JACKSON — When the Alcorn State Braves scored two quick touchdowns in the opening six minutes of the first quarter, most observers probably assumed their game against Jackson State Saturday would be a high-scoring one.

However, the Alcorn State defense wound up being the story of the game, as the Braves did not score again after the quick 14 points.

The Braves defense held the Tigers to negative 12 rushing yards on 38 attempts, and tallied eight tackles for a loss, en route to a 14-7 win in the Capital City Classic at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Jackson State managed only one touchdown, a 38-yard pass reception by Anthony Mayes with less than two minutes left before halftime.

Braves head coach Earnest Collins said his team felt like it had something to prove in terms of its rushing defense.

“It was a challenge for our defensive guys,” Collins said. “We’ve been getting the ball run on us for the last couple of weeks. I’m so thankful that the Lord blessed me to have a coordinator like Zach Shay, because his temperament is, he wants to go, go, go, go, go. I knew that, at some point in time, he would get these guys going again.”

Collins also said that the mindset that the focal point of this game would be to build towards the 2010 season.

Alcorn needed a win and a loss by Alabama A&M at the hands of Mississippi Valley State in order to win the SWAC East and earn a trip to Birmingham, Ala. for a rematch with Prairie View A&M in the SWAC championship game. Alabama A&M would eventually beat MVSU 17-12, but before that score was final, Collins said he wasn’t worried about the results of that game.

“I’m not a stats guy, or a numbers guy, so I don’t know when the last time we beat Jackson (State was),” Collins said. “It doesn’t matter what happens with (Mississippi) Valley. Of course we want Valley to win so we can go on and play in a couple of weeks, but it doesn’t matter, because this was the start to our 2010 season.

“I told the kids, we’re going to play to win and expect to win in 2010. I think too many times in the past, we would get in a tight ball game, and the kids would start to get down on themselves. I just kept telling them all week, play to win. Don’t play not to lose, get up and play to win.”

Alcorn’s first scoring play came with 12:56 to go in the first quarter. Braves quarterback Tim Buckley connected with Edward Johnson for a 72-yard touchdown reception.

The second Alcorn touchdown came with 9:47 to go in the first, when Buckley connected on another long touchdown pass, this time with Antonio DeJarnett for 66 yards.

The lone scoring drive for the Tigers came after one of Buckley’s pass attempts was intercepted in the end zone. Jackson State capped off a nine-play, 80-yard drive with Mayes’ reception with 1:58 left in the second.

Collins’ future with the Braves still remains uncertain as of Saturday, but after the game, he spoke as someone who had every intention of remaining with the Braves beyond 2009.

“We’re going to go into recruiting, we’re going to go get some players, and we’re going to come into the offseason and get ready for 2010,” Collins said.