Alcorn State Visits Vanderbilt

The Alcorn State Braves are headed to FirstBank Stadium to face the Vanderbilt Commodores at 7:30 tonight.

Alcorn Struggles

Alcorn began the season with a hefty loss (41-3) to the UAB Blazers last weekend. The Braves were only able to conjure up 177 total yards, of which 117 were rushing. The Alcorn defense had no answer for the Blazers, allowing 517 yards and five touchdowns.

With UAB quarterback Jacob Zeno throwing for 215 yards and a pair of touchdowns, some concerns have been raised about Alcorn’s lackluster defense facing Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who averaged 15.8 yards per completion last weekend.

Underdog Upset

Vanderbilt is coming off of a massive win last week by defeating Virginia Tech in overtime. After entering the game as a 13.5 point underdogs, Vanderbilt stunned Virginia Tech with an early 17-0 lead.

Quarterback Kyron Drones kept the Hokies in the game by throwing for 322 yards and two touchdowns. Although Virginia Tech took the lead late in the fourth quarter, Pavia answered with a touchdown to retie the game with under two minutes on the clock.

Virginia Tech fans then collectively let out a sigh of relief when Vanderbilt kicker Brock Taylor missed a 43-yard game-winning field goal attempt as time expired.

After sending the game to overtime tied at 27, Pavia scored on a four-yard touchdown run to put the Commodores ahead 34-27. Next, with a defensive stop, the Commodores stood victorious in a game they were predicted to lose 31-18.

Ball Safety

While none were lost to the opposing defense, Vanderbilt struggled to handle the football last Saturday, fumbling three times. This may raise some concern for Vanderbilt’s offense tonight against an ASU team which forced and recovered two fumbles last Saturday.

However, Alcorn’s poor secondary and run defense still provides a favorable matchup for Pavia and the Commodores.

Today

Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea noted the Commodores need to clean up their game and focus on execution:

Lea said he expects the Braves to be “ready to play and fired up” on Saturday. Also, Lea has not counted out Alcorn State, claiming they have athleticism and a disruptive defense: