LORMAN &045; Things are better up in Lorman.

Not great, but better &045; like one breath of fresh air in a downtown smog. Good, but you’re not out of the woods yet.

So go the Alcorn State Braves, who ended their losing skid last week with a 66-0 walloping of lowly Prairie View A&M, got two key starters on defense back in the lineup and hope to have their turnover problems in their rear-view mirror.

&uot;Any time after a win is fun,&uot; said defensive end Eric Roach, who returned a fumble for a touchdown last week. &uot;Going on a four-game losing streak and bounce back and get a win, you’ve got to start somewhere.&uot;

That’s why no one is acting like it’s the SWAC championship or anything close to it. The win was what the Braves were supposed to do against Prairie View &045; everyone else in the conference beats up on the Panthers &045; but at least they’re moving in the right direction.

How much so will be determined today when they visit Houston to take on Texas Southern at 4 p.m. in the Reliant Astrodome.

&uot;I’m hoping it’s a new start for us,&uot; Alcorn head coach Johnny Thomas said. &uot;Realistically, we can say that, too, because of the previous losses only one had a significant impact on our record in respect to the Eastern Division. Don’t get me wrong, we didn’t want to lose those games. We wanted to end the season with a good record, be ranked and vie for the SWAC championship. But you’ve got to start somewhere when you’re trying to start over. We’ve got to continue to improve.&uot;

Both sides of the ball clicked in the win over PV, and outside of the lower number of turnovers (just one fumble) you’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger bright spot than the defense.

The shutout was their first since 1999 and third in the last 10 years, and the defense would have been the worst in the SWAC had it not been for Prairie View.

And when Division II Fort Valley State put nearly 300 yards rushing on the Braves two weeks ago, something must have snapped.

&uot;We had to refocus and do what we’re taught to do with our assignments,&uot; Roach said. &uot;That’s where our breakdowns have been. That’s where people were beating us.&uot;

Doing so at this point may be a little easier with the return of linebacker Dwan Wilson and Omega Logan to the lineup after both missed significant time earlier in the season. The defense lost defensive back Jeremy Stockdale for the season.

While Wilson and Logan combined to lead the team with 20 tackles, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one interception, a half sack and one quarterback hurry, their presence goes much deeper than paper.

&uot;Our secondary and defensive line pretty much were the recipients of Logan’s and Wilson’s leadership and communication,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;Those guys are necessary to make communication with the defensive line and the secondary. Having Omega and Dwan out put a lot of stress on our defense.&uot;

And how significant are the two? Not putting down their replacements or anyone else, but they’re pretty darned valuable.

&uot;We’ve got some guys who can back them up and step up their play and do the very same things, but it’s like the Atlanta Falcons losing a Michael Vick,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;They’ve got a new quarterback who can play, but he doesn’t bring the same speed and athleticism that Vick does for the offense. Teams have to really focus their defenses for him, and that’s the same thing about Omega.

&uot;You take out those two at linebacker, you’re taking out over 98 percent of our defense in regard to what they bring to the table.&uot;

The Braves’ defense will have to be a key against a Texas

Southern team that’s struggled for points but are playing at home for the first time in four games. The Tigers ended their three-game losing skid last week with a 7-6 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but they’ve scored just 12 points in their last three games.

The Tigers have done it on the ground so far as they lead the SWAC in rushing attempts and are last in pass attempts.

&uot;They can throw it pretty well, but we’ll have to stop the run,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;They interchange three quarterbacks, and all three has their own fort. If we’re not able to stop the run, we’ll be in bad shape. If we can, we’ll be in good position to dictate what they do.&uot;

The Braves will make a game-time decision on who plays center today. All three &045; starter Zephaniah Smalley and back-ups Jonathan Lowe and James Bolden &045; are battling ankle injuries, Thomas said.

Smalley, a senior starter from Dallas, suffers from chronic ankle problems.