HUNTSVILLE, Ala. &8212; If there was an award for Coach of the Year in the SWAC, this game could very well determine it.

Outside of leaders Grambling and Alabama State and other programs that have had their share of struggles, two started off the season bad with young players, endured their share of growing pains and put it together about midway through the season.

Alcorn and Alabama A&M have had almost indentical seasons, and both enter Saturday&8217;s game at Jack Spinks Stadium on a four-game winning streak. If you generalize anything from the outcome of this one, it may be that winner may have the brightest future.

&8220;We&8217;re growing up,&8221; A&M head coach Anthony Jones said. &8220;We had our Senior Day this past week, and we sent off eight seniors. We&8217;re still a very young football team that&8217;s starting to grow before our eyes. We&8217;re not the same football team we were at the beginning of the year. We&8217;re starting to understand college football and SWAC football.&8221;

You can say that for both teams. The Braves struggled in their first four games with their only win coming over NAIA Langston, a team that had control of the game for a good portion of the first half.

Since the Braves&8217; win over Prairie View, however, the Braves have matured as well. For only the third time in Johnny Thomas&8217; eight years as head coach, the Braves are on a four-game winning streak.

A win Friday would match the longest of any Thomas team when the 2003 team finished the season on a five-game win streak. It would also clinch a fifth straight winning record.

&8220;I attribute everything to my coaching staff,&8221; Thomas said. &8220;We looked at our defense and evaluated it in a way they made some changes in respect to the way we practice and the schemes we run.

&8220;(Offensive coordinator John) McKenzie and his staff looked at what we were doing offensively, and we made some changes strategically in the way we practice. The players have recommitted themselves to doing the things we ask them to do as a coaching staff.&8221;

The Bulldogs, too, enter on a four-game winning streak after disposing of Jackson State last week, 52-6. Jones and his staff had to regroup earlier this season as the Braves did after getting blown out by Grambling in Week 2 and getting upset by Texas Southern at home.

Since then the Bulldogs have won, including a 31-28 win over Alabama State two weeks ago.

&8220;When you deal with young guys, the first thing they&8217;ve got to understand is how to play at this level,&8221; Jones said. &8220;A lot of them don&8217;t understand it, but they think they do. They think they played a great ball game, but when you show the film and mistakes they made, you&8217;ve got to tell them they&8217;re not there. This is a team sport. Those who play it as a team and understand their role will be successful.&8221;

While the team may be young, these Bulldogs are just as solid defensively as any other team Jones has had in Normal since he&8217;s been there. A&M has been synonomous with solid defensive play in recent years, and the Bulldogs far and away are the best in the conference at defending the run.

No one else has had opponents pass more on them than A&M, and that unit will get a chance to defend Alcorn&8217;s ground game that spent most of the season as the best in the conference.

The Braves are now second at 195 yards a game, but Jeremy McCoy is tops in the conference at 104.5 yards per game.

&8220;As we develop, we&8217;ve gotten much better,&8221; Jones said. &8220;We know we&8217;re going against one of the best rushing teams in the conference. I guess the pride factor increases, and it takes on a different type of meaning. It&8217;s doing what&8217;s best to make this team successful, and that&8217;s what we&8217;re trying to do.&8221;

The other storyline to this showdown Saturday is the winner will remain in the hunt for the SWAC East Division title. Both have two losses in conference, as does Alabama State. The Braves need to win out and hope Valley can beat Alabama State to get the title.

A&M, thanks to its win over the Hornets, doesn&8217;t need help from anyone and can secure a spot in Birmingham with a win Saturday and next week against Prairie View.

&8220;Everybody wants to be in control of their own destiny,&8221; Jones said. &8220;We&8217;ve fought extremely hard to put ourselves in that situation. But we&8217;re not in the championship game. We&8217;re so far away to even be concerned.&8221;