Through five games, Alcorn State has taken on the look of a juggernaut in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

So has Alabama State.

Thursday night in Lorman, one of them has to fall.

The Braves and Hornets meet at Jack Spinks Stadium, in front of a national television audience on ESPNU, with control of the SWAC Eastern Division on the line.

The winner gets what amounts to a two-game lead in the division, thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker, while the loser will play catch-up the rest of the season and hope for a lucky break.

Alcorn coach Jay Hopson said he realized the huge implications of Thursday’s game, but was trying to focus on the smaller picture rather than the big one.

“You can’t worry about too much of that stuff,” the Vicksburg native said. “It is a two-game swing, but at the end of the day it’s the next game and you’ve got to take it that way.”

Alcorn (4-1, 2-0 SWAC) and Alabama State (4-1, 3-0) have emerged as not only the top two teams in the East, but perhaps in the entire conference.

Both have done it behind powerful running games.

Alcorn is ranked No. 2 nationally in the Football Championship Subdivision in rushing yardage, with 318 per game.

Alabama State is seventh, at 272.2, but also boasts the No. 2 individual rusher, Malcolm Cyrus. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound senior running back has rushed for 730 yards and four touchdowns.

Both teams have taken a team-based approach to the running game as well. While Cyrus is Alabama State’s workhorse, running back Khalid Thomas has run for 295 yards and two touchdowns and quarterback Daniel Duhart has 119 yards and four TDs. Duhart has also passed for 942 yards and six touchdowns.

Alcorn, meanwhile, has six players with at least 100 rushing yards and seven have scored at least one rushing touchdown.

Darryan Ragsdale has a team-high 359 yards and three touchdowns for the Braves, who have scored 50 points or more in four of their five games.

“It’s working out,” Hopson said of a running attack that primarily features Ragsdale, Anthony Williams III and Arron Baker. “It’s what we’ve always been. All three of the backs as a whole are contributing. All three are running hard and physical.”

In addition to the running game, four players — including running back Casey Freeman and receiver Zerick Rollins — have thrown at least one touchdown pass.

Alcorn might find some running room against Alabama State, which is giving up 129.8 yards per game on the ground.

“I think we’re executing good. The quarterback (John Gibbs, Jr.) has gotten older and that helps with his reads. That’s critical,” Hopson said.

Thursday’s game is the second in a tough October for Alcorn. A road trip to surprising Grambling (2-3, 2-0) comes next week, followed by a home game with Texas Southern (4-1, 2-1).

Hopson, though, isn’t looking beyond the showdown with Alabama State.

“You don’t know what’s going to happen three weeks down the road, whether this game will even mean anything by then,” he said. “It’s all about the full body of work.”

On TV

Thursday

6:30 p.m., ESPNU

Alabama State at Alcorn State