Alcorn State head coach Jay Hopson nearly had me in pads Tuesday.

Following an intense scrimmage between the Braves’ offense and defense, Hopson’s team huddled around him as practice concluded. Then came a calm yet fiery speech, where Hopson simplified the game of football so beautifully and dramatically that I couldn’t help but pace back-and-forth.

“Football is a game of submission,” Hopson said. “It’s all mental. There’s a reason you can play a pickup game of basketball for four straight hours without getting tired, and then you get tired out here when you’re working hard and taking hits. It’s all mental. Why did we win the championship last season? It was because we wore down every opponent we faced.”

What he said wasn’t false. After all, the Braves went 10-3, scoring more than 50 points in four of those wins, and losing to those three teams by an average margin of 5.3 points. Win or lose, Alcorn State made its opponent respect the Braves with their physical play and tireless effort.

Hopson must not have seen that same caliber of intensity and conditioning Tuesday afternoon, as he called out his defensive linemen, and urged them to get in better shape.

“Ask (offensive coordinator Fred Kaiss), what do spread offenses normally open games with? Bubble screens,” Hopson said, answering his own question. “Why do they do that? Because us coaches are yelling at you defensive linemen to get to the ball, and if that makes you tired, well, we’re done.”

It may take a little time, but judging by what I saw at practice, I have no doubts Hopson will get this team ready to dominate the gridiron once again.

Because Hopson completely opened his facilities to us, I was able to watch the full practice — the first full college practice I’ve seen as a member of the media, I might add. LSU would give us 20 minutes tops, but at Alcorn, I received three hours. The last hour I observed was so telling. Sure, the Braves 10-3 record to go along with its grinding offense and stingy defense are more than enough evidence to convince a casual observer that this is a good team, but I got to see what Alcorn State was made of in a live scrimmage after going through several individual workouts.

Already fatigued, these players battled, and Hopson was at the forefront providing inspiration.

“Dig in!” Hopson shouted during a goal line simulation to end the practice. “Who are you, men? Who are you right now?”

This is the environment Hopson has created at Alcorn State. It’s a competitive one, and it wasn’t quite like that when Hopson arrived on the scene in 2012. At the Miss-Lou National Football Foundation Hall of Fame Banquet in February, Hopson talked about the scene he inherited. Hopson said his father is usually on point in observing a team and giving a prediction, and after watching one practice, father let son know that rough times were ahead. His prediction came true with a 4-7 record.

It’s hard for me to fathom what he saw after watching these great athletes fly around and play with such physicality just four years later.

Not only that, but these units were talking, and talking quite often. One of the things I used to look forward to most when I made trips to Baton Rouge for practices was the Big Cat drill, where two players would meet in the middle and go at it Oklahoma-Dive style. The offense rooted for the offensive guy, and the defense rooted for the defensive guy. Sure, this goes on everywhere, but LSU players did it with such swagger, it was infectious. I got the same feeling watching Alcorn battle in a live scrimmage, as defensive players were running on the field to chest bump players who made interceptions.

Just by casually observing the talent, while soaking in the environment, it was crystal clear to me that Hopson is building something pretty special at Alcorn State. Fans should enjoy the ride.