Alabama State 38, Alcorn State 3

September 24, 2005

MONTGOMERY, Ala. ­ Alabama State scored on its first four possessions, and the defending SWAC champions earned a 38-3 victory over Alcorn State at Cramton Bowl.

Alcorn led 3-0 midway through the first quarter, but the Alabama State duo of quarterback Tarvaris Jackson and running back Keldrick Williams erased that deficit quickly.

Jackson completed 11 of his first 12 passes, including touchdown passes of 5 and 48 yards. He finished 20-of-25 for 321 yards and three touchdowns.

Williams scored on first-quarter runs of 2 and 15 yards, and he finished with a team-high 99 yards on 17 carries.

Alabama State built a 28-3 lead midway through the second quarter, and the Hornets (3-1 overall, 3-0 in SWAC) were never seriously threatened the rest of the way.

“It’s very disappointing to play the way we did tonight,” Alcorn State coach Johnny Thomas said. “We must regroup and get ready for the rest of the SWAC schedule.” Alcorn State is now 0-2 on the road this season, while Alabama State won its third in a row.

Freshman Charlie Hobson got the start at quarterback for Alcorn State (1-2, 0-1), and he got off to a strong start.

Hobson completed 6-of-7 passes to move the ball to the Hornets’ 1 on the game’s opening drive. The drive stalled there, however, as Alcorn ran nine plays ­ thanks to several defensive penalties on Alabama State ­ from inside the 10 but did not score.

Jeremy Shea kicked a 23-yard field goal to cap a 15-play, 70-yard drive, but the Hornets grabbed the momentum by keeping the Braves out of the end zone.

Alabama State answered quickly, moving 59 yards in six plays. Keldrick Williams scored on a 2-yard run to stake the Hornets to a 7-3 lead.

After an Alcorn punt, Alabama State moved 73 yards in five plays. Williams scored on a 15-yard run on the final play of the first quarter.

Alabama State then went to the air in the second quarter, as Jackson threw a 5-yard touchdown to Lorenzo Hoffman to end a six-play, 73-yard drive.

Then, after Brandon Averett’s interception, the Hornets needed just three plays to move 60 yards.

Jackson hooked up with Alvance Robinson for a 48-yard touchdown pass and a 28-3 lead.

Neither team scored in the third quarter, but Alabama State added to its lead in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.

Robinson scored on a 43-yard catch-and-run, giving Jackson three TD passes as the Hornets extended their lead to 35-3. Anthony Johnson added a 38-yard field goal with 4:16 to play to end the scoring.

Oliver Bozeman replaced Hobson at quarterback midway through the third quarter, but he could not energize the Alcorn offense. He finished 0-for-2 for 0 yards, while Hobson was 9-for-23 for 93 yards. Hobson also threw two interceptions.

Bozeman started at wide receiver, and he caught two passes for 15 yards. He also ran the ball five times for 45 yards.

Third-string quarterback Chris Walker also played for Alcorn in the fourth quarter, and he finished 0-for-2 with one interception.

A shoulder injury kept Alcorn wide receiver Nate Hughes from playing for the second straight week, and wide receiver Charlie Spiller went down with a leg injury late in the first half but he returned after halftime. Hughes is expected to miss the season.