LORMAN &045; Omega Logan knows all to well what it’s like to sit on the sideline and pump up his team while wearing street clothes.

How can he forget? It doesn’t get much worse than that.

For a linebacker who gets to the ball like Arnold Schwarzenegger to a TV camera, Alcorn’s Logan had to sit out last week’s loss at Fort Valley State for the first time this season after missing plenty of action last year with a neck injury.

Now he’s back, but the biggest plus may be the guy who’s also back &045; fellow linebacker Dwan Wilson, two of the key players on the Braves’ defense that haven’t played together since Week 1 &045; when the Braves host Prairie View at 5 p.m. today for homecoming.

&uot;I’m a football player &045; injuries are part of the game,&uot; said Logan, the 5-9, 225-pound dynamo at middle linebacker. &uot;I’ll put it like this &045; I can’t stand sitting out when we’re winning. Just imagine when things are going wrong. I’m one of those people who doesn’t like to put my fate in other people’s hands.&uot;

Logan and Wilson can’t be easily confused &045; one’s a small, smooth-talking senior from the Dallas area, while Wilson is a more soft-spoken kid from Tylertown who’s plenty bigger and more intimidating at 6-3, 230 pounds.

Both, however, have missed action to sore knees. Logan was just out a week, but Wilson went down in the Week 1 win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff with an MCL injury. Wilson was the team’s leader last year in solo tackles (47), total tackles (79), sacks (7), hurries (3) and fumble recoveries (4).

Wilson returned to action last week while Logan was resting his sore knee.

&uot;I’m about 95 percent,&uot; Wilson said. &uot;It felt good. I’ve been missing playing. I’ve been watching them and wanting to play real bad, so it felt good to play. The biggest thing is I’m kind of out of game shape. The speed of the game is really what got me.&uot;

The two may be welcomed back with open arms by the coaching staff after the defense had perhaps its worst game last week in a loss to Division II Fort Valley State. The Wildcats put up 289 yards rushing on the Braves, who have sunk to second-worst in the conference in points allowed at 38 per game.

Only the struggling PVU Panthers have surrendered more.

Now Logan and Wilson get back on the first for the first time in a month with the hopes of turning around the team’s four-game skid while being out-scored 180-83.

&uot;That’s my boy,&uot; Logan said of Wilson. &uot;We stay two doors down from each other. He’s been getting my back since he first got here. I felt like when he went down we’d still do it, but he completes us as a whole defense. I just love watching him play because he’s one of the best linebackers I’ve ever seen play.&uot;

The two will help the Braves get over the hump of four straight losses after looking so good in that win over UAPB to start the season. It’s been a number of mistakes on their own part &045; moreso than anything else the opponent did &045; leaving the Braves with a feeling of them beating themselves.

After the road loss last week in a game the Braves were favored to win, there is no one taking the Panthers lightly. Sure, they’ve been blasted by everyone in the conference so far by a combined score of 219-17, but first-year head coach C.L. Whittington is trying to get them on the right track.

And it was just three years ago this year’s seniors for ASU went to Prairie View and got beat.

&uot;Me being from Houston, I didn’t expect to lose to Prairie View,&uot; senior guard LaDarien Strauss said. &uot;I feel this year you can’t take anyone lightly. On any given Saturday anyone can win. It’s our homecoming, and Prairie View will try to come out and spoil it. But we’re staying positive. I think God is trying to humble us and saying we’ve got to go out there and do it.&uot;