BATON ROUGE &045; Here’s yet another reason why it seems like 2003 all over again.

Alcorn finds itself in a must-win situation against a team no one wants to face in that sort of circumstance &045; Southern University. Yet the Braves have survived this situation the past two seasons and were the only team to hand Southern a loss en route to its Black College National Championship.

Some sort of hex? Nope. Instead, the tight circumstance was reason for the Braves to come out fighting.

&uot;It’s not a secret &045; I just think we’ve had our backs to the wall,&uot; Alcorn head coach Johnny Thomas said. &uot;We had to win the football game (last year) to stay in the hunt for the Eastern Division championship. This year it’s the same thing &045; we’ve got to win the football game in order to stay in the hunt.&uot;

It’s the biggest feathers in Thomas’ cap from the last two seasons &045; his club went into Mumford Stadium and pulled a shocker over a well-coached and talented Southern club (both, too, coming in inclement weather). Last season the Braves came into the game with a 2-5 overall mark and hanging on by a whisker in the race for the Eastern Division title.

This year things aren’t as bad &045; the Braves are tied with Alabama A&M and Alabama State atop the standings as each have one loss. But you can’t downplay the fact that Southern is likely very hungry to beat Alcorn after the past two losses.

&uot;Any time we play Alcorn, it’s just the proximity of both our institutions,&uot; Southern head coach Pete Richardson said. &uot;It’s going to be a very exciting game. They’ll always be looking for us. I expect another challenge for us. They have a fine football team coming back. They have seniors coming back, and it seems like their quarterback every year has his best game against us.&uot;

This season the Jaguars aren’t coming into the contest undefeated but nonetheless carry a three-game winning streak into the Alcorn game, including Saturday’s 45-7 pounding of Jackson State in the Louisiana Superdome.

This was supposed to be a season where the Jaguars were to struggle with the loss of some key starters, including running back Kenneth Peoples and defensive back Jarmaul George. And they had to replace their quarterback from last year with Quincy Richard, a Black College All-American.

&uot;I thought we played a good Jackson team,&uot; Richardson said. &uot;We got off to a good start and were able to make some plays early in the game and change the tempo of it. Defensively we’re starting to develop the chemistry we need. Our secondary is starting to come around.&uot;

Give the credit to the offense and quarterback Thomas Ricks, the senior out of LaPlace, La., who has taken to the position like so many others before him in his first year as a starter. Ricks connected on 32 of 45 passes against Jackson State for 353 yards, and he’s well out in front of Carrie in yards as the conference’s top passer (1,844

yards passing,

17 touchdowns).

Ricks has made a habit of connecting with receiver James Vernon, the conference leader in receptions (47), yards receiving (655) and touchdowns (six).

&uot;It all revolves around our quarterback,&uot; Richardson said. &uot;If you’re going to have a good offense, the quarterback has to take charge. Thomas Ricks is doing that for us. He’s doing what you need.

&uot;We knew (Vernon) was a very talented athlete. He does great things when he gets his hands on it. He’s doing a fine job for us. The last five or six games we’ve really depended on him.&uot;

Then there’s the line that has Thomas concerned with 6-6, 340-pound Minya Smith leading the way.

The Braves will counter with two freshmen and a first-year starter among the four spots up front, and Southern’s front has allowed just nine sacks through seven games.

&uot;Pete Richardson is one of the very best coaches in college football,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;I have a great deal of respect for Pete. He’s a winner, and he has the resources to do that. He utilizes his resources to the best of his ability and his players’ ability. He’s lost some players, but he’s been able to continue to win.

&uot;Their strength is in their offensive and defensive lines. Our offensive and defensive lines will really have to be physical and tenacious.&uot;