NATCHITOCHES, La. — Alcorn State committed three turnovers and struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities in a 20-10 season-opening loss to Northwestern State on Wednesday night at Turpin Stadium.
The Braves (0-1) trailed 13-0 after the first quarter before cutting the deficit to three points in the third. Orlandus McLaurin returned an interception 72 yards for a touchdown, and Grandin Willcox added a 51-yard field goal just before the end of the quarter to make it 13-10.
Northwestern State (1-0) answered with a 12-play, 68-yard drive that consumed more than six minutes and ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Ryan Tyler, sealing the outcome with 9:06 remaining.
Alcorn outgained the Demons 301-267 but was undone by two interceptions thrown by quarterback Jaylon Tolbert, who finished 19 of 44 for 182 yards. Reggie Davis led the Braves with 65 rushing yards, while Jacorian Sewell added 61.
Northwestern State quarterback Abram Johnston was 9 of 18 for 85 yards and a touchdown, adding 69 yards on the ground. Ty Moore scored twice in the first quarter — once on a 15-yard reception and again on an 8-yard punt return.
For Northwestern State, the final whistle marked its first victory since Nov. 5, 2022, ending a 20-game losing streak and giving the program its first reason to celebrate in nearly two years.
This story was drafted using an AI tool based on the official game box score and was then reviewed and edited by a journalist before publishing.
