LORMAN, Miss. – Alcorn State battled wire-to-wire but came up just short in a 13-12 loss to Prairie View A&M on Saturday evening at Jack Spinks-Marino Casem Stadium.
The Braves (0-5, 0-2 SWAC) used a strong defensive effort and timely plays on offense to stay in control for much of the second half. Running back Reggie Davis powered the ground game with 41 rushing yards on 11 carries, including a two-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter that gave Alcorn its first lead of the game at 12-10.
Quarterback Jaylon Tolbert led the Braves through the air, completing 11 of 25 passes for 176 yards. Ja'Coby Matthews was his top target, hauling in four receptions for 88 yards, highlighted by a 71-yard catch that set up Alcorn's lone touchdown drive. Omarion Blakes added three catches for 36 yards, while Jarvis Rush had two receptions for 42 yards.
Kicker Lorenzo Garcia was steady in the kicking game, connecting on field goals from 30 and 32 yards in the first half before a 41-yard attempt in the closing seconds fell just short.
On the defensive side, Stemarion Edwards and TB Hinton paced the Braves with seven tackles each. Cedric Roberts added seven total stops as well, and Ricardo Butler forced a key fumble in the second quarter.
As a team, Alcorn finished with 270 yards of total offense, including 94 on the ground and 176 through the air. The Braves defense held Prairie View to just one touchdown and forced a missed field goal in the third quarter to preserve their brief lead.
The Panthers (4-2, 3-0 SWAC) regained the advantage early in the fourth quarter on a 44-yard field goal and held off a late Alcorn rally.
Alcorn will look to regroup next week when it returns to conference action for Homecoming against Lincoln(CA).
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