Alcorn's articles from the Natchez Democrat

[Blacknbengal]

Alcorn's second half effort throttles Golden Lions

By Adam Daigle
The Natchez Democrat

Published Sunday, September 01, 2002 12:48 AM CDT

LORMAN - Judging from the post-game celebrations, you'd think Alcorn's 34-24 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff was in mid-November.
What caused the stadium full of high-fives was the Braves pulled a trifecta in addressing needs for the 2002 season.

The team got big gains from its running backs, consistent play from the defense and - for the first time since 1993 - the Braves are 1-0.

"It was very, very critical that we win tonight," ASU head coach Johnny Thomas said. "We've got to make things happen. Over time you have to achieve your goals. If you achieve your goals, you know you're doing the right thing. We have to win because it's time for us to win. We're a veteran ball club. Guys have been in this situation the last two or three years."

Maybe some of that experience paid off on the defensive side for the Braves, who turned a 17-10 halftime deficit into a 34-17 lead with just over three minutes to play.

The Braves forced four turnovers in the second half, including three interceptions.

"We just had some turnovers that hurt us," UAPB head coach Lee Hardman said. "They took away our running game for a while, and that hurt us. (We) had the momentum in the first half, but it slipped away in the second half. The key was we didn't come out in the second half with the same fire, and that hurt us."

Alcorn held the Golden Lions on its side of the field for nearly the entire third quarter, including one where they punted from their own 8 to give the Braves a first down on the UAPB 48.

The Braves then got three big runs from Robert Lester - part of the two-way attack for the night - before Donald Carrie hit Johnny Washington for a 4-yard touchdown to tie the game at 17-17.

UAPB ran two plays after that before Alcorn's Bryan Williams recovered a fumble as the Braves kept the momentum.

"We found a particular defense that was very effective to what formations and plays they were running and trying to execute," Thomas said. "We stuck with it. We confused them so much in the third quarter they had to exhaust two of their timeouts in order to get a play off. We stuck with that defense, and they couldn't handle it. The coaches on the defensive side of the ball did a great job."

The fumble gave the Braves a first down at the UAPB 28, and three plays later Carrie hit George Jones for a 22-yard touchdown pass with 5:38 left for a 24-17 lead.

The Golden Eagles moved the ball past midfield for the first time of the half on the next drive when a LaKendrick Powell pass to Korea McKay was good for 21 yards. But Powell then had a pass picked off by John Thomas to kill the drive.

The Braves cashed in on big runs on their last scoring drive thanks the running of Sidney Dumas, the speedy transfer out of Delta State. He broke consecutive runs of 17 yards to set up Carrie's 17-yard touchdown pass to Washington with 3:28 left for a 34-17 lead.

"During spring training we noticed we had two elusive, quick and fast running backs in Lester and Dumas," Thomas said. "Also our offensive line did an outstanding job of blocking for those guys. I'm not very surprised to see us run the football with a great deal of effectiveness. That's going to help us in our passing game.

The Braves scored first in the first half before the Golden Lions scored two touchdowns and tacked on a field goal for a 17-7 lead.

"We didn't throw the ball as well as we did in the first half," Hardman said. "I think the turnovers was the big thing. We've got three freshmen on our offensive line, and I think they played well. The kids played hard. We've got to come back to the drawing board. You've got to give Alcorn credit. They're a veteran ball club and made some things happen."

 

[Blacknbengal]

Alcorn's defense steps up

Alcorn's defense steps up


.
From staff reports

Published Sunday, September 22, 2002 12:18 AM CDT

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Andrew Burks ran for three touchdowns Saturday night to rally Alcorn State to a 27-23 victory over Hampton University in the New York Urban League Football Classic at Giants Stadium.
Burks carried the ball 16 times for 53 yards as Alcorn St. (2-1) scored all its points in the second half. George Jones caught five passes, including the game-winning 41-yard touchdown, for 157 yards to help spark the rally.

"We played until the very end," Alcorn head coach Johnny Thomas said. "The defense kept us in there, kept us in there and kept us in there. I'm happy for the player and the coaching staff, and I thank God for this victory. Our defense had a very outstanding game tonight. I pretty much told them they deserve the game ball - the whole defense."

Hampton (2-2) saw a 17-0 lead melt under Alcorn St.'s second-half pressure. The Pirates were called for 21 penalties for 198 yards in giving up the lead.

Terrance Patrick gave the Hampton fans an immediate thrill. He caught the opening kickoff 5 yards deep in the end zone, angled to the left to elude several tacklers and broke free for the touchdown.

It was the longest kickoff return in the 32-year history of the game.

"To be honest with you, special teams have been the strength of this program since I've been here," Thomas said. "That kickoff return was the first returned on us (for a score) in five years. We had prepared for that all week. That was a big play for Hampton. But our offense played pretty well in the first half. Things were just not happening for us."

Patrick has a flair for returning kickoffs in Urban League Classics. He ran back a pair, 87 and 84 yards, for scores in Hampton's 55-14 rout of Virginia State in last year's classic.

The only other score of the first half came with 2:12 remaining as Hampton drove 93 yards to take a 14-0 lead.

Kerry Dixon replaced Timothy Frazier at quarterback at the start of the drive and engineered the 16-play march. Dixon completed four passes, including a 23 yard reception by Patrick on the Alcorn St. 25 yard line. Dixon punched in the score on a 1 yard keeper.

Tellis Bolden connected on a 22-yard field goal to put Hampton ahead 17-0 with 7:02 left in the third. Bolden had missed on his first three attempts.

The momentum shifted dramatically in Alcorn State's favor late in the third quarter as Burks scored twice in a span of 39 seconds.

Burks put Alcorn State on the board with a 3-yard run with 2:28 left in the quarter. Tyrone Parsons intercepted Dixon on the Hampton 33 to set up the score.

Hampton turned the ball over again on the ensuing possession. Calton Morant fumbled, giving Alcorn St. possession deep in Hampton territory. Two plays later, Burks ran 12 yards for the score that cut Hampton's lead to 17-14.

The Alcorn St. offense, dormant for almost three quarters, was now in high gear. The Braves struck quickly the next time they had the ball, needing only three plays to take a 20-17 lead.

Jones made an acrobatic catch of a 70 yard pass from Donald Carrie to put Alcorn State on the Hampton 6 yard line. Burks went 3 yards for the go-ahead score 19 seconds into the fourth quarter. The point-after kick by David McConnell was short.

The fourth quarter turned into a shootout. Hampton reclaimed the lead at 23-17 as Dixon hit Jerome Mathis with a 54 yard touchdown pass with 7:24 left. It gave Dixon, a transfer from Baylor, his first touchdown pass with Hampton.

The point after attempt failed.

Alcorn St. responded with a 72 yard drive capped by Jones catching a 41 touchdown pass from Carrie for the winning score with 6:04 left.

 

[Blacknbengal]

Logan, Alcorn defense on roll going into Bama State game

Logan, Alcorn defense on roll going into Bama State game



By Adam Daigle
The Natchez Democrat

Published Thursday, September 26, 2002 11:27 PM CDT

LORMAN - Alcorn State's come-from-behind win Saturday over Hampton may have surprised some people.
But not Omega Logan.

The junior linebacker knew his team had the spirit to bounce back and fight through the adversity of a dismal first half where they trailed 17-0.

Logan, more importantly, knows all about that. He overcame obstacles to become one of the leaders of the Braves' defense so far heading into Saturday's showdown with Alabama State at home.

"We're so used to fighting," said Logan, who finished the game with 17 tackles. "We've got some fighters. That's the name of the game - adversity. It's going to come no matter what. The team that can work through it the best is going to come out on top."

Logan, who stands just 5-9, has come out on top so far for the Braves after walking on during the 2000 season. Small or not, he was voted second team Preseason All-SWAC honors and was named Defensive MVP in Saturday's New York Urban League Classic.

The 17 tackles were a career high.

Not bad for a little guy that had a hard time attracting attention coming out of DeSoto (Texas) High School.

"Most colleges didn't want me because I was too small," Logan said. "That was the biggest reason I was forced to walk on to a college. That's pretty much the story of my career."

Logan had family in southwest Mississippi as his father, Walter, was born and raised in Natchez. He has heard somewhat of Alcorn State, but his father helped get the ball rolling on just finding a spot on what was a very young Braves squad that eventually went 0-11.

"My father had a little to do with that," he said. "I always heard about it (ASU0 when (Steve) McNair was here. When I came to visit my grandparents, my cousin used to always talk about it. I sent tapes and Coach (Johnny) Thomas gave me a chance.

"When it came time for scholarships, like everybody else they ran out. I don't blame them - I don't think I was really great in high school. Coach Thomas has been trying to make me into a better player."

So far Logan has led the team in tackles with 34 and solo tackles with 20 in three games. He sits second in tackles for loss with 3 1/2 and in sacks with 1 1/2.

"Omega had an outstanding football game," Thomas said of Saturday's game. "That's not surprising to me. He's a hard worker. He's not a fearful linebacker. He's very intelligent and can pick up what the offense is looking to do. He hits like a brick wall - he reminds me of Sam Mills who used to play for the Saints."

Now Logan and the rest of the Alcorn defensive unit faces another test Saturday in Alabama State, the highest-scoring team in the SWAC so far with over 34 points a game.

Alcorn, however, can boast of a defense that's one of the better units in the league sitting third in rushing defense and first in first downs allowed.

Already with an explosive offense, the Braves could use a solid defense in order to make a run at the SWAC championship.

"We know we have to step up," Logan said. "We've got some guys ready to step up and do their part because we know the offense is going to do everything else."

 

[Blacknbengal]

Braves' offense lights up scoreboard in win

Braves' offense lights up scoreboard in win

LORMAN - If you blinked in Lorman, you missed a high-scoring affair.
Alcorn State's ground game ran all over the Southwestern Athletic Conference's leading rush defense for 339 yards, as the Braves never trailed in a 48-37 win over Alabama State.

Backup quarterback Gary Brashears' attempt to bring the Jackets (3-2, 1-3 SWAC) within five fell incomplete in the end zone on a fourth-and-goal with 2:43 left to play, sealing the win for Alcorn (3-1, 2-1 SWAC).

The Braves would punt it back to Alabama State, but Brashears pass on first down was picked off by Chris Lee.

"That was the way we expected it to go," Alcorn head coach Johnny Thomas said. "Alabama State didn't quit. They've got an outstanding ball club. Our offense came out and played well."

Alcorn quarterback Donald Carrie threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns, making it the 11th straight game he has found a receiver in the end zone. The Braves opted to pound the ball in the second half, attempting just five passes and rushing for 215 yards.

Sophomore Andrew Burks (15-105) topped the 100-yard mark for the first time this season. Sidney Dumas (11-71) scored on runs of 21 and 14 yards and was one of four backs to exceed 70 yards rushing.

"We look at ourselves and we kind of shot ourselves in the foot early in the game," Alabama State head coach L.C. Cole said. "We had some chances. We came in with the best defense in the conference and we kind of gave up on ourselves today."

Alcorn scored on the game's first drive, marching 80 yards on eight plays, capped off by a quarterback keeper from Carrie from 1-yard out.

Alabama State punted on its first two possessions of the game, but its third drive proved to be the charm as an Antwan Hill interception return set up another quarterback rushing touchdown. The Hornets' Jermaine Crenshaw dived in from a yard out to tie the score at 7-7. Hill's pick was his seventh of the year, placing the Jacket junior on the top of the list for interceptions in Division I-AA.

The Braves answered with a 13-yard TD pass from Carrie to Kris Peters.

"We never intended to replace Donald," Thomas said. "He doesn't like to make mistakes and he wants to be perfect, which causes him to press sometimes. He's the best quarterback in black college football."

 

[Tigerpride]

Re: Braves' offense lights up scoreboard in win

Originally posted by Blacknbengal

"We look at ourselves and we kind of shot ourselves in the foot early in the game," Alabama State head coach L.C. Cole said. "We had some chances. We came in with the best defense in the conference and we kind of gave up on ourselves today."

[/B]

I Think LC is starting to lose it.

 

[Blacknbengal]

Alcorn wins homecoming game over Fort Valley

Alcorn wins homecoming game over Fort Valley


By Adam Daigle
The Natchez Democrat

Published Sunday, October 06, 2002 12:56 AM CDT

LORMAN - The goal is to be the best defensive unit in the Southeastern Athletic Conference.
Alcorn perhaps put its best bid forward Saturday night. The Braves scored just 10 points but turned in a defensive gem in taking a 10-7 homecoming win over Fort Valley State in their final home game this season.

For a unit that allowed nearly 40 points last week to Alabama State, it pulled a complete turnaround just seven days later to bail out an offense that couldn't find the rhythm.

"We are very, very happy to come out with a victory tonight," Alcorn head coach Johnny Thomas said. "It's one thing about this game. You play a 12-week season, and one week your offense might be up, the next week your defense might be up, and the next week the special teams might be up. You might be very, very fortunate if you get all three of them clicking in one ballgame. We played an outstanding defensive game."

The offense definitely wasn't on its game, and for the second time this season, the Braves pulled quarterback Donald Carrie for a spell midway through.

The offense finished with an uncharacteristic 202 yards total offense, with just 157 in the passing game.

The Braves completed 13 of 36 attempts while throwing one interception.

"It's always great to win in front of your home crowd," said punt returner Lonnie Teagle. "Being homecoming, we wanted to win this game for everybody - for our fans, coaches and ourselves. We'll take it anyway we can. It wasn't pretty, but we'll take it as long as we're ahead when it's over."

There might not have been anything ugly about the way the Braves defense played, especially after Fort Valley scored on its first drive of the game.

Alcorn buckled down against Fort Valley's offense that lives and dies by the run, and the second half result was a whole bunch of kicking.

None of which, mind you, was aimed at two uprights in the hopes of scoring three points.

"The defense played extremely well," Thomas said. "Like I said, you win championships with defense. Fort Valley is the No. 4 ranked team in black college football. You're not ranked No. 4 by chance. For us to come out and play the kind of defense we played, I was very happy to see that. That reminds me of the 60s and 70s, when it was defense in the purest sense."

 

[Blacknbengal]

Braves have momentum for six-game road stretch

Braves have momentum for six-game road stretch


By Adam Daigle
The Natchez Democrat

Published Monday, October 07, 2002 11:33 PM CDT

For those veteran SWAC fans, Saturday night's final score surely looked incredibly wrong.
Saturday's 10-7 win by Alcorn State over Fort Valley was the lowest-scoring game the Braves have been involved in since a 12-3 loss to Mississippi Valley State late in the 2000 season and only the fourth time since 1990 they were involved in a contest where both teams combined to score 17 points or less.

The Braves have spent more time involved in games that more resembled a pinball machine as in their 48-37 win over Alabama State the week prior.

Wins of the 10-7 variety may not be as fun to watch, but hey - they're still wins. And when it's homecoming in the final home contest of the season, the Braves didn't snub their noses at it.

"Every win is very critical for us because we have set certain goals we want to achieve this year," Thomas said. "Winning this ball game was very special for these seniors. These guys have stayed here with me since I've been head coach and have gone through the rough times."

If there's momentum to be taken from the win - mostly from the defensive unit - then it may come in handy for the rest of the season. The Braves now begin a six-game road trip starting Saturday at Prairie View to end the season.

But if they have their way, it could be the first of a seven-game road swing. All sights are set on the SWAC Championship game Dec. 14 in Birmingham, Ala.

"It might be to our advantage to be on the road five or six weeks because it forces us to come together a little bit better," Thomas said. "The group itself can cling together and improve on this point. We want to win the black national championship, and we want to win the SWAC championship. We've got to win every game from now on to stay in the hunt to achieve those goals."

TIGERS LIMPING - The biggest news to come out LSU's 48-0 cakewalk win over Louisiana-Lafayette was the loss of big running back LaBrandon Toefield, who broke his arm during the second quarter.

The junior from Independence, La., underwent surgery Sunday to repair the break in his left forearm. Coaches indicated Toefield will miss at least six weeks, which leaves him open to return for the final regular season game at Arkansas and a bowl game.

The break is the second injury for Toefield in his career at LSU. Last year he missed the team's 47-34 Sugar Bowl win over Illinois after suffering a torn ACL in the SEC title game.

"This is a very unfortunate injury," LSU head coach Saban said. "LaBrandon worked so hard to come back from last year's knee injury that it's a shame that something like this has to happen. Toe's a great person and a fierce competitor and someone we are going to miss on the field. Right now, our main concern is doing whatever we can to support him."

SMALL ADJUSTMENT - Bad memories flooded Alcorn's coaching staff Saturday night on the Braves' first stand on defense. Fort Valley came with the ground game, which surprised no one but the coaches after the Braves couldn't stop it.

But after that the Wildcats fired blanks and were forced to pass under heavy pressure from the Braves' front line. Alcorn finished the game with seven sacks of quarterback Cecil Lester and nine stops behind the line of scrimmage.

In the second half the Wildcats had just two measly first downs.

"We realized going into the game we would have to play an eight-man line," Thomas said. "Fort Valley has a potent running game. That first series they drove for a touchdown we played a seven-man front and tried to mix it up. After that didn't work, we went to an eight-man front, and that's what happened."

BIG CONTRIBUTIONS - Little Lonnie Teagle may have had everyone on edge returning punts Saturday. The 5-4, 150-pound sophomore was a scat or break on several occasions from breaking away for a touchdown against Fort Valley.

Teagle had six returns for 123 yards, including a key return to the Fort Valley 37 in the second quarter to set up Alcorn's only touchdown.

For his efforts, Teagle was among the SWAC noteable performances conference officials released Monday.

"I've just got to thank the Lord for everything," said Teagle, who returned six punts for 123 yards. "We had good blocking. We work on special teams a lot, and everybody their part. It's not just me."