Every time an Alcorn State game ends, it seems like the main topic of discussion is the Braves’ vicious running game. Spearheaded by budding star Darryan Ragsdale, the Braves’ rushing attack has pulverized teams each and every week en route to a 5-1 start.

That trend was no different Thursday after Alcorn used five different rushers to roll up 391 yards on the ground in a 33-7 win over Alabama State, jumping Yale as the No. 1 rushing offense in the Football Championship Subdivision. But it was the other run game, the one the Braves stifled for just 48 yards, which should have people talking.

Alabama State came into last week’s contest with a Top 10 rushing offense and a running back averaging 144 yards a game. Alcorn’s swarming defense made both look little more than pedestrian.

“I thought we played physical. I thought we had good gap integrity,” Alcorn coach Jay Hopson said. “That’s how you shut down a good running attack and that’s what we did. Sometimes we got backed up but we kept slamming the door on them.”

With the offense getting all the love, Alcorn’s aggressive defense has somewhat taken a backseat. The Braves are holding opponents to a mere 261.2 yards per game and stifled the FCS’s No. 2 running back, Alabama State’s Malcolm Cyrus, to just 65 yards on 22 carries. So while the offense enjoys the headlines, the defense will continue to give its opponents headaches.

Hopson’s squad ranks sixth overall in the FCS in total defense, giving up just 3.96 yards per play and an amazing 9.8 points per game in non-Football Bowl Subdivision play. Being able to stop other teams before they’re even able to think about getting started has helped spark the offense and led to some lopsided victories that have become the norm from this year’s Alcorn State team.

Alcorn has outscored its opponents 152-46 in the first half this season, and 94-26 in the second quarter. It’s had first-half shutouts in three games and only allowed six offensive touchdowns overall.

Alcorn is 3-0 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and in first place in the East Division after its win over Alabama State. It’ll put its stout defense to the test on the road this Saturday against a Grambling State team enjoying a three-game win streak. The Tigers (3-3, 3-0) have yet to lose in SWAC play and are averaging 34.6 points per game in their last three contests. Hopson knows his team will have to continue its dominant ways on the defensive side of the ball to extend its own four-game winning streak and stay on track for the first division title in the program’s history.

“We’ve got to go to work,” Hopson said. “We’ve got a good Grambling team coming up here. We’ve got to go to work and get ready to play.”