In a season of rebirth for the program, Alcorn State is dealing this week with another new task — how to get back up after getting hit in the mouth.

The Braves (5-2, 4-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) suffered their first conference loss of the season last week, 28-21 at Grambling. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak and halted the momentum of the program’s best start in more than a decade.

There was little time to sulk, though, since a talented Texas Southern team is coming to Lorman on Saturday.

“Give Grambling credit, they deserved to win. But it does help you focus back in, for sure,” Alcorn coach Jay Hopson said. “Hopefully that’s something we can use to our advantage.”

Despite the lost game, Hopson said the Braves did salvage a few things from the weekend as a whole.

First, they didn’t lose any ground in the standings. Second-place Alabama State also lost, so Alcorn maintained its two-game lead over the Hornets (4-3, 3-2) in the Eastern Division. Alcorn owns the head-to-head tiebreaker between the teams.

Secondly, Hopson said he was pleased with the fight the Braves showed against Grambling. They fell behind 21-0 early in the second quarter, fumbled deep in their own territory, missed a field goal, and turned it over on downs on another possession inside the Grambling 5.

They battled back, however, to score two fourth-quarter touchdowns and get within 28-21 on Arron Baker’s 3-yard TD run with 3:17 remaining. The Braves got the ball back at their own 4-yard line with 30 seconds left and moved to the Grambling 24 before running out of time.

“One thing we were proud of is, just like at Southern Miss, we gave ourselves a chance on the last possession,” Hopson said, referencing Alcorn’s other loss this season.

Up next for the Braves is Texas Southern (5-1, 3-1), which started the season 5-0 but has struggled since.

The Tigers were blown out by Alabama State on Sept. 27 and needed a late touchdown to beat a then-winless Mississippi Valley State team 20-16 on Oct. 4. Texas Southern was off last week.

“They’ve got a good football team. They play the game fast,” Hopson said. “They’ve got a two- or three-headed deal with their quarterback, and they all do a good job with the offense.”

Texas Southern’s three quarterbacks are Jamal Small, Homer Casuey and Jay Christophe. Small is the only one to have played in all six of the Tigers’ games, but Causey has thrown for 310 yards and three touchdowns, and Christophe has 200 yards and one TD.

Neither Causey nor Christophe have thrown an interception in 71 combined passing attempts.

The three quarterbacks are also a threat to run, with a combined 356 yards and four touchdowns. Hopson said their athleticism makes them dangerous, but their similar styles made it a little easier to put together a defensive game plan.

“It’s only a real difference when one is athletic and one isn’t. But these guys are all athletic, so they’re running the same things,” Hopson said.