LORMAN &045; Don’t ever underestimate the effects of a good homecoming win.

The way Alcorn’s season has gone so far, even those things that seemed gift-wrapped haven’t been a done deal. No one was taking Prairie View lightly for the school’s annual homecoming because things were going so poorly for the Braves that some in the SWAC may have thought the Panthers had a chance.

But not Saturday. The Braves improved on both sides of the ball with several players previously in reserve roles stepping up to make plays in their 22-10 win.

&8221;All the festivities, events, activities, parties and fanfare don’t mean doodly-squat if we lose the game,&8220; Alcorn head coach Johnny Thomas said.

&8221;Winning the game sets up everything else for homecoming. Everybody can have a good homecoming now that we won the game. If we hadn’t won the game, homecoming would have been different for everybody.

&8221;Practice will be much better this week, and food will taste much better. Everybody is happy. The win was good for us for a confidence-builder and good for us to learn how to win.&8220;

Everyone left Jack Spinks in a good mood Saturday with the win, but the football team itself may have been the most happy when the final horn sounded. As injuries continue to mount and force the Braves to look like someone’s junior varsity squad, freshmen and sophomores stepped up and made contributions.

Tony Hobson had his best game yet at quarterback by throwing for 202 yards, sophomore Michael Shepherd &045; the No. 3 back after injuries to the top two &045; topped the 100-yard mark again and the defense did its best job of the year stopping the run.

&8221;I think this is the game that will get us in the direction we want to be,&8220; said Hobson, who made his third start and his first interception-free game. &8221;Today was a must-win. I think this will build our confidence up and make us want to win more. This was very important to win today.&8220;

The biggest area of improvement may have been the run defense, which held Prairie View A&M to 145 yards. It was a season-low for the Braves in a defensive unit that lost its most experienced starter to a season-ending injury and has no one with more than one year experience starting.

The Panthers’ points came on a field goal in the first quarter and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown in the fourth.

&8221;We did a great job defensively, although we still need to improve on defense,&8220; Thomas said. &8221;As they continue to play the game, they’ll have an opportunity to learn what’s required with the intensity of the game and the speed of the game. We stopped the run pretty good today. Prairie View had 145 yards rushing &045; that’s much better and down from the previous three weeks.&8220;

The Braves also came up with four interceptions &045; two from senior cornerback Quentin Sullivan &045; to help keep the Panthers out of the end zone. Sullivan picked off his first pass late in the second when the Panthers got down to the 29 and another at the start of the third quarter on first down at midfield.

&8221;I thought we were competitive with them and had an opportunity to score a touchdown, but we didn’t play consistently,&8220; Prairie View head coach Steve Frazier said. &8221;That’s what hurt us. We knew what they were doing. It was just an opportunity for us to make plays. I would like my receivers to be a little more aggressive for the football. In the end, they were a little more aggressive than we were today.&8220;

Alcorn stuck with the run as the game went on and pounded away.

Its first drive of the second half went 71 yards on 15 plays &045; one being a roughing the punter call that gave the Braves a first down &045; that ended in a 20-yard field goal from Jeremy Shea for a 16-3 lead.

Alcorn held Prairie View on fourth down at the ASU 33, and seven plays later the Braves got into the end zone when Hobson hit fullback Ken Williams on a 6-yard touchdown pass for a 22-3 lead with 1:29 left in the third.

&8221;Coming into the game, Prairie View was the No. 1 in rushing defense,&8220; said Shepherd, who along with fullbacks Williams and J.D. Robinson helped Alcorn finish with 229 yards rushing. &8221;We felt like it was a challenge. We’re the No. 1 rushing offense. We wanted to run the ball and see what they’ve got. (The fullbacks) stepped up and played well, and I feel like that’s a good thing.&8220;

Alcorn moved the ball well in the first half but struggled early to get into the end zone. The Braves’ first drive stalled out at the PV 6 with Jeremy Shea connecting on a 23-yard field goal.

The Braves then got to the 11 before Shea missed wide left form 30 yards out.

Then the Braves hit paydirt two possessions later when the Panthers bit on a fake to Michael Shepherd up the middle to allow Tony Hobson to walk in the end zone for a touchdown. The run ended a 65-yard, 12-play drive for a 10-3 lead at the 6:58 mark.

Shea connected on a 46-yard field goal as time expired on the first half for a 13-3 lead.