Alcorn is in the same exact point in the season as last year. The Braves were 3-0 heading into the game against Grambling and came out on the losing side. But, they went on to become the Southwestern Athletic Conference champions.

It’s too early to predict if they will head to the conference championship and play in the HBCU postseason bowl game, but the Braves (4-2, 4-1 SWAC) are capable of bouncing back from the loss, which is the message heading into its second bye week this month.

Alcorn will next play at Southern University in Baton Rouge on Halloween, in a rematch of last year’s SWAC championship game.

“We have another good football team coming in Southern, who’s an excellent football team. So we have to bounce back and go to work and get ready for them,” said Alcorn coach Jay Hopson.

The Braves came out the gate making mistakes on offense in Saturday’s 35-34 overtime loss to Grambling. They fumbled the ball on their first possession after quarterback John Gibbs Jr. rushed for negative yards. Things didn’t get any better as they finished the game with eight penalties.

“I just think we didn’t execute,” Hopson said. “We knew coming in it was going to be a tough game. We knew it was going to be a hard-fought game, we just came up on the short side of the ball.”

For the first time this season, Alcorn had trouble getting the snap off to Gibbs. Half of their penalties came on delay of game calls in the second half.

Grambling scored on all three of its red zone chances and overcame a 14-point deficit to tie the game at 28 late in the third quarter. The Tigers were successful on a two-point conversion in the second quarter where they lined up in a swinging gate formation and Martez Carter received the pass from wide receiver Chad Williams.

In spite of all the hiccups on offense and special teams, the Braves were able to hold Grambling to just 14 points in the second half.

They held the Tigers to 2-of-10 on third down conversions and 343 yards of total offense, and Eric Foster came away with an interception early in the second quarter.

“You’re proud they’re fighters and battled back. Overtime losses and one-point losses, those are the ones you don’t sleep at night after,” Hopson said.

However, he blames himself for not going for the two-point conversion and the win in overtime. After Grambling scored on its overtime possession, Gibbs scored on a 7-yard run to pull Alcorn within a point, 35-34.

The extra point to force a second overtime period was blocked, and Grambling got out of Lorman with a victory.

“My gut was telling me to go for two. We had kind of shawshanked a kick earlier. On fourth-and-one I thought we had a better chance of getting the yard,” Hopson said.