LORMAN &045; Let the record show Alcorn return specialist Lonnie Teagle is quite familiar with how to call for a fair catch.

Yet with his quickness and hard-to-catch 5-4 frame, it’s almost a crime to not let him try to make something out of a punt. The Braves never used him to call fair catch last season, and he ended the season breaking a host of school records &045; including most kickoff return yards and punt return yards in a career.

Fortunately for Teagle, that’s the only thing that was broken. The little guy got just hammered at times waiting for punts, only to hop right up, dust himself off and head to the sideline.

&uot;I haven’t called it since my freshman year,&uot; said Teagle, who earned second team Preseason All-SWAC. &uot;I’m trying to make something happen on every return. They watch film, and the other team sees we’re not fair-catching. Some teams are dirty and trying to take me out, but I’ve got God protecting me. I keep getting up.&uot;

Teagle hasn’t stayed down since a serious hamstring injury in 2002 kept him out of the second part of the season, and last year he kept taking licks that would make pro boxers flinch on punt returns.

Calling for a fair catch may not be completely out of Teagle’s vocabulary this fall, but put it like this &045; when the season is over, you could likely count the number of times he’ll do it on one hand and still have fingers left over.

&uot;That’s something we don’t like to do,&uot; said Alcorn head coach Johnny Thomas, who is also the team’s special teams coordinator. &uot;I believe every time we catch the football we can it return it for long yards. But we changed our blocking scheme to protect him more than we did last year. We could have protected him last year, but we had breakdowns in our assignments.&uot;

Teagle took all of that in stride, and his put together his best season since his freshman campaign in 2001. He finished the season with over 1,000 yards on kickoff returns and was second in the conference in all-purpose yards per game at 117.7.

His 9.9 yards per punt return was second in the conference as well, a figure that he truly worked for after getting pounded on a number of punts.

Now things may be looking brighter for this fall after Thomas and the Braves tweaked some things on the return team. The NCAA took out the old halo rule, which makes things even tougher for Teagle on punt returns.

Both units have to replace starters from a year ago &045; three on punt return and four on kickoff.

&uot;We’ve got to replace some people,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;We’re not as experienced on the return team as we’d like, but we’re working hard on that to give him the opportunities to have good returns and score some touchdowns. If we can improve our blocking, that’ll open up opportunities to run the football. He’s got to do his part by getting ready for the kick or the punt.&uot;

Of course, the ultimate goal for Teagle is to really break one. In his three years on The Reservation, he’s yet to score a touchdown &045; a fact that’s not so little-known among his teammates.

Teagle broke two returns for touchdowns as a senior in high school in Texas, but he’s yet to see the end zone with Alcorn. The closest he got was two seasons ago in the loss at Grambling when he had just the punter and the safety to beat but got dragged down by someone at the 15.

&uot;I’ve gotten so close so many times,&uot; Teagle said. &uot;It’s going to be big for me. They said when I score we’re going to get a celebration penalty. I’m trying my best.&uot;

If there’s anybody who wants to see the little guy get a touchdown more than Teagle himself, it’s Thomas.

Teagle’s time has come, he said.

&uot;He’s going to get it,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;Sometimes things just happen that way for certain situations and certain people. He’s working hard on returns. He’s going to get a touchdown. If he doesn’t get a touchdown, I’m going to resign as special teams coordinator. I told him that, so he’s got to score a touchdown.&uot;

If he doesn’t get into the end zone, Teagle will be just happy helping the Braves win this fall. The senior recreation major is set to graduate in the spring, and he’s part of a group of seniors this fall who have a chance to do something Alcorn has never done &045; play for the SWAC Championship.

The Braves are the preseason favorite to win the East.

&uot;I just want to finish strong,&uot; Teagle said. &uot;This may be my last year ever playing football. A lot of NFL or pro teams aren’t looking for a guy my size. I’m just hoping to finish up my up my football career and have something to look back on. Hopefully special teams will get good field position and help out the team as much as we can.&uot;

ASU NOTES &045; The Braves held their first two-a-day workout Saturday and had their first serious injury of camp in the morning session. Freshman defensive tackle Jonathan Dansby out of Birmingham, Ala., was transported to a nearby hospital after suffering a knee injuryŠ.The Braves, along with all other SWAC teams, will sport new uniforms this fall thanks to a new agreement with Russell Athletic Corp. Alcorn’s new home jersey will be purple with gold siding in a design similar to the Denver Broncos. The jerseys will also have the players’ last names on the back.