Pine Bluff, AR—Alcorn State's performance on the field was nothing short of spectacular as the Braves came up short against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Tamayo's 23 yard field goal gave Alcorn a 3-0 lead, but the Golden Lions answered with a 27 yard field goal by Chris Ewald. On the Braves' next possession, Bridge connected with
Simon Collier for a 35 yard touchdown to Alcorn a 10-3 lead.
Alcorn State continued to capitalize on their lead in the second quarter with
Arturo Tamayo's 33 yard field goal. Stephen Jones' 11 yard rush put Pine Bluff within three of the Braves for a score of 13-10. Bridge connected with Collier for a second time, on a 17 yard touchdown to give Alcorn State some extra cushion before halftime with a score of 20-10.
UAPB continued to chip away at Alcorn's lead in the 3rd quarter as Rontrell Bailey scored on a 7 yard pass from Benjamin Anderson to once again put the Golden Lions within three, 20-17.
Just before the end of the third quarter, Chris Ewald banked a 39 yard field goal to tie the ball game at 20.
The momentum changer for the Braves was on 3rd and 4 when Bridge's pass was intercepted by James Harrell. Pine Bluff's Dennis Jenkins scored on a 5 yard run to give UAPB their first lead and what would ultimately be the final score, 27-20.
Alcorn's offense and defense held bright moments for the team as true freshman,
Mauola Malaga captured his first interception of his collegiate career, Bridge finished the night 20-36-2 for 253 yards and two touchdowns and
Simon Collier recorded 7 catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
The Braves will return to action next week as they host the Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley State University. Kick-off is slated for 4 pm. During the halftime of this game, legendary coach, Marino Casem's name will be unveiled on the stadium.
