Football | 11/16/2018 8:44:00 AM

Braves Going for Fifth Consecutive SWAC East Division Crown on Senior Day

Alcorn Game Notes | JSU Game Notes | Watch Live | Live Radio | Live Stats

LORMAN, Miss. – With the opportunity to lock-up both the SWAC East Division title and home field advantage for the SWAC Championship, the Alcorn State University football program will host Jackson State at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Soul Bowl on Senior Day.
 
The Braves (7-3, 5-1 SWAC) are already the first team to ever play in four consecutive SWAC Championship games and are looking to make it five. JSU (5-4, 4-2 SWAC) is playing for its first SWAC Championship appearance since 2013.
 
Saturday's game is virtually a semifinal match-up for the conference title. The winner of the Alcorn vs. JSU game will play the winner of the Southern vs. Grambling contest on Nov. 24. The Braves have the tiebreaker over both SU and GSU after winning head-to-head match-ups which would secure home field.
 
Junior quarterback Noah Johnson leads the team in both passing and rushing. He's thrown for 1,767 yards and 14 touchdowns, and has rushed for 802 yards and seven touchdowns. Johnson ranks fifth in the FCS in rushing yards per carry with 7.64, and is top-20 in the nation in completion percentage with a .629 mark. He was added to the Walter Payton Award Watch List which goes to the best played in FCS.
 
The Braves have flip-flopped between two running backs this year as junior De'Shawn Waller has rushed for 747 yards and nine touchdowns, while senior P.J. Simmons has registered 645 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Chris Blair has been the team's top target in the air with 457 yards and six touchdowns.
 
The Alcorn offense leads the SWAC in scoring (34.1 ppg), total offense (479.0 ypg, rushing (280.0 ypg) and first downs per game (23.2). The Braves also lead the league and rank top-10 in the nation in time of possession (33:00).
 
The defense ranks first in the FCS in both sacks per game (4.3) and tackles for a loss per game (9.6). The defense is also seventh nationally in rushing (93.3 ypg) and ninth in total defense (292.2 ypg).
 
Sophomore defensive back Qwynnterrio Cole has catapulted to the top of the Alcorn tackles list. He leads the Braves with 57 on the season. He recorded interceptions in back-to-back games against Southern and Alabama State, and also got one this past weekend at PVAMU.
 
The Braves are coming off a bye week. In their last outing, they gave New Mexico State a scare after trimming a 35-7 deficit to 38-35 with 10:43 remaining in the fourth quarter. Waller ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns, while Johnson threw for 316 yards and four touchdowns.
 
The Tigers have had a rollercoaster season. Things were looking to be spiraling in the wrong direction after offensive coordinator Hal Mumme resigned, and then head coach Tony Hughes was fired. However, the coaching moves had the opposite effect on the team as the Tigers have been playing with a chip on their shoulder and got back in contention with wins over PVAMU 34-28 and Alabama State 20-2.
 
John Hendrick has taken over as interim head coach and also serves as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. The JSU defense has consistently been one of the best in the league since his arrival in 2016, and is second-ranked in the conference in nearly every statistical category behind Alcorn.
 
Keontr Hampton leads the defense with 74 tackles and 8.0 tackles for a loss. Khalil Johnson has also been a force with 37 tackles, 10.0 tackles for a loss and three sacks.
 
Offensively, Jarrad Hayes has taken over at quarterback and has thrown for 744 yards and six touchdowns in six games. Jordan Johnson is the team's leading rusher with 528 yards and three touchdowns. He averages 66.0 yards per outing.
 
The game can be watched live with a subscription on Braves All-Access. It can also be heard live for free on 91.7 FM or wprl.org with Charles Edmond on the call.
 
NOTES
- The Braves are 13-2 against SWAC East Division opponents over the last four seasons.
 
- Johnson ranks ninth all-time in school history in career touchdown passes (29), 11th in passing yards (3,668) and is approaching the all-time list in rushing yards (1,589).
 
- The Braves are ranked No. 2 in this week's HBCU Poll and are receiving 90 votes in the FCS Coaches Poll. JSU is No. 8 in the HBCU Poll.
 
- In Alcorn's last conference game, the team defeated Prairie View A&M 27-13 to improve to 42-15 in the all-time series. The Alcorn defense did not allow a touchdown, and the Braves outgained PVAMU 512-235 in total yards and 249-61 in rushing.
 
- Junior defensive lineman Terry Whittington was nationally recognized on Oct. 22 when he won FCS Defensive Player of the Week winner. He also won HBCU National Player of the Week and SWAC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Whittington notched career-highs of 15 tackles, 6.0 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble in a 33-26 win over Grambling State. He came close to the single-game school record of 5.0 sacks set by Bryant Mix in 1995 against Texas Southern.
 
- Junior Javen Morrison has been a lockdown defender for the Braves in his career and has led the team in interceptions in each of the last two seasons. He's up to nine in his career. Morrison recorded a pick-six against GSU, the second of his career.
 
- The Braves are 12-0 when leading at halftime over the last two seasons.
 
- Alcorn has won 10 SWAC Player of the Week awards in 10 games this year. In addition to Hollis and Whittington, Waller has won three times, Johnson earned Offensive Player of the Week after the NMSU game and Morrison was named both the SWAC Defensive Player of the Week and HBCU National Player of the Week after grabbing two interceptions against TSU. Junior Raidarious Anderson won SWAC Offensive Player of the Week, and senior Johnathon Hauer earned SWAC Newcomer of the Week after the win against LC. Junior Corey McCullough won Special Teams Player of the Week on Oct. 1. Alcorn won 10 SWAC weekly honors last season.
 
- In the win over GSU, the Braves scored the game-winning touchdown with 12 seconds left on a pass to Blair. Alcorn sacked the Tigers eight times.
 
- The Braves posted a 35-26 victory over Alabama A&M to spoil their second Homecoming. Alcorn broke a 10-10 tie at half with an explosive second to win its fifth straight over AAMU. Johnson ran for the longest touchdown in school history with a 92-yarder. It broke De'Lance Turner's 88-yarder against Miles College last season.
 
- Prior to AAMU, the Braves notched a 20-3 win at Southern for the first Homecoming win. The Alcorn defense limited the Jaguars to just 139 yards of offense, including 76 passing and 63 rushing yards. The Braves improved to 37-27-2 all-time against SU.
 
- The Braves dropped a five-overtime marathon against Alabama State 28-25. Alcorn held an edge of 530-240 in total yards and 408-85 in rushing. The Braves had a chance to win at the end of regulation, but a 28-yard field goal attempt was no good, wide-right. It snapped Alcorn's four-game winning-streak and six-game home winning-streak. It was the first five-overtime game in FCS since Oct. 4, 2014 between Davidson and Dayton.
 
- Alcorn opened conference play with a 56-20 win over Mississippi Valley State on Sept. 22. The Braves held a 665-200 edge in total yards and 462-22 in rushing. Senior P.J. Simmons rushed for a career-high 210 yards and a touchdown. The Braves won their sixth straight game over the Delta Devils and lead the all-time series 45-15-1. Alcorn has outscored MVSU 318-78 over the last six games.
 
- The Braves tallied a 27-15 victory over Texas Southern in a non-conference game. Alcorn raced out to a 27-0 halftime lead which was too much for the Tigers to overcome. The Braves posted their seventh straight win over TSU in the series.
 
- In Alcorn's home-opener, the team broke a Jack Spinks-Marino Casem Stadium scoring record by defeating Louisiana College 78-0. It was the second-most lopsided score in school history, only behind a 101-0 victory over Paul Quinn in 1967. Alcorn won its home opener for the sixth year in a row.
 
HOME GAMEDAY INFORMATION
• The home side "will call" window will open at 10:00 a.m.

• The ticket booths will fully open for ticket sales will open at 10:00 a.m.

• An early ticket seller will be available at 7:00 a.m. for those who want to get their tickets early (home side).

• Tickets on game day are $25 General Admission & $35 Reserved Seating.

• Children 5 and under enter free.

• The gates will open at 12:00 p.m.

• The courtesy gate for season ticket holders is Gate 10.

• Gate 11 is designated for those with ADA needs.

• Player's Guest and MS High School Passes go through Gate 9. You must have I.D. We do not accept state passes from other states.

• Gates are open beyond the ticket booth. Please keep walking past the ticket booth if the lines are lengthy.

• Students enter through Gate 3 only.

• The parking lot for those with ADA needs is the AG Extension Building Lot. Look for the sign.

• Do not obstruct construction areas.

• Those with ADA needs may request transportation by notifying a lot attendant.

• Note there may be a wait time for cart transportation as we try to accommodate many requests.

• Transportation pick up location for those with ADA needs after the game is at Gate 6.

• VIP, Reserved Premium, and Reserved Tailgate spaces are sold out.

• General Event Parking is $15.00.

• Parking available at the front gate include Grounds Parking ($15), General Tailgate ($40), Bus/RV ($60) and Bus/RV with Tow ($75).

• Display your passes upon entering. Attendants must be able to see and read your parking passes.

• One general tailgate pass covers one vehicle and 2 – standard sized tents (12x12). If you need additional space, you may want to purchase additional passes. Everyone needs space.

• Please adhere to the signage and directions of the attendants.

• Please have your funds available when you approach the parking attendants.

• There are no refunds/no exchanges on purchases of parking passes or game tickets.

• The ticket office will close at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.

• Tickets are available at www.impacttickets.com.

• Section E of the stadium is reserved seating – not general admission.

• There is a "no pass out" policy. You cannot re-enter with a used ticket.

• Alcorn has the following policies:  No Drones, NO ATVs, No Smoking Policy, and Clear Bag Requirements.

• Alcorn follows a clear bag policy.

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