HUNTSVILLE, Ala. &045; After getting off to a horrific start, Alcorn State, which scored 21 unanswered points to tie the game, blew several opportunities to put the ball game away in the fourth quarter as Alabama A&M got a score late to take a 27-21 win over the Braves.

Alcorn tied it up at 21 in the fourth quarter, and that’s when bad things started to happen for the Braves &045; which were good for Alabama A&M.;

After forcing an A&M three and out, Alcorn fumbled a chance to take their first lead of the night as red-shirt freshman quarterback Oliver Bozeman, who took over on third down after Carrie led the team down the field the entire drive, mishandled the ball after receiving the snap.

Marcus Black recovered the ball to permit the Bulldogs to dodge the bullet.

Alabama A&M failed to move the chains once more after getting bailed out by the defense. But this time the defensive effort came through even further as true freshman Arthur Nichols blocked Osorio’s attempt. Michael Sheppard came up with the key recovery on the Bulldog 25.

But again the offense failed to capitalize on great field position as David McConnell’s 27-yard field goal attempt was blocked.

That boost was all Alabama A&M needed as the Bulldogs got the help of a costly personal foul by Leo Nobles before Robinson hauled in the game-winning 35-yard touchdown grab with 5:17 remaining.

Alcorn failed to get anything going on their ensuing possession as the Bulldogs took over with 2:17 left. The defense, which played so well in the second half, failed to come up with a stop on a crucial third and seven as Luke scrambled for 17 yards and the first down to seal the deal.

Alcorn finished the first half with a touchdown and started the third quarter with a quick score following a missed 37-yard field goal by A&M’s Jose Osorio.

ASU then went back to trickery on the first play following the miss, as sophomore Nate Hughes drew all of the attention on what appeared to be a rocket screen. After sucking in the secondary, he tossed a bomb to classmate Charlie Spiller for a 74-yard score to get the Braves within eight points, 21-13.

The catch was a milestone for Spiller, who eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the season after coming into the game with 880 yards on the season.

The Woodville native finished the day with eight catches for a career-high 223 yards.

A bit later in the third, the Alcorn defense came up with another critical stand forcing a turnover on downs as Kelcy Luke tossed an incomplete pass for Ta’Mar Scott on fourth

and seven.

With complete momentum in hand, the Braves traveled the length of the field once again and Spiller again was the recipient of the glory, hauling in his second touchdown, a 44-yard reception from Donald Carrie. Carrie completed a slant pass to senior running back Robert Lester in the front corner of the end zone for the two-point conversion to knot the game at 21-all.

Carrie tossed for 230 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-36 passing and one pick. Luke threw for 165 yards on 10-of-18 passing and three touchdowns, including 66 yards rushing on 19 carries and one score.