LORMAN — Backup quarterback Noah Johnson accounted for five touchdowns and wide receiver Norlando Veals had more than 200 yards receiving as Alcorn State clinched its fourth consecutive Southwestern Athletics Conference East Division championship with a dominant 59-0 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Saturday.

The Braves (7-3, 5-1 SWAC) outgained the Delta Devils (2-8, 1-5) 748 yards to 215.

“I thought these guys came out and played very hard. Give credit to Valley, Coach (Rick) Comegy and his group, they came out and played very physical,” Alcorn coach Fred McNair said. “I thought we came out kind of sluggish in the first half and got a slow start there. We didn’t execute as well in the first half as we did coming out in the second half.”

The Braves will become the first team to play in four straight SWAC championship games when they head to Houston on Dec. 2 to play either Grambling or Southern.

“That is a credit to the coaching staff,” Johnson said. “Recruiting and everything we are a powerhouse team now … We are the powerhouse of the SWAC and I feel like we are the best team in the SWAC and we are going to show this for the next three weeks we’ve got left.”

The Braves missed the school record for yards in a game by only 10. They gained 322 yards through the air and 424 on the ground, with three players running for more than 97 yards each. Johnson had 122 yards and two touchdowns, De’Lance Turner had 171 yards and two touchdowns, and P.J. Simmons had 97 yards and one score.

Johnson started in place of Lenorris Footman, who missed his second straight game with an undisclosed injury, and took full advantage of the opportunity. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns in only three quarters of action.

His favorite target throughout the game was Veals, who finished with 253 receiving yards and three touchdowns on nine receptions. Veals caught a 17-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, and then two long scores of 62 and 66 yards in the third quarter.

“With this receiving corps, they just have so much faith in me they just tell me to throw the ball up,” Johnson said. “They say put it anywhere in their vicinity and they are going to catch it. That is what I love about this receiving corps.”

McNair was noncommittal on who will start under center in next week’s regular-season finale against Jackson State, saying they will go through the week of practice and make a decision Saturday.

“Noah knows that any time something happens to Foot, he is the next guy up,” McNair said. “He’s got to be prepared and I think he was today. Noah does a great job for us coming in and playing the way he played. We don’t miss too much when Noah comes in.”

The Braves’ defense dominated the Delta Devils in their own right, as they only allowed Mississippi Valley’s offense to cross midfield four times on 14 possessions.

Two of those four drives were brought to a screeching halt by the Braves as the defense bounced back to force key interceptions.

In all, the Braves forced four turnovers including an interception in the end zone by Allen Bruce in the third quarter to erase the Delta Devils’ best scoring opportunity. They also registered five sacks.

Saturday’s win marked Alcorn’s fifth straight over Valley and stretched its winning streak over East Division foes to 11.

Johnson threw an interception on Alcorn’s first drive of the game, but from there the Braves were off and running as they scored touchdowns on their next two possessions and added two more before halftime to go into the locker room up 28-0. Turner was the tone setter in the first half, accounting for 114 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.

He finished the game with 171 yards on 18 carries, giving him 1,180 yards on the season. He’s 106 yards shy of Rodney Thomas’s single-season school record of 1,286 yards set in 1998.