HATTIESBURG — Alcorn State came into Saturday’s game with Southern Miss not wanting just a moral victory. The Braves knew they had the talent to compete with a struggling team on the road and, by the time the fourth quarter came to an end, were mere seconds away from leaving Hattiesburg with a victory in their back pocket.

Behind a bruising run game that compiled 295 yards, Alcorn State came almost all the way back from a 16-point deficit in the second half and got the ball with a minute to go and a chance to take the lead. Then quarterback John Gibbs Jr. made one of his few mistakes on the night, gifting an interception to Southern Miss cornerback Jomez Applewhite that ended the team’s hopes for an upset and sealed a 26-20 loss to the Golden Eagles.

“We knew it was going to be a hard-fought battle. We expected a hard-fought battle,” said Alcorn State coach Jay Hopson, a former Southern Miss assistant. “We talked to our kids going in, we said this is going to be a fourth quarter game. We thought we could win it. We fought hard but the chips didn’t fall right for us in the end.”

After a Corey Acosta field goal, USM quarterback Nick Mullens lofted a 7-yard TD pass to James Cox, who was able to barely drag a foot in the back of the end zone to put Southern Miss up 10-0. It was a controversial call upheld by a booth review to give the Eagles a cushion in the first quarter.

“I would like to see that on film … but that’s football. That happens sometimes,” Hopson said. “At the end of the day, both teams fought hard. Give Southern Miss credit. That’s a well-deserved win.”

Southern Miss later went up 17-0 on a 38-yard touchdown pass from Nick Mullens to Marquise Ricard with 5:54 to go in the second quarter.

Mullens finished the game 21-of-33 passing for 208 yards and two touchdowns. Ito Smith ran for 118 yards on 32 carries for USM (1-1), which won its first home game since 2011 — and for just the second time in 26 games overall.

Acosta kicked four field goals. His 41-yarder with 9:10 left in the fourth quarter put Southern Miss ahead 26-13.

The Braves never panicked despite the early hole, however, and utilized their running back-by-committee approach to wear down Southern Miss and get back in the game.

Gibbs rushed for a 33-yard touchdown to answer a USM score and make the game 17-7, and it was his legs that outshined his arm throughout the night. The junior rushed for 161 yards and a score. He was 14-of-26 passing for just 94 yards.

It was the second game in a row the Braves were able to rush for more than 250 yards, and it brought them to the edge of a monumental upset. Darryan Ragsdale took the majority of the snaps at running back, ending the night with 111 yards on 11 carries. But Anthony Williams III had the most crucial touch for Alcorn (1-1) when he rumbled into the end zone after a long Gibbs scramble to bring the Braves within six points with 7:32 left in the game.

“We run hard and physical and that’s good. That’s what we want,” Hopson said. “They did a good job for us tonight. Again, just a hard-fought loss. These are hard to wake up in the morning to, but I couldn’t be prouder of our football team.”

The third-year head coach’s team hurt itself throughout the night with 74 penalty yards and two turnovers that ultimately put it out of arm’s reach of a win, but Hopson was proud of his team’s effort. It was a performance he hopes his players will build on as they prepare for Southwestern Athletic Conference play.

Alcorn hosts Division III Louisiana College next week, then moves into its conference schedule with a road game at Mississippi Valley State on Sept. 20.

“I couldn’t be prouder. We have a bunch of young men that fought for Alcorn State. They love the purple and gold, and there’s a lot of broken hearts in there, because they certainly gave a great effort tonight.”