LORMAN &045; Whether you were there in attendance or merely read about it the next day, Saturday’s outcome at the Cramton Bowl was evident to just about everyone.

Alcorn’s football team still has some growing pains to overcome.

Alabama State is still a good football team.

From there, it’s anybody’s guess how the Braves will regroup from Saturday’s 38-3 loss to the defending SWAC champions or if there will be any fallout. The most noteable was shifting Oliver Bozeman to wide receiver with Tony Hobson taking over as starting quarterback.

The defense struggled early, the offense couldn’t get the passing game going and the Hornets took at 28-3 lead at halftime.

&uot;I think we’re still growing as a football team on offense, defense and special teams,&uot; Alcorn head coach Johnny Thomas said during Monday’s teleconference. &uot;We moved the football pretty good on the very first series of the game and got inside Alabama State’s 4-yard line. We got a holding penalty and came back with a field goal. That could have given us some momentum.

&uot;Alabama State is the defending SWAC champs, and they played like the defending SWAC champs against us. I could see some bright spots in our football team, but we’ve got to continue to grow and improve as a team and correct our mistakes.&uot;

The passing game couldn’t find a rhythm with Hobson at the helm early, and coaches went with Bozeman in the second half after the freshman became dehydrated. Hobson had two passes picked off while the offense failed to crack the 100-yard mark in passing for the second time this season.

One pass intended for Charlie Spiller went into double coverage and was picked off, Thomas said. Freshman Chris Walker came in late in the game and threw an interception.

&uot;We ran the football pretty good, but our quarterback made some poor decisions,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;We had receivers open four, five and six times in the passing game, and they didn’t see them. That hurt us. If they had seen them and gone to them, that would have kept some drives alive. That’s some of the growing pains you have to experience as a team and as coaches when you have two inexperienced quarterbacks.&uot;

Credit some of it to Alabama State’s defense. For the second straight year the Hornets kept Alcorn’s offense without a touchdown and have beaten the Braves each of the last three seasons by a combined score of 128-36.

And total number of interceptions thrown on Alcorn’s behalf? Ten.

&uot;They’re a good football team,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;They play fast and execute very well. They have outstanding talent. Whatever they do in terms of schemes, they do it with consistency and effectivness. I feel we should have done better. Hobson is doing very, very well, and he’s improving. (But) Alabama State, rightfully so, is the defending SWAC champs.&uot;

Defensively, the first half was just as much of a struggle for the Braves as offensively as they trailed by 25 at the break. The Hornets scored on their first four possessions, each consisting of 59 yards or more, with only the fourth coming via an interception when Brandon Averett got the first of his two picks at the Bama State 40.

The Braves yielded 184 rushing yards for the game

&045; their third straight game to give up 170 yards or more on the ground &045; while Tarvaris Jackson was consistent in the pocket by completing 20 of 26 passes for 321 yards.

&uot;Defensively, we couldn’t contain effectively,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;Tarvaris Jackson threw the football pretty well in the first half, and the second half we settled down a little bit. We limited them to only 10 points in the second half and shut them down in the third quarter.&uot;

The coaching staff made adjustments at linebacker, and the defense was more effective in the second half. The defense stopped the Hornets twice on fourth down.