HAMMOND, La. &045; You could have seen the entire season flash before your eyes when a Southeastern Louisiana pass was tipped in the air late in the game Saturday.

The Lions’ and their much-publicized passing game was doing what they do best against Alcorn and got it inside the 30 with the Braves holding a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter. Then Martin Hankins made a pass across the middle that the Alcorn secondary pounced on.

There the pass was tipped up at least three times, but the Braves’ Jeffrey Hobbs came down with it for the unit’s third interception of the game and yet another reason why the secondary may be the team’s best-kept secret.

&uot;I thought somebody had picked it at first, but then I saw it in the air,&uot; said Hobbs, who grabbed his team-high fourth interception. &uot;I just jumped up and got it at the highest point. I just stepped up. I had been messing up the whole game some, and I had to step up and make a play.&uot;

The play was one of a couple that gave SLU head coach and his quarterback a headache Saturday night at Strawberry Stadium. The nation’s top passer finished the game with 374 yards passing, but the Braves had two interceptions when the Lions got in scoring position to keep them off the scoreboard.

Taurian Parks got the other when came up with a pick on a second-and-1 situation at the Alcorn 21 in the fourth quarter.

Yet there could have been a fourth in the second quarter that could have erased another score. Hankins threw a pass in double coverage to Robbie Scates that got tipped up but fell right into Scates’ lap while he was lying flat on the stadium surface for a 37-yard gain.

&uot;We came with our nickel and dime packages to neutralize what they were doing as far as the passing game was concerned,&uot; Alcorn head coach Johnny Thomas said. &uot;That worked pretty good for us. We got some key interceptions. We played well enough to win, although we didn’t capitalize on some mistakes. But our offense made some key first downs that allowed our defense to get some rest.&uot;

The coverage packages worked, and the Lions were only able to consistently connect on the short passes late in the game. Then the defense kept some pressure on the quarterback, enough for seldom-used linebacker Martin Jackson to come up with a game-high two sacks.

&uot;We went with a lot of nickel and dime, and they were throwing the short routes,&uot; Hobbs said. &uot;We had the deep routes covered. We made a few mistakes in the first half, but we corrected it in the second half.

&uot;The first interception (by Quentin Sullivan) got the defense pumped up, but when you play good teams you’ve got to keep the same intensity. If you let them back in the game, it’s a whole new game again.&uot;

Outside of the three picks, the Lions’ passing game may have been off a bit. On more than one occasion Hankins overthrew open receivers as the Braves dodged a couple of bullets, but Hankins had better success in the second half.

Sullivan had the first pick in the first quarter after the Lions went up 7-0 and were driving while the Alcorn offense had yet to get a first down.

&uot;That’s all we need our defense to do,&uot; said Alcorn quarterback Donald Carrie, who threw for 283 yards and no interceptions. &uot;They were up against the best quarterback in nation, and they made some big plays at crucial points in the game.&uot;

Carrie and the offense used the turnover to move the chains for the first time, and the Braves scored their first points on the next possession when David McConnell hit a 34-yard field goal.

The Braves’ special teams also came up big in the win. McConnell had two field goals, including a career-long 37-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, and punter Shane Phillips had a 43-yard punt in the fourth quarter that pinned the Lions back with the score 30-20.

The biggest, however, came from return man Lonnie Teagle, who nearly broke for his first touchdown of his career in the fourth quarter when he returned a punt 34 yards to the SLU 21 with the Braves holding a 23-20 lead.

Two plays later Michael Shepherd ran it in from 2 yards out for a touchdown for the 30-20 lead.

&uot;He’s got three more ball games left,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;If we continue to block well and do well on special teams, he’ll get it. His time is coming.&uot;