LORMAN &045; Like most of the others who have been at Alcorn for a while, Robert Lester had almost forgotten what it was like to lose a game.

But once the Braves lost last week &045; their first since Week 7 of last season &045; the memories came flooding back. No loss is easy to take, but the pain was just like that last loss they experienced last October to Texas Southern, maybe even worse.

Now the Braves hope to use that humbling loss to Howard last week as motivation and maybe a little reality check. They host Alabama State today, and no one wants to feel that pain again.

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

&uot;It’s like coach said, it’s been a while since we lost,&uot; said Lester, the senior running back. &uot;The loss kind of brought us back down to earth. A couple of guys have had a big head since we were on such a winning streak. We’ve prepared as a team for what we’ve got to do (today). We lost, and we’ve got to put it behind us.&uot;

Alcorn head coach Johnny Thomas can attest to that, although this week has been another week of, as he likes to describe it, pumping up the volume. Had the Braves won to Howard, practices would have remained considerably more strenuous, but the loss sure helped everyone re-focus.

But today’s game brings an even bigger importance. A win over Alabama State, and the Braves are in the driver’s seat for the race for the Eastern Division.

The Hornets won last season’s matchup and eventually went to Birmingham for the SWAC Championship.

&uot;That’s just it &045; we still have a high level of excitement and enthusiasm,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;I think we’re going to rebound in a very positive fashion. We already have kicked it up a notch. The chances are slim (if you lose) because we have the same scenario we had last year.

&uot;The head-on competition wins the tie-breaker. We experienced that last year, and we don’t want to experience that this year. We don’t want to take that chance.&uot;

If the Braves are to rebound, much of that will depend on how well the offense executes. After starting the season appearing in late-season form with both the running game and the passing game, the Braves have fallen off the last two weeks.

The passing game was off in last week’s loss to Howard and for at least half of the game against North Carolina A&T.; Donald Carrie opened the season with 276 against Grambling but followed that with 184 against A&T and 187 against Howard.

Both A&T and Howard played to take away Alcorn’s passing game, although Carrie remains the conference’s second-best passer behind Southern’s Thomas Ricks.

&uot;They’re putting them all on a receiver,&uot; receiver Nate Hughes said. &uot;They’re putting three and four on the side of me and (Charlie) Spiller. They’re guarding the pass with so many people deep. We’ve got to figure out specifically what they’re doing and prepare for it.&uot;

The biggest thing the Braves can’t do is turn the ball over. They had four last week against Howard, and it was the team’s biggest problem last year in the loss to Alabama State.

In that game Carrie threw four interceptions as the Braves had an absolute meltdown in the second half. What was a 14-7 halftime lead at the Cramton Bowl turned into a 49-28 Bama State win.

&uot;We gave ourselves problems,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;We turned the football over, and that resulted in 28 points. We gave them a tremendous amount of momentum, and they recovered two of those turnovers for touchdowns.&uot;

The Alabama State defense will have to keep the Braves’ offense from finding a rhythm, and the Hornets will rely on linebacker Ronald &uot;Rock&uot; Dillon to help. The SWAC’s Defensive Preseason Player of the Year, Dillon has been integral in a defense that is leading the conference in turnover margin at plus-4.

Alcorn’s run defense &045; currently last in the conference &045; will also be a key factor today, but the offense needs to put up the points and perform to its capability. Don’t be surprised if it’s a high-scoring affair as in 2002 when the Braves claimed a 48-37 win.

&uot;They’re pretty talented,&uot; Hughes said. &uot;They’re pretty young, but to take the position of the older players, they’ve got to be talented. Against Grambling we really didn’t play four quarters &045; we played about three. Once we play four quarters, we’ll be fine. We’ve got to get it started early.&uot;