Alcorn Game Notes | SWAC Digital Network | Live Radio | Live Stats
LORMAN, Miss. – Seeking a conference-opening victory for the sixth year in a row, the Alcorn State University football program will host Southern University during a Purple Out at Jack Spinks-Marino Casem Stadium at 6 p.m. Saturday.
The game between the Braves (1-2, 0-0 SWAC) and the Jaguars (1-2, 0-0 SWAC) will be streamed live for free on the SWAC Digital Network. The contest can also be heard on 91.7 FM or wprl.org with Charles Edmond on the call.
Senior quarterback
Lenorris Footman is the reigning SWAC Offensive Player of the Week winner after leading the FCS with a career-high 424 passing yards against McNeese State. Footman completed passes to eight different receivers, threw three touchdowns and also caught a touchdown on a trick play.
Footman ranks first in the SWAC and top-10 in the FCS in both passing (292.3 ypg) and total offense (343.0 ypg). He also leads the conference in pass efficiency, completing 65.7 percent of his throws.
Junior
Marquis Warford and senior
Norlando Veals have been Footman's top targets. Warford leads the SWAC in receptions per game (5.7), while senior
Norlando Veals is second in receiving yards (90.7 ypg). Six different receivers have caught touchdown passes for Alcorn this season.
On the flip side, sophomore
Solomon Muhammad leads the SWAC in both sacks and tackles for a loss. He's fourth in tackles with a team-high 8.7 per game.
As a team, the Braves rank first in the league in scoring (29.0 ppg), total offense (440.3 ypg), pass offense (307.3 ypg), pass efficiency (64.7%), first downs (18.7 per game), third down conversions (52.3 percent), punting (43.1 yards per punt), punt return average (24.2 yards per return) and fewest sacks allowed (3).
For Southern, quarterback Austin Howard will be a game-time decision. The Preseason All-Conference Second-Team selection missed the last two weeks due to injury. Freshman Glendon McDaniel has been called on to replace Howard but is 13-for-33 passing with three interceptions this year.
Defensively, the Jags have been tough to throw on and rank first in the SWAC with three interceptions. Senior cornerback Danny Johnson returned a pick-six last weekend in the team's loss at UTSA 51-17.
Southern opened the season with a 14-8 victory over South Carolina State in the MEAC-SWAC Challenge.
NOTES
- In its 26th season at Spinks-Casem Stadium, Alcorn is 70-52 all-time at home. The stadium opened in 1992.
- Alcorn is 35-27-2 all-time against Southern with a point differential of 1389-1298 (+91) dating back to the first meeting in 1951. The Braves have won five of the last six meetings including the 2014 SWAC Championship game 38-24.
- Footman ranks No. 9 all-time in school history in both career rushing yards (1663) and career touchdown passes (26). He's No. 11 all-time in career passing yards (3,248). Footman leads the SWAC this season in passing with 292.3 yards per game.
- Alcorn has won four SWAC Player of the Week awards this year, the most of any school in the league. In addition to Footman, senior
De'Lance Turner won Offensive Player of the Week, Warford earned Special Teams Player of the Week and Muhammad won Defensive Player of the Week.
- In the season-opening 50-21 win over Miles College, Turner rushed for a career-high 131 yards and averaged 14.6 yards per carry. His 88-yard TD run was the longest in school history. Alcorn scored six touchdowns in the game; Footman accounted for three of them with two on the ground and one in the air.
- The Braves played FIU at a neutral site in Birmingham, Alabama. The game was originally supposed to be played Saturday in Miami but was moved due to a Friday due to Hurricane Irma. Alcorn trailed FIU 10-7 late in the fourth quarter when sophomore kicker
Corey McCullough drilled a 49-yard field goal to tie the game 10-10 with 3:54 remaining. It marked the second-longest field goal in school history behind a 50-yarder by George Green Jr. in 1984 against Alabama State.
- The Braves are ranked No. 9 in the BOXTOROW HBCU Coaches Poll. They are also receiving a vote in the FCS Coaches Poll.
- Alcorn's win over Miles College marked its fifth consecutive victory in a home opener. The Braves have scored at least 50 points three times during the streak.
- The Braves are the three-time defending SWAC East Division champion and was picked to win the division again in the 2017 Preseason Poll. Alcorn has gone undefeated against SWAC East Division opponents in back-to-back seasons.
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