After destroying Mississippi Valley 55-14 last week, Alcorn will take a break from their conference schedule to host Concordia College of Alabama in Lorman Saturday. Concordia is the last non-district opponent the Braves play this season.

The two schools have met in the past and Hopson knows exactly what the Hornets are capable of.

“Concordia is a team we’ve played before in year’s past, that we know is a dangerous football team. It’s just a game we have to be prepared and ready for,” said Alcorn coach Jay Hopson in his Southwestern Athletic Conference Telecast this week.

The Braves are a team of mature players who ‘ve learned to remain focused throughout the season.

Hopson will approach this week’s matchup like any other game on their schedule. During his postgame press conference after Valley, Hopson talked about always being prepared for your next opponent.

“It’s a game where you have to get ready each week. That’s what a good football team does,” Hopson said. “A good football team gets ready every week and that’s what we need to do. We need to correct the mistakes me made and learn from those.”

Senior defensive end Darien Moody said Hopson respects every opponent and doesn’t take anyone lightly. Whether it’s Concordia or the Georgia Tech, Moody said the intensity in practice and preparation will be the same.

Through the first three weeks of the season, Hopson has been pleased with his younger players.

The newcomers have formed one of his strongest defensive units.

The Braves only allowed 14 first downs and 191total yards from Mississippi Valley.

“I think up front defensively, we really are playing really well. We knew we had some younger talented guys up there, that’s always a positive,” Hopson said.

Hopson is also pleased with his John Gibbs and his upperclassmen for how they lead the team, which is something he feels the team needs to have to be successful.

This season Gibbs has completed 43-of-70 passes with one interception. He’s thrown 473 yards for two touchdowns.

Gibbs has also shown he can keep plays alive with his feet by rushing 28 times for 223 yards for three touchdowns. He broke away from Valley’s defense with a 72-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter.

Heading into the game against Concordia, Gibbs said the offense has to work on not turning the ball over.

“They’re just like anybody else,” GIbbs said. “You sleep on them, they’ll beat you, if not you’ll demolish them.”