Alcorn took down MVSU 30-7 on Saturday

Story from Alcorn Athletics:

Alcorn quarterback Aaron Allen finished the night 22-for-29 passing for 299 yards and a rushing touchdown, while running back Jarveon Howard added two additional scores via the ground game to propel the visiting Braves to a 30-7 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) football win on Saturday night over Mississippi Valley State at Rice – Totten Stadium.

Alcorn (3-2, 2-0 SWAC) scored on the Braves first drive of the game, as a nine-play, 61-yard drive was finished off through Jarveon Howard’s four-yard run around the left side to put the visitors in front, 7-0.

Mississippi Valley State (0-6, 0-3 SWAC) knotted the game on the first play from scrimmage in the second quarter.

Delta Devils quarterback Jamari Jones connected with Caleb Johnson for a 44-yard score that was followed by Orlando Fernandez’s extra point to tie the game at 7-all.

Alcorn’s Howard, the leading rusher in the SWAC, punched the ticket on his second rushing touchdown of the evening with 8:40 remaining in the opening half. This time, it was a one-yard plunge through the line, as the Braves marched just 19 yards on seven plays following Alcorn taking over deep in Delta Devils territory on a Jones fumble that was recovered by the Braves’ Malachi Bailey.

Alcorn would lead 14-7 at the half.

A scoreless third quarter was immediately followed by Noah Kiani’s 30-yard field goal to begin the fourth, helping extend the Braves advantage at 17-7 with 14:48 remaining in regulation.

A drive that took just over five minutes off the clock late in the fourth quarter was capped off by Allen going into the end zone himself and pushing the Braves lead out to an insurmountable 24-7 led with just over two minutes remaining.

However, the scoring for the night was not finished, as Tyler Smith – the man everyone has been praying for around the entire state of Mississippi the last two weeks, scooped up a fumble at the Delta Devils 35 yard line, and taking it the distance for the touchdown and the final 30-7 score in favor of the Purple and Gold.

“It was so good to see Tyler [Smith] get that touchdown there at the end,” said Alcorn Head Coach Fred McNair. “I just…everyone just…we were so happy for that young man. He deserved it. He DESERVED it!”

Alcorn was led on the night by Allen with 299 yards passing and 23 yards rushing – added his touchdown via the ground.  Howard finished the night with a team-high 63 yards and two scores to help his cause. Malik Rodgersended the contest with four receptions for a team-high 87 yards. Meanwhile, CJ Bolar added a team-high seven receptions for 81 yards, extending his streak of consecutive games with a catch to 14 in the process.

The Braves defense was anchored by Santonial Rice with six tackles and 1.5 quarterback sacks. In his first game back since the season-opener against No. 10 Stephen F. Austin, Claudin Cherelus provided five tackles for the Braves.

MVSU used a 13-for-23 night passing from Jones for 151 yards and a passing touchdown. Caleb Johnson added 64 yards on the ground on 17 carries for the Delta Devils.

Alcorn’s next game will be against SWAC Western Divisional foe Southern (La.) next Saturday at A.W. Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.