LORMAN &045; Tyrone Parsons never really knew what kind of talent he actually had. Even in high school, he didn’t play football until a coach coaxed him into doing so halfway through his junior season.

While the current Alcorn State standout starred in other sports while at Ridgeway High School in Memphis, Tenn., it wasn’t until he was spotted in the gym that he figured he’d give football a try.

He played receiver and safety then, but he discovered something else since he arrived at Alcorn &045; he’s a much better cornerback.

&uot;I think it’s a natural thing for me,&uot; said Parsons, the Braves’ current leader in interceptions and team leader the last three seasons. &uot;I always like to chase people, and I don’t like to get chased.&uot;

He’s blessed with a 4.3-time in the 40, probably the fastest on the Braves’ team this season. Parsons ended up making such a splash in high school under head coach Gerald Cooley &045; a former Alcorn standout &045; that he and teammate Radele Pearson nearly signed with Ole Miss as a package until Pearson backed out and opted for Arkansas.

He’s been the anchor of a secondary unit that lost a key starter in Jeremy Stockdale at the other corner, but Parsons &045; ranked as the ninth-best cornerback in I-AA coming into the season &045; has helped keep the unit steady as the team leader in picks and the fourth-best in tackles.

&uot;We think in the secondary if any starter goes down we’ve got a real good backup who can come in and play well if not better than the starter,&uot; Parsons said. &uot;We all respect each other, and we’re all like brothers. It’s working out well. I really don’t look at stats too much. I just want to win. As long as we win, that’s all that matters.&uot;

As the unit has spent time earlier this season trying to mesh as a unit following the loss of Stockdale, it’s been Parsons’ role that’s helped it come together. He’s part of a veteran group with Tim Batts and David Smith at safeties &045; a spot that coaches said was a work in progress &045; while Taurian Parks took over for Stockdale at the other position.

Parsons merely picked up where he left off after earning first-team All-SWAC honors the last two seasons.

&uot;He’s doing an outstanding job,&uot; Alcorn head coach Johnny Thomas said. &uot;He’s a leader by example, communicates very well with the guys and gives the guys the coverages &045; what we need to be in. He’s a leader back there in the secondary that plays by example and leads by example. He’s very quick and very fast, too.&uot;

It was the unit that had its share of problems earlier in the season when the Braves were in that four-game swoon when nothing was really working. But it’s the three-game winning streak where the unit has come together, grabbing key picks at the end to seal wins over Southern and Southeastern Louisiana.

Both of those games it was Parsons coming up with the key pick.

&uot;At the Southern game, I told coach I needed to be back there,&uot; Parsons said. &uot;Coach put me back there, and I made the right plays. But I’m a senior, and those kinds of plays I need to make.&uot;

Parsons didn’t get a pick in last week’s win over Mississippi Valley, but the defense did come up with two in the 23-7 win and held the Delta Devils to 159 yards total offense. That mark was the lowest this season outside of the 66-0 pounding of lowly Prairie View A&M.;

In the game against Southeastern Louisiana, the defense got two picks and held the SLU quarterback Martin Hankins &045; who average well over 300 yards passing per game &045; to 289 yards while throwing a season-high 55 passes.

&uot;They’ve improved tremendously,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;We’re going to the football better, covering better and breaking on the ball much better than we’ve done in the past. We’re getting a lot more interceptions, too. (Parks) has played very well. We’ve had some growing pains since he’s been out, but that’s to be expected with learning to play the position.&uot;

Now it’s up to Parsons and the rest of a senior group of Braves who hope to finish the job Saturday against Alabama A&M in a pivotal contest in the race for the SWAC’s East Division. Parsons was part of that winless 2000 season when he was a freshman, and that group has come along the last four years with a goal of winning a conference title.

The Braves need to win out and have Alabama State lose a game.

&uot;I think we had a better overall team then. We just didn’t have the chemistry,&uot; Parsons said of the 2000 campaign. &uot;We came in with a lot of great guys. The seniors have to step up (Saturday), and the playmakers have to step up on Saturday.&uot;