Football | 12/10/2018 8:56:00 AM

Alcorn Football Synopsis Heading into Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl

LORMAN, Miss. – A season that started in Atlanta will end in Atlanta.
 
The Alcorn State University football program began the 2018 campaign at Georgia Tech with one goal in mind – make a return trip in December. The Braves did so by winning their third SWAC Championship in the last five seasons and 16th conference title in school history.
 
Alcorn defeated Southern 37-28 in the league's title game. In what had been a season highlighted by one of the nation's top defenses, it was the offense that took over in the SWAC Championship and controlled the ball in the fourth quarter to oust the Jaguars.
 
Junior quarterback Noah Johnson has made national headlines as he was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award (best player in FCS), C-Spire Conerly Trophy (best player in Mississippi) and is one of four finalists for HBCU National Player of the Year. Johnson was the SWAC Offensive Player of the Year and SWAC Championship Offensive MVP in addition to being an All-Conference First-Team selection.
 
Johnson has thrown for 2,079 yard and 15 touchdowns, and has rushed for 960 yards and nine touchdowns. He ranks top-10 in the country with a .641 completion percentage.
 
The Braves led the SWAC in nearly every statistical category both on offense and defense, including total yards and rushing. Junior De'Shawn Waller, the SWAC Newcomer of the Year, leads the ground attack with 1,048 yards and 12 touchdowns. He's rushed for at least 100 yards in six of the last seven games including a game-high 177 yards and three touchdowns in the SWAC Championship. He broke loose for an 83-yard score which was the second-longest in SWAC Championship history.
 
Still, the defense has been the backbone for the Braves all season. Alcorn leads the nation in both sacks and tackles for a loss per game. The statistics have been heavily dispersed among the depth chart as sophomore defensive Qwynnterrio Cole leads the team in tackles with 68 and has three interceptions.
 
Both Cole and fellow defensive back junior Javen Morrison were named to the All-Conference First-Team. Morrison has a team-high four interceptions and has led Alcorn in picks three years in a row.
 
Senior Sterling Shippy and junior Terry Whittington – two more All-Conference First-Team honorees – are among the nation's leaders in sacks. Whittington has wrapped up 9.0, while Shippy has 8.0.
 
The SWAC Championship Defensive MVP honor went to junior linebacker Brelion Hollis. He registered seven tackles and a 0.5 sack in the championship, and is second among Alcorn linebackers in tackles with 47 on the year, only behind junior Solomon Muhammad's 57.
 
The Braves totaled 12 All-Conference selections including 10 on the First-Team. In addition to Johnson winning SWAC Offensive Player of the Year and Waller Newcomer of the Year, head coach Fred McNair was tabbed as the league's Coach of the Year.
 
McNair hoists a 16-7 SWAC record in his three seasons at the helm with three SWAC East Division titles and one SWAC Championship. This year, the Braves held the opposition to three points or less three times, and didn't allow a defensive touchdown four times.
 
McNair's squad became the first-ever program to host a SWAC Championship game and he was the first Coach of the Year at Alcorn since 1992.
 
Alcorn's only blemish on the conference schedule was a five-overtime marathon loss to Alabama State 28-25. The numbers didn't add up though as the Braves held an edge of 530-240 in total yards and 408-85 in rushing. However, Alcorn missed six field goals including a 28-yarder at the end of regulation to win. It was the first five-OT game in FCS since Oct. 4, 2014 between Davidson and Dayton.
 
After bouncing back to win their next three, the Braves nearly pulled off a huge upset at New Mexico State. They trailed 35-7 when they came all the way back to trim the deficit to 38-35 with 10:43 left in the fourth quarter. Waller ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns, while Johnson threw for 316 yards and four touchdowns.
 
In the regular season finale, the Braves had to beat rival Jackson State to advance to the SWAC Championship. Alcorn dominated the second half and outscored the Tigers 24-3. The Braves controlled most of the game and held a big 35:06-24:54 edge in time of possession.
 
The Braves will be making their sixth-ever postseason appearance and second in the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl. It will be a rematch of the inaugural 2015 bowl game against North Carolina A&T. Alcorn also made playoff appearances in 1984, 1992 and 1994, and defeated Florida A&M 36-9 in the 1968 Orange Blossom Bowl.
 
Kick-off Saturday will be at 11 a.m. (CT) in a nationally televised game on ABC. Alcorn will be playing for its sixth Black College National Championship when it takes on North Carolina A&T in the 2018 Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl.
 
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