JACKSON &045; The critics, for the moment, have been quieted.

Yet they may be ready to explode after Saturday’s game as to whether or not James Bell is the best man for the job of head football coach at Jackson State. Bell has his Tigers playing better of late, winning three of four, heading into the regular season finale against in-state rival Alcorn State.

All that is outside stuff, the battled coach said, while his team is playing with more confidence now after doubling their win total from last season.

&uot;It does a tremendous amount for building your confidence level,&uot; Bell said. &uot;Our guys go out and get in a game, and that’s a big boost for you. We have to build on that and continue to work on those things. We lost three tough games at the beginning of the year when we had opportunities to win the ball games.&uot;

It’s a more pleasant end to another season of frustration for the Tigers and their fans, who watched former coach Robert Hughes leave after the Tigers couldn’t get over the 7-4 hump.

Bell went 2-10 in his first season in 2003, and fans voiced their frustration in the stands at last year’s Capital City Classic with T-shirts that had the words &uot;To Hell With Bell&uot; printed on the back.

The Tigers started the season 1-5 thanks to a stretch that included games against four teams currently ranked in the Top 25 &045; Hampton (38-19), Northwestern State (28-20), Alabama State (28-6) and Southern (45-7).

&uot;Playing the ranked teams earlier in the year, I think, builds your character,&uot; Bell said. &uot;It makes you better later in the year. We’ve had the injuries. I admire the guys for their composure and attitude to work. They stayed committed to their goals, and that’s why we’ve won three of the last four.

&uot;We’re looking forward to this ball game as an opportunity to get better, finish the season up on a positive note and get ready for next year.&uot;

Saturday’s game will go a long ways toward that since the annual clash between Jackson State and Alcorn is about the biggest defining factor as to whether or not your season was successful.

The Tigers’ had their eight-game win streak over Alcorn snapped last year when the Braves pounded them with a 49-25 win. Before that the Braves had not beaten Jackson since Steve McNair’s senior season.

Now the tables have turned and the Braves are favored to win on Saturday, but don’t tell that to Alcorn head coach Johnny Thomas and the Braves.

&uot;It’s a very important game for both teams,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;It’s going to be the same as the Valley game was &045; you can throw both teams’ records in the garbage cans. All of the players are going to be focused on both teams. The intensity is going to be there. It’s a critical game for us. We don’t want to end the season at 6-5. 7-4 will be good for us.&uot;

The Tigers don’t want to finish 4-7 and would love to take a 5-6 campaign into the off-season to take a little pressure off their embattled coach. The Tigers will likely do what they do best Saturday against what an Alcorn team doesn’t do best &045; run the ball against an Alcorn front that has been hot and cold stopping the run.

The Tigers will have David Kennebrew in the backfield after he was the main threat out of the backfield in last year’s game. The Tigers are still a ground-oriented offense, but it sits ranked sixth in the conference in yards rushing and eighth in total offense.

The Tigers ran all over Prairie View last week with 415 yards on the ground. Curtis Hayes had 121 yards rushing, and Olandus Rogers finished with 96 with Kennebrew at 78.

&uot; We wanted to control the ball whether we want to run it, throw it or mix it up,&uot; Bell said. &uot; We were able to do that. Hayes had an outstanding day. We played three or four guys back there. Kennebrew is one of the main guys, but we play all of those guys. They’re different types of runners, and we run lots of different things.&uot;

Yet the biggest concern for the Tigers may be their defense, a unit that’s ranked last in the conference at 379 yards given up per game (lowly Texas Southern is yielding 357 per game). The task will be to slow down Alcorn’s passing game, a unit that’s tops in the conference by 35 yards a game.

Alcorn quarterback Donald Carrie, the conference’s top passer, will play his final game Saturday.

&uot;You can throw out the records &045; it doesn’t make any difference,&uot; Bell said. &uot;Both teams are going to play hard. Their quarterback has pretty much put them where they are the last few years.&uot;