TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Despite a strong offensive effort and a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, Alcorn State came up just short against Florida A&M Saturday evening at Bragg Memorial Stadium, falling 33-28 in a tightly contested SWAC matchup.
Alcorn (1-6, 0-3 SWAC) trailed 17-14 entering the final period and matched Florida A&M (2-4, 1-1 SWAC) score-for-score in the closing minutes before the Rattlers sealed the win with a late touchdown drive.
Quarterback Jaylon Tolbert led the Braves with a strong all-around performance, completing 18 of 26 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 57 yards and another score. He connected with Reggie Davis for a 34-yard touchdown strike early in the fourth quarter and later found Ja'Coby Matthews on an 8-yard scoring pass to pull the Braves within five with just over two minutes to play.
Alcorn's special teams also provided a spark in the first half as Matthews returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown midway through the second quarter to give the Braves a 14-6 lead. Tolbert had opened Alcorn's scoring minutes earlier with a 31-yard rushing touchdown to cap an eight-play, 71-yard drive.
Davis turned in another productive outing, totaling 152 all-purpose yards on the night—50 rushing, 45 receiving, and 57 on kick returns. Matthews added 128 all-purpose yards, including his long punt return and 49 receiving yards on five catches. Omarion Blakes caught five passes for 32 yards, while Jacorian Sewell led the ground game with 13 carries.
Defensively, Ricardo Butler led Alcorn with nine total tackles, while Tyreke Snow added nine and Geoffrey McKelton posted eight stops. Stemarion Edwards and TB Hinton each recorded a sack, combining for 17 yards lost.
Florida A&M quarterback RJ Johnson III threw for 323 yards and one touchdown while also rushing for 33 yards and a score. Kicker Daniel Porto went 4-for-5 on field goals, including a 51-yarder just before halftime.
The Braves totaled 304 yards of offense to Florida A&M's 475 but stayed within reach thanks to strong special teams play and timely scoring.
Alcorn State returns home next Saturday to face Mississippi Valley State at Jack Spinks–Marino Casem Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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