LORMAN – Talk about your first impressions. The McNeese State Cowboys held the Alcorn State Braves to minus-2 yards rushing in a 41-12 shelling Saturday in the first ever meeting of the two teams.

&uot;We obviously didn’t play well tonight,&uot; said Alcorn head coach Dr.

Johnny Thomas. &uot;We couldn’t take advantage of opportunities we were given. It’s hard when your top people don’t perform well. That tends to trickle down to the rest of the team.&uot;

Starting Alcorn quarterback was Surhaver Fair was seven-for-21 with 72 yards and an interception before being benched in favor of Damion Ford. Ford, who played most of the second half, finished 14-for-24 with 186 yards, an interception and two touchdowns.

&uot;We have an unusual quarterback situation,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;When we start Ford, he doesn’t seem to do well and Fair can come in and ignite the offense. When we start Fair, he’ll get off to a slow start, and Ford can come in and play well. We need to get some consistency at the position.&uot;

Thomas didn’t say who will start next week on the road against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. &uot;It will depend on how they do in practice,&uot; he said.

McNeese (3-1) at one point led the game 34-0, dominating both the offensive and defensive lines.

The Cowboys’ first drive of the game was helped by two Alcorn encroachment penalties that resulted in first downs. The eight-play drive ended in a 12-yard touchdown pass from Slade Nagle to tight end George Thompson and a 7-0 lead.

Alcorn (0-4) had bad field position on its next two possessions. A fumble recovery stopped a likely McNeese touchdown but gave Alcorn the ball on their own 2-yard line. The Braves were forced to punt from the endzone.

Alcorn’s only scores both came in the fourth-quarter on Ford passes, one a 21-yard catch by George Jones and the other a 26-yarder to Rennard Reynolds.

Reynolds finished the game with five catches for 76 yards, and Yancy Wright added 61 yards on six receptions.