are currently riding a season-high five-game winning streak after blowing out Southern 44-21 last Saturday to take sole possession of first place in what has been a crowded SWAC West division.
After starting the conference portion of its schedule with a 20-23 home loss to Prairie View on Sept. 23, Alcorn State hasn’t stumbled since.
The late-season surge is a familiar occurrence for a program led by coach Fred McNair, which had historically made a habit of turning it on when the games matter the most.
“The biggest thing is that you want to peak at the right time,” said McNair earlier this week. “Earlier in the year, we had a loss that put us behind (in the standings). But these guys have been here before. They know what it takes to win.”
McNair is right that Alcorn State has been there and done that before. Since 2017, the Braves — not including the 2020 season in which the program did not compete — are 10-5 in November alone, the best mark of any SWAC team during that period.
The veteran coach indicated that the team is now more formidable at this stage in the season because of its tough non-conference schedule that pitted them against Southern Miss., Stephen F. Austin and McNeese State.
“That non-conference schedule really helped us out more than anything,” McNair said. “The biggest thing right now is that we are playing better now each and every week. This is the time to peak at the end of the season.”
The Braves now control their own destiny to appear in the SWAC Championship Game if it can beat Texas Southern on Sunday and then top rival Jackson State in the regular season finale.
If Alcorn State can complete the task, it would take the program’s first SWAC West championship since moving the division three seasons ago and get back on top after a disappointing 2021 and 2022.
“This week (versus Texas Southern) is another playoff game for us,” said McNair. “These guys understood for the last few years we’ve been kind of down, and it’s time to pick it up.”
