HOUSTON &045; Boy, Alcorn can sure relate to what’s going on at Texas Southern.

The Tigers are enduring a season of freshman-heavy lineups, growing pains and more turnovers than the team has experienced seniors. Much like that Alcorn team from 2000 in regard to youth and this year’s Alcorn team in turnovers, the Tigers are struggling.

They come into Alcorn’s Jack Spinks Stadium Saturday to face Alcorn. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. in a game televised by Fox Sports.

But no one, however, is moping through the 0-6 start.

&uot;They’ve kept me going,&uot; first-year Texas Southern head coach Steve Wilson said. &uot;That’s the thing that has been great. We probably had our best week of practice last week. We haven’t had the breaks we would have liked to have had. We started the season with three players out, and it’s gotten worse as the season has gone on.&uot;

The Tigers will try again for their first win against a team they beat last year and eventually derailed their chances at playing for the SWAC Championship in a 23-20 decision in The Astrodome.

Alcorn head coach Johnny Thomas did not attend Monday’s SWAC teleconference for the second straight week.

This year’s version of the Tigers is quite different. It’s youth, turnovers, miscues and the lowest-scoring offense in the SWAC by far. With freshmen at the skill positions and three on the offensive line, it’s understandable how the Tigers are averaging six points and 2 1/2 giveaways a game.

&uot;When you’re young and young all over, people will come at you,&uot; said Wilson, who spent 13 seasons as head coach at Howard. &uot;We’ve made a few errors because of our youth, but they’ve been aggressive. When it comes to trying to secure field position, that’s something we’ve really given up. I expect the turnover stat will get better as we get a little more mature.&uot;

The offense has curtailed that stat just a bit lately, but it still needs consistency moving the ball. The Tigers had three turnovers to Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s two last week but remained ineffective moving the ball in the 42-0 loss at Soldier Field in Chicago.

The Tigers finished with just 161 yards total offense. They are last in the conference in yards per game at 155.3 with Prairie View at second-worst with 246.6.

&uot;We got into a field position game with Pine Bluff and pretty much played the first quarter pretty even,&uot; Wilson said. &uot;We ended up turning the ball over inside the 20 twice. We got behind, and when you get behind like that with a young quarterback, you’re going to have to do some things you really don’t want to do.&uot;

Injuries have slowed the Tigers’ offense to a crawl with true freshman Tino Edgecomb getting most of the snaps on Saturday. The biggest blow may have come at receiver, reducing an offense that was already struggling to move the ball on the ground with injuries up front and youth in the backfield.

For the season the Tigers have just 309 yards rushing on 212 carries.

&uot;We’ll keep playing, and hopefully we’ll be able to pull ourselves out,&uot; Wilson said. &uot;We’ve lost a lot of players by injury. It’s the nature of the game, but we lost some players we desperately couldn’t lose. Probably one of the biggest problems we’ve had is at wide receiver. At the wide receiver corps, we’re pretty thin.&uot;

The Braves, meanwhile, were able to play turnover-free football in Saturday’s win at Prairie View for the first time all season in a 26-15 win at Prairie View. The Panthers turned it over four times with two fumbles and two interceptions, and the Braves jumped on them quickly.

&uot;Mistakes hurt us,&uot; PV head coach Henry Frazier said. &uot;We came into the game plus-3 in turnovers, and we ended up minus-1. That’s part of football, though. It’s no excuse.&uot;

Now it’s the Tigers’ turn to face an Alcorn squad that remains in the hunt for the East Division title. Three teams sit atop the division with one loss, and the Braves can’t afford a letdown here.

&uot;That’s a very good Alcorn team,&uot; Wilson said &uot;We’re coming into a very difficult place to play. We’re getting them experience we need, and hopefully we’ll be turning this thing around.&uot;

NOTES &045; Alcorn punter Shane Phillips was named SWAC Specialist of the Week after his performance Saturday. The Australia native had six punts for a total 265 yards, an average of 44.2 per punt.