secondary unit

By

ADAM DAIGLE

LORMAN &045; When Brandon Brown broke his ankle early in the season, his teammates in the secondary wore his number on the backs of their helmets.

Brown played only in certain coverage packages and split time between cornerback and safety, but everyone carried on after he went down in the Prairie View A&M game. Now Brown is back as a fifth-year senior in a secondary unit for Alcorn State that could come up with a breakout season this fall.

And Brown, who graduated in the spring and is pursuing master’s in athletic administration, doesn’t want to see No. 26 on the back of anyone’s helmet this fall.

&uot;I was able to play in the spring game,&uot; Brown said. &uot;I was excited. I was able to give it all I had for the spring game. I’m very close to being 100 percent. As far as my attitude, it’s a whole lot better. I appreciate the game of football more. Any play could be your last.&uot;

For Brown, the tackle he made on special teams against Prairie View could have easily been his last one ever. Doctors had to go in and with two screws and insert a plate in that ankle so it would grow back correctly.

Once he got cleared to start exercising on it, he stayed with secondary coach Garry Lewis and strength and conditioning coach Antonio Wallace to rehab it and get ready to possibly play in the spring game or his final year of eligibility.

&uot;That’s my boy,&uot; cornerback Taurian Parks said. &uot;He’s like one of the coaches on the field. He knows the defense front and back. He almost knows it better than the coaches. We represented for him a little bit (after getting hurt).&uot;

Brown is a candidate for one of those safety spots this fall, although the Reserve, La., native saw limited playing time prior to the injury last year and in seasons past. He’ll likely add depth at safety, enter in nickel packages and play special teams, but nothing has been established yet.

Right now the only thing established with Alcorn’s secondary is the unit is solid at the corners and is looking for safeties to improve on last year’s third-best standing in passing yards allowed and second-best 17 interceptions.

The key may be filling the safety spots vacated by Jeffrey Hobbs and Vic Alexandrea. Charles Grant, a junior college transfer out of Gulf Coast, will be among those in the running for those two spots.

&uot;I’ve got defensive backs that look like linebackers and linebackers that look like defensive backs,&uot; Alcorn defensive coordinator LaTraia Jones said. &uot;I’m really excited about it. We lost a great deal of talent with those two guys (at safety last year), but at the same time I’m excited. We did a great job of getting junior college players in here to help us.&uot;

The corners are solidified with Parks and Quentin Sullivan, and Parks enters his second full season as a junior and third season to start after taking over following Jeremy Stockdale’s injury midway through 2003. Parks, a first team Preseason All-SWAC selection, finds himself alongside Sullivan and Brown as two of the more experienced players in the secondary.

Sullivan led the team with 12 pass deflections, while Parks was just behind Hobbs with 47 tackles.

&uot;They’re asking for me to step up more as a leader,&uot; Parks said. &uot;It’s not anything new. I did the same thing last year. I was the only returner in the secondary last year. (The newcomers) are coming along well right now &045; all of them.&uot;

There’s reason for it since just about everywhere else on defense has some sort of question mark. Five seniors started on defense last year, and everyone else were freshmen who struggled at times stopping the run.

The secondary had to help out at times stopping the run.

&uot;I felt like (Parks) did a great job, and now he’s going to have to do an even better job,&uot; Jones said. &uot;Parks earned all the honors he’s received. He’s been with me for three years. He has a great understanding of what we’re trying to do. Dynamite comes in small packages. I always tell the guys they’re not designed to come up and make tackles. Their job is covering wide receivers.&uot;

It’s a job even Parks admitted he struggled in near the end of last season. Alcorn head coach Johnny Thomas said he lost focus near the end in his pass coverage, and the defense struggled a bit as a result.

&uot;I wasn’t watching enough film like I should have been,&uot; Parks admitted. &uot;It’s going to be a whole different ball game this year. I’m going to stay watching film. I had a few family problems, also, but you can’t make excuses.&uot;

Brown isn’t making excuses, either, heading into his final season. There’s competition at those safety spots, and that may cause everyone to push themselves a little harder in training camp heading into the season opener Sept. 3 against Grambling.

&uot;If you want to play, you’ve got to come out here and compete,&uot; Brown said. &uot;There’s been a lot of competition. We’re pushing each other. That’s going to be the key this season. I just want to stay healthy and give it my all.&uot;