Brandon Bridge scores TD in first NCAA game: Herve Tonye Tonye gets safety

LORMAN — The Alcorn State defense prides itself on being an aggressive bunch with a nose for the football and a reputation on wreaking havoc.

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And that was never more the case than in the Braves’ 50-27 victory over Langston Saturday.

The Alcorn defense scored three defensive touchdowns, recorded a safety, and set the offense up inside the 5-yard line after turnovers on two other occasions.

“Defensive coordinator Zach Shay does an awesome job with instilling that attitude,” Alcorn head coach Earnest Collins said. “We call it BIA, Best in America, at hustle. It’s not about athletic ability, but 100 percent about hustle. He preaches that every day.”

And Alcorn State needed every one of those defensive scores, as the Braves offense sputtered for a majority of the game.

The Braves scored a touchdown on their first offensive possession, with an Arnold Walker 40-yard run setting Alcorn up first and goal at the 2-yard line.

Quarterback Terrance Barnes sneaked it in from a yard out two plays later to put the Braves up early.

But that was Alcorn’s only successful offensive drive until late in the fourth quarter.

However, the defense would take over the game from there.

After Langston scored to tie the game at 6-6, Alcorn missed a field goal and the Lions took over at the 9-yard line.

But Langston quarterback Derrion Lewis was hit and fumbled on the first play and Brandon Morris recovered on the 1-yard line.

Barnes scored on the next play to put the Braves up 13-6, but the defense was just getting started.

After an Arturo Tamayo punt pinned Langston at the 2-yard line early in the second quarter, Lewis was intercepted by Jameson Smith, who returned the pick 13 yards to paydirt.

For Smith, the pick-six was typical of his play in preseason practices.

“I’ve been doing that the whole camp, making plays,” Smith said. “I try to do my job to get the team going.”

But the Alcorn defense was just getting warmed up for the main act they would perform in the third quarter.

After taking a 20-12 lead in at halftime, the Braves forced another fumble by Lewis. This time, defensive lineman Stephen Howard picked up the loose ball and rumbled 13 yards for a score to put the Braves up 27-12.

Lewis didn’t have time to get over the shell shock of his fumble, as on the very next Langston possession, he threw an interception that linebacker Josh Cragin returned 29 yards for a touchdown to make the score 34-12.

The carnage still was not complete, as on Langston’s next possession, Lewis threw another interception that was returned by Jamison Knox to the 5-yard line.

Gabriel Nash scored on a 4-yard run two plays later.

Smith said creating turnovers and turning them into points is nothing new for the Alcorn defense.

“That’s what we like to do,” Smith said. “We don’t worry about what the offense is doing, we just do what we have to do on defense. If we’ve got to score, we go score. We run to the ball and make plays. Every game we try to dominate.”

Langston tried to make a comeback in the fourth quarter, as the Lions scored two touchdowns to cut the Braves lead to 41-27, but once again, the defense came through to slam the door shut.

After a Tamayo punt was downed at the 2-yard line, Herve Tonye-Tonye broke through the line and smothered Langston running back Ra-Kwouna Khepra in the end zone for a safety with 5:54 remaining in the game.

Alcorn then took the free kick and finally put together a solid offensive drive. The Braves drove 66 yards and scored a touchdown on a Brandon Bridge 3-yard run with 43 seconds remaining for the final scoring margin.

Barnes played the first two-and-a-half quarters at quarterback while Bridge came on late in the third quarter to direct the Alcorn offense.

Collins said he wasn’t worried about the relative lack of offensive production from the Braves.

“Usually this time of the year, the defense is ahead of the offense,” Collins said. “We’ve got to work the kinks out and we’ll do that and be more efficient next game.”

Alcorn State is off next week before traveling to Chicago to take on Mississippi Valley State in Soldier Field on Sept. 18.

Alcorn’s defense scores three TD’s in 50-27 win

By Jeff Edwards (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Sunday, September 5, 2010