LORMAN &045; Just where did the off-season go?

Where was the transition, the getting-back-in-the-swing-of-things game, the rust that needed to be knocked off? There was little difference between Alcorn’s final regular season game last season (a 49-25 win over Jackson State) and last week’s season opener (34-23 over Grambling).

That ol’ Carrie-to-Spiller touchdown connection last week looked just like last season’s squad. Outside of surrendering a kickoff return for a touchdown, the Braves were about as solid in a season opener as they have been in quite some time.

&uot;We left off where we started last year,&uot; said Charlie Spiller, who along with quarterback Donald Carrie emerged this week as a candidate for the Conerly Trophy for the state’s top player. &uot;Hopefully we’ll continue to do that for the next 10 games. It was just a continuation. We came into the game with one mindset, and that was to win the ball game. Everybody came in with their A game.&uot;

Things were so good in such a tough environment last week that calling Alcorn a team that needs to work on consistency is like calling reality television shows educational programming.

It may have almost been too good, and that’s what the coaches worked on this week. For a team that knows all too well how to start a season in a hole, the Braves don’t want to fall back in today when they face North Carolina A&T at home.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Jack Spinks Stadium.

&uot;We’ve worked extremely hard this week,&uot; Alcorn head coach Johnny Thomas said. &uot;We’ve tried to put that behind us and get ready for North Carolina A&T.; We’ve got to put Grambling away and get them focused on A&T so we can have the same kind of ball game or better ball game than we did against Grambling.&uot;

Although today’s contest is a non-conference contest, it still has national implications and could be a game that puts the Braves in the spotlight. The Aggies last week were one of three teams from the historically black college ranks in the Division I-AA Top 25 and are among the leaders in the latest Sheridan Poll.

While national rankings would be nice, the Braves could move up in the Sheridan rankings in the race for the black college national championship with a win today.

A&T squeaked by North Carolina Central last week, 16-15.

&uot;This game is possibly for a national ranking,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;In order to win the black college national championship, you must beat people outside your conference. That is what we’re trying to accomplish as a team.&uot;

The matchup today may come down to the Braves’ heralded offense against an A&T defense that was the team’s bread and butter en route to a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship a season ago.

The Aggies, however, were forced to return this season without standout linebacker Herbert Dixon, who was shot and killed during an altercation during the off-season.

&uot;They dropped eight people in coverage and have three on the line,&uot; Spiller said. &uot;This week we’ll try to run the ball a little more than we did last week. Hopefully our offensive line will continue blocking like they did last week. This will be a better challenge than last week for us. They have some pretty good DBs and nice linebackers, too.&uot;

If there’s anywhere that coaches feel confident right now, it’s the offense. Carrie was the SWAC’s Player of the Week last week and made a push for Offensive Player of the Year after Grambling announced quarterback Bruce Eugene is out for the season with an ACL injury.

Still, the Aggies will be a tough test to see how good the Alcorn offense really is.

&uot;We’ve got our work cut out for us,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;They’re a well-coached football team. They look pretty good defensively. They’re fundamentally sound, run to the football well and tackle well. We’ll have to show up ready to play in order to beat them.&uot;

The Braves also have work to do in other areas &045; no breakdowns on special team (Thomas: &uot;We just relaxed) and line up to stop the run against a team that likely won’t throw much.

But most of all, the biggest key is to maintain the intensity. Alcorn has never started a season under Thomas at 2-0, and with a team that has five true freshmen starting and a defense that is still earning its stripes, today will be a true test.

&uot;It’s hard to say &045; we still have a young and inexperienced ball club,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;But we have some guys who are juniors and seniors and realize what we have to do to get better. They remember the pitfalls of previous seasons. I think most of them have matured to that extent.&uot;

NOTES &045; Alcorn moved its Oct. 16 kickoff time to 2:30 p.m. to accommodate Fox Sports Net, who will televise the contest with Texas Southern. It will be one of three Alcorn games to be televised this season. Others are against Howard (ISM-TV) and Jackson State (BET).