BATON ROUGE, La. — Alcorn State University battled back from an early 13-point deficit and took a pair of leads behind an explosive offensive attack, but Southern University controlled the closing stages of the game to hand the Braves a 41-28 Southwestern Athletic Conference loss Saturday afternoon at A.W. Mumford Stadium. The setback dropped Alcorn to 6-5 overall and 4-3 in SWAC play, while Southern improved to 6-5 overall and 4-3 in the conference.

Alcorn generated 395 yards of total offense on just 43 plays, averaging 9.2 yards per snap, and produced four touchdowns of 18 yards or longer. Quarterback Jaylon Tolbert completed 15-of-21 passes for 237 yards and three touchdowns, while Fredrick Robertson paced the ground game with 99 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. The Braves held leads of 21-20 late in the second quarter and 28-27 in the third, but Southern scored the game's final 14 points and used its rushing attack and time of possession to pull away.

Southern established its ground game early behind running back Trey Holly, who scored twice in the opening quarter to give the Jaguars a 13-0 advantage. Alcorn answered late in the period when Robertson broke free for a 60-yard touchdown run, cutting the deficit to 13-7 with 1:37 remaining. Southern extended the margin to 20-7 early in the second quarter before Tolbert and the Braves' passing attack came alive.

Tolbert connected with Elijah Griffin for a 26-yard touchdown to pull Alcorn within 20-14 with 8:13 remaining in the half. After the Braves' defense forced a Southern punt, Alcorn needed just five plays to take its first lead. Robertson rushed for gains of eight, nine and six yards before Tolbert found Nolan Chambers for an 18-yard touchdown, putting the Braves in front, 21-20, with 3:51 remaining.

Southern responded with a 12-play, 72-yard drive in the final minutes of the half, regaining the lead when quarterback Christian Johnson connected with Isaiah Pina for a three-yard touchdown with eight seconds remaining. The score sent Alcorn into halftime trailing 27-21 despite scoring touchdowns on three consecutive possessions.

The Braves wasted little time reclaiming the lead in the second half. After the defense forced a Southern punt, Tolbert connected with Jarvis Rush for an 88-yard touchdown on Alcorn's first offensive play of the half. The explosive strike and Kenyon Bowyer's extra point gave the Braves a 28-27 advantage with 11:29 remaining in the third quarter.

Alcorn's defense followed with another stop, turning Southern away on fourth down near midfield, but the Braves were unable to extend the lead. The Jaguars responded on their next possession with a nine-play, 67-yard drive capped by a 12-yard touchdown run from Mike Franklin, moving Southern back in front, 34-28, with 1:44 remaining in the third.

Alcorn threatened to answer early in the fourth quarter, driving from its own 32-yard line to the Southern 11. Tolbert rushed for gains of 10 and 17 yards during the possession, but the drive ended when Southern forced and recovered a fumble at the 11-yard line with 12:53 remaining. The Jaguars then put together the decisive possession of the afternoon, marching 89 yards while taking nearly 12 minutes off the clock before Holly scored his third touchdown of the game on a 12-yard run with 1:04 remaining, extending the Southern advantage to 41-28.

The Braves made one final attempt to cut into the deficit, but Southern intercepted Tolbert in the closing seconds to secure the victory.
Robertson's 99 rushing yards led an Alcorn ground attack that finished with 158 yards on 22 carries, averaging 7.2 yards per attempt. Tolbert
added 36 rushing yards, while Ernest Temple finished with 24 yards on five carries. Griffin led Alcorn's receivers with three catches for 61 yards and a touchdown, while Rush's lone reception went for the 88-yard score and Chambers added two catches for 32 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Mahamadou Diarra led Alcorn with a game-high 11 tackles, including eight solo stops, while Timothy Jasper finished with nine tackles. Brent Barnes added seven tackles and two tackles for loss, and Jayden Davis recorded six stops. Dillon Crowell finished with five tackles and two tackles for loss, while Jordan Daniel recorded 2.5 tackles for loss and combined with Kenneth Andrews for Alcorn's lone sack.

Southern finished with 497 yards of total offense, including 296 rushing yards on 61 attempts, and controlled possession for 42:29. Holly led the Jaguars with 154 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries, while Franklin added 85 yards and a score. Johnson completed 17-of-24 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns as Southern converted 15-of-18 third-down opportunities.

Notes

• Alcorn moved to 6-5 overall and 4-3 in SWAC play.
• The Braves finished with 395 yards of total offense on 43 plays.
• Alcorn averaged 9.2 yards per offensive play.
• The Braves rushed for 158 yards on 22 attempts, averaging 7.2 yards per carry.
• Jaylon Tolbert completed 15-of-21 passes for 237 yards and three touchdowns.
• Tolbert also rushed for 36 yards on six attempts.
• Fredrick Robertson rushed for a team-high 99 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries.
• Robertson's 60-yard touchdown run was Alcorn's longest rushing play of the game.
• Elijah Griffin led Alcorn with three receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown.
• Jarvis Rush recorded an 88-yard touchdown reception on his lone catch of the afternoon.
• Nolan Chambers finished with two receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown.
• Alcorn produced touchdowns of 60, 26, 18 and 88 yards.
• The Braves scored touchdowns on three consecutive possessions spanning the first and second quarters.
• Alcorn held leads of 21-20 and 28-27.
• The Braves scored on their first offensive play of the second half when Tolbert connected with Rush for an 88-yard touchdown.
• Mahamadou Diarra led the defense with 11 tackles, including eight solo stops.
• Timothy Jasper recorded nine tackles.
• Brent Barnes finished with seven tackles and two tackles for loss.
• Dillon Crowell added two tackles for loss.
• Jordan Daniel recorded 2.5 tackles for loss and combined with Kenneth Andrews for a sack.
• Alcorn's defense finished with eight tackles for loss.
• Southern held a 42:29 to 17:31 advantage in time of possession.
• The Jaguars converted 15-of-18 third-down opportunities.
• Southern rushed for 296 yards and four touchdowns.

How It Happened
First Quarter

• Southern opened the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run by Holly to take a 7-0 lead with 11:15 remaining.
• Holly added a two-yard touchdown run with 2:36 left, extending the Jaguars' advantage to 13-0.
• Alcorn answered quickly as Griffin caught a 13-yard pass before Robertson broke free for a 60-yard touchdown run.
• Bowyer's extra point pulled the Braves within 13-7 with 1:37 remaining.

Second Quarter

• Southern extended its lead to 20-7 when Johnson connected with Emeka Iloh for a three-yard touchdown.
• Alcorn responded with a seven-play, 76-yard drive capped by Tolbert's 26-yard touchdown pass to Griffin, cutting the deficit to 20-14.
• The Braves' defense forced a punt on Southern's next possession, highlighted by a combined sack from Daniel and Andrews.
• Alcorn marched 55 yards in five plays, and Tolbert found Chambers for an 18-yard touchdown, giving the Braves their first lead at 21-20 with 3:51 remaining.
• Southern regained the lead with eight seconds remaining when Johnson connected with Pina for a three-yard touchdown.
• Alcorn entered halftime trailing 27-21.

Third Quarter

• Alcorn's defense forced Southern to punt on the opening possession of the half.
• On the Braves' first offensive play, Tolbert connected with Rush for an 88-yard touchdown, putting Alcorn ahead 28-27.
• The Braves then stopped Southern on fourth down at the Alcorn 40 to maintain the one-point advantage.
• Southern regained the lead late in the quarter when Franklin scored on a 12-yard touchdown run, making it 34-28.

Fourth Quarter

• Alcorn opened the quarter by driving deep into Southern territory, with Tolbert producing runs of 10 and 17 yards to help move the Braves to the Jaguars' 12-yard line.
• Southern forced and recovered a fumble at the 11-yard line to end the scoring threat.
• The Jaguars followed with a 20-play, 89-yard drive that consumed 11:49, keeping the Alcorn offense off the field for nearly the remainder of the game.
• Holly capped the possession with a 12-yard touchdown run with 1:04 remaining, extending Southern's lead to 41-28.
• Southern intercepted Alcorn on the Braves' final possession to close out the game.

Up Next
Alcorn State returns to Jack Spinks-Marino Casem Stadium for its final game of the 2026 season on Saturday, Nov. 21, when the Braves host Jackson State University for Senior Appreciation Day. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. CT.