Alcorn State defeats Southern 37-28 for SWAC Championship

Down by one headed into the fourth quarter, the Alcorn State University football program scored the final 10 points of the game to win the 2018 SWAC Champion-ship 37-28 against Southern Saturday at Jack Spinks-Marino Casem Stadium.
The go-ahead score was a 41-yard field goal by junior Corey McCullough with 11:31 left. The Braves (9-3, 6-1 SWAC) put the game away with a 14-yard touchdown run by junior De’Shawn Waller with 3:47 remaining.
Junior quarterback Noah Johnson, the 2018 SWAC Offensive Player of the Year, was named the 2018 SWAC Championship Offensive Most Valuable Player. He threw for 135 yards on 18-of-25 passing and rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns against the Jaguars (7-4, 6-1 SWAC).
The SWAC Championship Defensive MVP was junior Brelion Hollis. He led the Braves with seven tackles, including 0.5 sacks.
Alcorn sacked Southern quarterback Ladarius Skel-ton six times, and junior Terry Whittington had 1.5 sacks.
Alcorn outgained Southern 518-347 in total offense, including 370-123 in rushing.
Waller, the 2018 SWAC Newcomer of the Year, ran for a game-high 177 yards and three touchdowns, in-cluding an 83-yard score.
Johnson connected with eight different receivers. Senior Dayall Harris hauled in a team-high six receptions for 50 yards.
Defensively, junior Javen Morrison grabbed an inter-ception and returned it 38 yards. Sophomore Qwynnterrio Cole tied for a team-high seven tackles and had two pass break-ups. Morrison and Cole were All-Conference First-Team honorees.
Skelton was dangerous all night for the Jags as he totaled four touchdowns. He threw for 194 yards and a score and ran for 65 yards and three touchdowns.
Trey Smith caught seven passes for 120 yards and a touchdown for Southern.
The Jaguars got the ball first and started with good field position after the kick return was brought to the Southern 46. Skelton kept the first play on a quarter-back-option run and picked up 15 yards to the Alcorn 39.
Southern then was situated with a 4th-and-1 at the Alcorn 30 and got the first down on a two-yard run by Benn. The Jaguars scored on the following play on a 28-yard run to the left by Skelton to take a 7-0 lead at the 12:26 mark.
On Alcorn’s first posses-sion, the Braves started with a 12-yard completion to Harris. Johnson then kept it on a dash to the right for a gain of 22 to the Southern 42.
The Braves advanced the ball to the Southern 26 after a pass interference call, and a first-down grab by fresh-man Juan Anthony Jr. on a screen setup Alcorn in the red zone at the Southern 13.
The Braves capped the se-ries with a 13-yard touch-down run by Waller to the right to tie it at 7 with 8:35 left.
The Braves started their second series at their own 17 when Waller took the carry, darted through the middle and was gone down the right side for a touchdown on the first play for a 14-7 Alcorn edge with 6:03 remaining in the first.
Late in the first quarter, the Jaguars countered. A 23-yard run by Devon Benn moved it to the Alcorn 26, and Southern even the score at 14 on a 22-yard pass to Smith with 2:43 re-maining.
Alcorn took the lead late in the first half.
The Braves got the ball back at their own 35 with 1:50 remaining and started a drive with a reverse to Blair, who ran it to the 47 for a gain of 12.
After two short rushes by Waller, Johnson kept it on a quarterback-option to the left and took it to the house for a 44-yard touchdown run with 43 seconds left and a 21-14 Alcorn lead.
While Alcorn went three-and-out on its first series of the second half, the Braves got the ball back after Morrison cut off an intended receiver for an interception on a deep pass and ran it to the Southern 25.
Johnson’s helmet came off on first down, and sophomore Felix Harper completed a pass to Anderson for 13 yards and a first down. The Braves punched it in on a one-yard run by Johnson as he jumped high and stretched the ball across the line. The extra point was blocked, but Alcorn was on top 27-14 with 11:12 remaining.
Southern answered with a six-play, 73-yard drive for a touchdown. The big play was a deep pass from Skelton to Hunter Register for 42 yards.
The scoring play was a one-yard run by Skelton, which cut the deficit to 27-21 at the 8:46 mark.
After a punt, the Jaguars were on the move again after a pass was completed to Kendall Catalon for 17 yards to the Alcorn 38.
On 3rd-and-10, Skelton nearly got sacked but escaped the pocket and scampered for 19 yards to the Alcorn 19. The Jaguars took the lead 28-27 on a four-yard run by Skelton with 3:56 left.
The Braves had the ball to start the fourth quarter and handed it to Waller for a gain of 24 to the Alcorn 39. The Braves kept moving in the right direction after a defensive pass interference call. A rush of 15 yards by Johnson moved it to the Southern 29.
After a bad snap resulted in 3rd-and-long, McCullough kicked a 41-yard field goal for the Braves to go back on top 30-28 with 11:31 remaining.
On their next drive, the Braves kept it on the ground to begin the series and moved the chains on a rush by Johnson to the Alcorn 46.
A second third-down con-version was made on a screen to Harris to the Southern 42.
Johnson kept it on a 25-yard rush to spot the ball at the Southern 14. A 14-yard touchdown run by Waller through the middle capped the drive and gave the Braves a 37-28 advantage with 3:47 left.
Morgan City High alum and Alcorn State redshirt junior Kevon Marsh received playing time Saturday.
Up next, the Braves will play for the HBCU Champi-onship when they take on North Carolina A&T from the MEAC in the 2018 Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl Dec. 15 at 11 a.m. in Atlanta.