Both the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Alcorn State have byes this week, allowing them extra time to work on improving ahead of the Southern Heritage Classic.
The Sept. 27 matchup, which will kick off at 6 p.m. on HBCU GO at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, will be the SWAC opener for both teams.
UAPB (1-2) coach Alonzo Hampton said the offense needs to be able to consistently move the ball and get first downs.
“Gotta be able to manage third and long situations,” Hampton said. “We’ve done a really good job this week. Then on third and shorts, man, you gotta be able to get those. We’re an aggressive football team by nature. I told Coach (Tony Hull), he can get me to like fourth and two or three, I’m probably going to give him an opportunity, because I trust my (offensive coordinator).
UAPB converted 6 of its 12 third downs and all three of its fourth down attempts last Saturday against Lincoln (Calif.). The Golden Lions were 7 of 16 on third down and 0 for 1 on fourth down the week prior against Central Arkansas. They tallied 33 first downs against Lincoln, beating the 23 combined first downs they had against UCA and Texas Tech.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Defensively, UAPB held Lincoln to 1 of 10 on third down and 1 of 3 on fourth. That came after Texas Tech went 7 of 8 on third down and UCA went 8 of 12 on third and 2 of 3 on fourth.
Hampton said Alcorn (0-3) is a physical football team, so the Golden Lions must match the Braves’ intensity.
“On defense, we gotta be able to bite the football,” Hampton said. “When I say bite the football, you can’t be afraid to stick your face on that football. We need to be able to see eight, nine guys in the picture on the ball carrier when they’re running the ball or catching the football. Those are things that we need to get cleaned up.”
Hampton said the special teams have mostly played well, but there have been times a mistake by one player has been costly. Of note, the Golden Lions have had two punts blocked this year, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
Through the first two games, UAPB committed 4.5 penalties per game for an average of 32 yards, but the Golden Lions were flagged 12 times for 100 yards against Lincoln.
Perhaps the most notable penalty involved a scuffle in which UAPB starting center Frank Bean and Lincoln defensive player Corey Korensky were ejected for throwing punches.
“He was defending a teammate,” Hampton said of Bean. “He actually got swung on. He pushed the guy back, and the referee threw him out. So, that’s unfortunate, but we gotta keep our cool. We have a teach the game segment, and we talk about how you should respond in situations like that when that happens. Obviously, we gotta go back and teach it again, because we didn’t learn that lesson.”
UAPB isn’t the only team looking to clean things up over the next two weeks.
Alcorn is limping into the bye week and the upcoming Southern Heritage Classic without a victory. The Braves are coming off a 63-0 road loss to Mississippi State.
In their first two games, they fell 20-10 to a Northwestern State team which had been on a 20-game losing streak and 41-31 to Alabama A&M. The AAMU game was considered non-conference despite featuring two SWAC schools.
Alcorn Coach Cedric Thomas said the Braves can still be a great football team if they fix a few key things.
“Offensively, we gotta maintain the possessions,” Thomas said. “We put the defense in some bad situations. Fumble on a 9-yard gain by the running back, Tylan Citizen. Had a bubble screen on the edge, Damien Jones let the ball go. Defensively, just the explosive (plays). We gotta communicate a whole lot better. Just do what we’re asked to do just from a preparation standpoint.”
The Braves turned the ball over eight times in their first three games, while UAPB has committed four turnovers. Both defenses have taken the ball away four times each.
Thomas said Alcorn would begin game planning for UAPB as early as Tuesday or Wednesday of this week, saying the Braves didn’t have much time to focus on themselves with a “dangerous” UAPB team next up on the schedule.