LORMAN &045; You’d have to put deadbolt locks on every gate at Jack Spinks Stadium to keep Robert Lester from playing Saturday.

But his ankle is sore. And he’s not the only member of Alcorn’s backfield playing with some kind of pain.

The senior running back turned an ankle in the third quarter of Saturday’s win over Prairie View and had limited time in practice this week. But the Braves are hoping each of the three members will play Saturday for four quarters &045; something they nearly did on Saturday &045; for the first time all season when they host Texas Southern.

&uot;My ankle rolled up a little bit,&uot; said Lester, who eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for his career Saturday. &uot;But I’m going to have to go. I’m a senior, and it’s homecoming. It’s one of my last games at Jack Spinks. Nothing is going to keep me from playing. It’s going to take more than a small injury to keep me from playing.&uot;

The question, though, is how much Lester and the remainder of the backfield will be able to give. In the three-man setup at running back, Lester has a sore ankle, Vernardus Cooper has a sore knee and Jeremy McCoy still has that sore elbow.

The three haven’t played together for four quarters yet this season. Throw in the fact that the offensive line has had some injuries, and you’ve got a ground game that’s currently ranked second-to-last in the conference with just 78.4 yards per game.

&uot;We’re not healthy, and we’ve still got a lot of bumps and bruises,&uot; Alcorn offensive coordinator John McKenzie said. &uot;We’re trying to rest Lester. They’re going to have those injuries throughout the year. They know they’ve got to go, and they’re trying to give us their best effort. We don’t have time to heal.&uot;

The injuries have mounted, McKenzie said, and has dipped into the offensive line. Freshman right guard Todd Johnson will sit out this week, and tackle Jonathan Lowe may be used on an emergency basis while nursing an injury.

The Braves ran for 100 yards in the season opener against Grambling and haven’t cracked the century mark as a team since.

Had it not been for the 72 yards rushing against Alabama State, the Braves would have decreased their total each game after Grambling &045; 68 against North Carolina A&T, 56 against Howard, 72 against Alabama State and 37 against Prairie View.

&uot;It’s kind of went down,&uot; Lester said. &uot;The intensity we had hasn’t happened since the first game. We had some injuries, and that contributed to that. There’s really no excuse with it. We haven’t played the football we know we can play.

&uot;We have some good running backs who have limited game experience, but they’re growing into it. With a little learning of the system and when we’re focused and ready to play, nobody can stop our running game.&uot;

Cooper, the red-shirt freshman out of Greenwood whom coaches were high on in the spring, has battled a torn meniscus from the season opener and played sparingly last week in his first game back. He had eight carries for 39 yards against Grambling but struggled for yards Saturday, finishing with 11 carries for minus-9 yards.

&uot;I’m not at 100 percent &045; probably at 95,&uot; Cooper said. &uot;I’ll do what I need to do for the team. I’m just glad I could help (Lester) out. I had to get back used to everything. I can’t plant the way I want to. I want to get back to where I was against Grambling.&uot;

The injuries up front have had plenty to do with the ground game, and the Braves have started two true freshman at guards this season, a first-year starter at center in Chris Seymour and a red-shirt freshman at tackle after Lowe got hurt.

Senior tackle Jon Herman was the only player with significant playing time on the line.

&uot;We’re still positive about everything,&uot; McKenzie said. &uot;We feel good about the guys we’re playing. We can’t afford to have anybody else go down.

&uot;It’s a shame that everyone is hurt. We have some really extra-special talent who haven’t been able to play. Johnson and Lowe’s injuries have given the other two experience. The future looks bright, but to us the future is now.&uot;