LORMAN &045; It’s not that Donald Carrie has held a grudge since this time last year.

It may be more directed at himself than anything else when he and the Alcorn State Braves host Mississippi Valley State today. This time last year the Braves were in search of a win to stay in the hunt for the SWAC’s Eastern Division title when they faced the Delta Devils.

But coaches kept him out the first half of that game and the first drive of the second half for disciplinary reasons. The Braves, already beat up with injuries, struggled and lost the game.

&uot;That was the worst quarter and a half of football I have ever played,&uot; said Carrie, who came in and threw four interceptions in that 23-6 loss. &uot;It was kind of different for me because I’m not used to coming off the bench. I’m used to starting the game and finishing it out. But coming in at the middle of the game, that’s not a good thing for me.&uot;

It’s fitting that, like last season, Carrie came into the contest on a hot streak of sorts before coaches held him out for the first half in favor of backup Corey Johnson. This time, however, there are several similarities, although Carrie is playing much better this time and the Braves aren’t as beat up with injuries as they were last year.

One thing, though, is exactly the same &045; in order to stay in the hunt for the Eastern Division title, the Braves need to beat Valley.

&uot;I didn’t help my team any, but now it’s a different year,&uot; Carrie said. &uot;I’ll be there from start to finish. I’ll handle our business the whole game.&uot;

Carrie and the Braves sure could use a win today, and they’ll also have to avoid the letdown against the Delta Devils, who are struggled much like they were at this point last year. Right now the Braves are locked in a four-way tie for first place in the East with Alabama State, Alabama A&M and Jackson State, and a loss would derail things significantly with only three games left to play.

Same exact scenario as last year, but this time the Braves are plenty healthier. Only cornerback Jeremy Stockdale is out with injury. They’ll also welcome back speedy running back Sidney Dumas, who missed the last two games for disciplinary reasons.

&uot;We had so many injuries last year,&uot; ASU head coach Johnny Thomas said. &uot;We’re not as banged up as we were last year. We had (Lonnie) Teagle out, three of our linebackers out and some defensive linemen and defensive backs out. The only person we have out that we normally have is Stockdale, but everybody else is healthy. It’s not like it was last year.&uot;

Carrie, too, is in much better shape this year after he threw for 300-plus yards the last two games, his first time to do that in consecutive weeks since his freshman year. His 379 yards two weeks ago in the 36-34 win over Southern was a career-high for the junior out of New Orleans, but the most important thing is he’s put together his two best games since his freshman season.

He hasn’t thrown an interception in his last two games after throwing 13 in the first seven games, a mark that is still worst in the SWAC.

&uot;In my freshman year I can’t say I ever felt comfortable at all because it was my first time playing college football,&uot; Carrie said. &uot;The whole thing has been repetition &045; working on my mechanics, making the right reads and throwing the ball. It’s not about being comfortable. It’s about knowing what to do and executing.&uot;

If the passing game is efficient, chances are the Braves are going to win. The Braves are 7-0 when Carrie hasn’t thrown an interception dating back to his freshman season, and he had just one game last year &045; at Prairie View &045; where he didn’t throw a pick.

Now is the best time to have a quarterback in the zone.

&uot;If we lose one of these games, we’re out of that contention,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;Valley is a huge football game for us. If we do, that gives us a great deal of confidence going into the next game against Alabama A&M.; This is a rivalry game. You throw the records out for both teams. It’s going to be a hard-fought game. Valley is going to come out focused and really prepared. They’re going to try to knock us off to salvage their season.&uot;

The Delta Devils have struggled this season, much more than expected after they were a different team after that win last year over Alcorn. They finished strong and were expected to bring that momentum into the 2003 season.

Although they opened on a six-game losing streak, the Delta Devils have won two of three and have developed a bit of confidence now.

Curtis Kemp got the majority of snaps last week in a 40-3 win over Prairie View and threw for over 300 yards. But running back Brandon Dawson has been the key to the offense with 93 carries this year.

&uot;They’ve got a good running game, and their running back runs the ball really well,&uot; Thomas said. &uot;They have outstanding special teams. They’re well-balanced football team. They pretty much do (rotate quarterbacks). It’s just hard to prepare for three as opposed to one. If their running game is going, they’d prefer to run the football.&uot;