Southern defeats SWAC leader Alcorn State | South

The battle for first place in the Southwestern Conference West Division between Southern and Alcorn State became a test of wills between teams determined to run the ball.

Southern not only held its own with the conference leaders, but also outscored them as they cruised past the Braves 24-14 on Saturday night’s homecoming at AW Mumford Stadium.

Southern kicker Joshua Griffin got things started by hitting a 39-yard field goal with 6:50 to play. The score capped a 15-play drive in which Southern (4-3, 3-0 SWAC) attempted a pass.

It was a classic, fast-paced drive with only one run longer than 10 yards. Southern stalled at the Alcorn State 23 and then called for Griffin to put the ball up for a 17-14 lead.

Alcorn (4-4, 3-1) took the kickoff and advanced to midfield, but quarterback Xzavier Vaughn fumbled the ball away after a quarterback draw. Herman Brister recovered, and one play later Kendric Rhymes took a handoff 46 yards for the game-winning touchdown.

Alcorn came into the game averaging 202 yards rushing. The Braves rushed for 210 yards, but Southern had its best rushing game of the season, a 295-yard attempt.

There were many carrying options. Rhymes finished the game with 133 yards on 17 carries. Kobe Dillon ran 15 times for 91 yards, and Jaguars quarterback Noah Bodden added four carries for 38 yards and a touchdown.

Through the air, Bodden completed 13 of 21 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown.

Southern played better against Alcorn for most of the first half, but was still locked in a 14-14 tie. The Jaguars had chances early after forcing two turnovers, but fell behind 7-0 before finding a rhythm.

A big part of that was due to the ground game, which generated 171 yards in the first 30 minutes.

After spending the first quarter in Alcorn territory, Southern started its first drive of the second quarter on its own side of the field. The Jaguars then went 65 yards in eight plays to tie the score at 7-7.

CJ Russell carried four balls for 21 yards while Bodden completed two passes, the second a 15-yard shoulder strike to Datraveon Brown at the Alcorn 20. On the next play, Bodden stayed to the right before making his way to the end forward moving zone.

Southern overcame a holding penalty on its next possession by driving 80 yards to take a 14-7 lead. Bodden got his arm on target again and delivered a perfect pass to a well-covered Brown for a 37-yard touchdown.

Southern almost came out of halftime with the lead, but wide receiver Cameron Jackson fumbled near midfield after a 21-yard reception. Alcorn’s Stemarion Edwards rebounded with 1:52 left in the half.

There was enough time for the Braves to score a quick 47-yard drive. Vaughn capped the game with an 8-yard run and the score was 14-14 at halftime.