2021 Alcorn State Braves football team

2021 Alcorn State Braves football
Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
Division	West Division
Record	6–5 (5–3 SWAC)
Head coach	Fred McNair (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	Elliott Wratten (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Cedric Thornton (3rd season)
Home stadium	Casem-Spinks Stadium

2021 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 22 Jackson State x$		8	–	0					11	–	2
No. 25 Florida A&M ^		7	–	1					9	–	3
Alabama A&M		5	–	3					7	–	3
Mississippi Valley State		3	–	5					4	–	7
Alabama State		3	–	5					5	–	6
Bethune–Cookman		2	–	6					2	–	9
West Division
Prairie View A&M x		6	–	2					7	–	5
Alcorn State		5	–	3					6	–	5
Grambling State		3	–	5					4	–	7
Southern		3	–	5					4	–	7
Texas Southern		2	–	6					2	–	8
Arkansas–Pine Bluff		1	–	7					2	–	9
Championship: Jackson State 27, Prairie View A&M 10
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2021 Alcorn State Braves football team represented Alcorn State University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Braves played their home games at Casem-Spinks Stadium in Lorman, Mississippi, and competed in the West Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). They were led by fifth-year head coach Fred McNair.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 28	6:00 p.m.	vs. North Carolina Central*	Center Parc Stadium Atlanta, GA (MEAC/SWAC Challenge/College GameDay)	ESPN	L 14–23	15,215
September 11	6:00 p.m.	Northwestern State*	Casem-Spinks Stadium Lorman, MS		W 13–10	0
September 18	7:00 p.m.	at South Alabama*	Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL	ESPN3	L 21–28	15,204
September 23	6:30 p.m.	at Arkansas–Pine Bluff	Simmons Bank Field Pine Bluff, AR	ESPNU	W 39–38	7,541
October 9	2:00 p.m.	Grambling State	Casem-Spinks Stadium Lorman, MS	ESPN3	W 24-20	14,500
October 16	3:00 p.m.	at Mississippi Valley State	Rice–Totten Stadium Itta Bena, MS	YouTube	W 24-12	9,200
October 23	7:00 p.m.	at Texas Southern	BBVA Stadium Houston, TX	AT&TSN	W 44-27	2,653
October 30	6:00 p.m.	at Southern	A. W. Mumford Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	ESPN3	L 35-38	15,333
November 6	11:00 a.m.	at Bethune–Cookman	Daytona Stadium Daytona Beach, FL	ESPN+	L 31-35	3,673
November 13	2:00 p.m.	No. 24 Prairie View A&M	Casem-Spinks Stadium Lorman, MS		W 31-29	0
November 20	1:00 p.m.	at No. 19 Jackson State	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (Soul Bowl)	ESPN3	L 10-24	58,892
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Game summaries

Vs. North Carolina Central

Alcorn State vs. North Carolina Central

1 2 3 4 Total Braves 7 0 7 0 14 • Eagles 0 7 6 10 23 Date: August 28, 2021 Location: Center Parc Stadium Atlanta, GA Game start: 6:07 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 27 minutes Game attendance: 15,215 Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee: Bobby Wright TV announcers (ESPN): Mark Jones (play–by–play), Jay Walker (analyst), Robert Griffin III (analyst), Quint Kessenich (sideline reporter)

Scoring summary 1 10:25 ALCN Juan Anthony Jr. 20-yard pass from Felix Harper (Cristofer Thompson kick) (10 plays, 65 yards, 4:35) ALCN 7–0 2 00:23 NCCU Davius Richard 6-yard rush (Adrian Olivo kick) (8 plays, 57 yards, 2:42) TIE 7–7 3 10:25 NCCU Davius Richard 1-yard rush (Adrian Olivo PAT blocked) (9 plays, 75 yards, 4:35) NCCU 13–7 02:19 ALCN Niko Duffey 4-yard pass from Felix Harper (Cristofer Thompson kick) (6 plays, 28 yards, 2:38) ALCN 14–13 4 13:39 NCCU Adrian Olivo 28-yard field goal (8 plays, 64 yards, 3:40) NCCU 16–14 11:21 NCCU Brandon Codrington 77-yard punt return (Adrian Olivo kick) (5 plays, 8 yards, 2:18) NCCU 23–14

See also: 2021 North Carolina Central Eagles football team, MEAC/SWAC Challenge, and College GameDay (football TV program)

Pregame line	Over/under
ALCN –15.5	53

Statistics	Alcorn State	North Carolina Central
First downs	18	19
Total yards	325	391
Rushing yards	171	207
Passing yards	154	184
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	28:20	31:25

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alcorn State	Passing	Felix Harper	17/27, 154 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Stadford Anderson	11 carries, 128 yards
	Receiving	Juan Anthony Jr.	5 receptions, 66 yards, 1 TD
North Carolina Central	Passing	Davius Richard	16/26, 184 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jordan Freeman	9 carries, 72 yards
	Receiving	Ryan McDaniel	6 receptions, 72 yards

Northwestern State

Northwestern State at Alcorn State

1 2 Total Demons 0 Braves 0 Date: September 11, 2021 Location: Casem-Spinks Stadium Lorman, MS Game start: TBD CDT Elapsed time:   Game attendance:   Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:   TV announcers ( ):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Northwestern State Demons football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Northwestern State	Alcorn State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alcorn State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At South Alabama

Alcorn State at South Alabama

1 2 3 4 Total Braves 0 14 0 7 21 • Jaguars 7 0 21 0 28 Date: September 18, 2021 Location: Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL Game start: 7:05 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 4 hours and 42 minutes Game attendance: 15,204 Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SE 4 MPH Referee: Trennis Livingston TV announcers (ESPN3): J. D. Byars (play–by–play) and Pat Greenwood (analyst)

Scoring summary 1 02:11 USA Kareem Walker 1-yard rush (Diego Guajardo kick) (12 plays, 70 yards, 4:31) USA 7–0 2 06:50 ALCN Jason Longcor 0-yard fumble returned (Cristofer Thompson kick) (3 plays, -6 yards, 2:33) TIE 7–7 01:49 ALCN Javonta Leatherwood 1-yard rush (Cristofer Thompson kick) (6 plays, 62 yards, 1:59) ALCN 14–7 3 12:12 USA Kareem Walker 13-yard rush (Diego Guajardo kick) (6 plays, 59 yards, 2:43) TIE 14–14 10:27 USA Kareem Walker 35-yard rush (Diego Guajardo kick) (1 play, 35 yards, 0:08) USA 21–14 03:37 USA Bryan Hill 11-yard rush (Diego Guajardo kick) (10 plays, 71 yards, 4:56) USA 28–14 4 14:19 ALCN Juan Anthony Jr. 2-yard pass from Felix Harper (Cristofer Thompson kick) (7 plays, 30 yards, 2:24) USA 28–21

See also: 2021 South Alabama Jaguars football team

Pregame line	Over/under
USA –21.5	45

Statistics	Alcorn State	South Alabama
First downs	13	22
Total yards	297	396
Rushing yards	32	238
Passing yards	265	158
Turnovers	1	4
Time of possession	32:00	28:00

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alcorn State	Passing	Felix Harper	20/33, 265 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jonathon Bolton	7 carries, 16 yards
	Receiving	CJ Bolar	5 receptions, 128 yards
South Alabama	Passing	Jake Bentley	14/25, 158 yards
	Rushing	Kareem Walker	23 carries, 150 yards, 3 TDs
	Receiving	Jalen Tolbert	2 receptions, 54 yards

At Arkansas–Pine Bluff

Alcorn State at Arkansas–Pine Bluff

1 2 3 4 Total • Braves 7 0 19 13 39 Golden Lions 23 3 6 6 38 Date: September 23, 2021 Location: Simmons Bank Field Pine Bluff, AR Game start: TBD CDT Elapsed time:   Game attendance:   Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:   TV announcers (ESPNU):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Arkansas–Pine Bluff Golden Lions football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Alcorn State	Arkansas–Pine Bluff
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alcorn State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Arkansas–Pine Bluff	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Grambling State

Grambling State at Alcorn State

1 2 Total Tigers 0 Braves 0 Date: October 9, 2021 Location: Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field Prairie View, TX Game start: TBD CDT Elapsed time:   Game attendance:   Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:   TV announcers (ESPN3):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Grambling State Tigers football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Grambling State	Alcorn State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Grambling State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alcorn State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Mississippi Valley State

Alcorn State at Mississippi Valley State

1 2 Total Braves 0 Delta Devils 0 Date: October 16, 2021 Location: Rice–Totten Stadium Itta Bena, MS Game start: 3:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time:   Game attendance:   Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:   TV announcers ( ):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Alcorn State	Mississippi Valley State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alcorn State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mississippi Valley State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Texas Southern

Alcorn State at Texas Southern

1 2 Total Braves 0 Tigers 0 Date: October 23, 2021 Location: BBVA Stadium Houston, TX Game start: 7:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time:   Game attendance:   Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:   TV announcers (AT&T SportsNet):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Texas Southern Tigers football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Alcorn State	Texas Southern
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alcorn State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Texas Southern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Southern

Alcorn State at Southern

1 2 3 4 Total Braves 0 14 7 14 35 • Jaguars 7 7 7 17 38 Date: October 30, 2021 Location: A. W. Mumford Stadium Baton Rouge, LA Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 28 minutes Game attendance: 15,333 Game weather: • Weather: Sunny • Wind: TBD Referee: Bobby White TV announcers (ESPN3):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Southern Jaguars football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Alcorn State	Southern
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alcorn State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Bethune–Cookman

Alcorn State at Bethune–Cookman

1 2 Total Braves 0 Wildcats 0 Date: November 6, 2021 Location: Daytona Stadium Daytona Beach, FL Game start: TBD CDT Elapsed time:   Game attendance:   Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:   TV announcers ( ):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Alcorn State	Bethune–Cookman
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alcorn State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Bethune–Cookman	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 24 Prairie View A&M

Prairie View A&M at Alcorn State

1 2 3 4 Total No. 24 Panthers 6 3 7 13 29 • Braves 0 24 7 0 31 Date: November 13, 2021 Location: Casem-Spinks Stadium Lorman, MS Game start: 2:00 p.m. CST Elapsed time:   Game attendance:   Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:   TV announcers ( ):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Prairie View A&M Panthers football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Prairie View A&M	Alcorn State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Prairie View A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alcorn State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At No. 19 Jackson State

Alcorn State at Jackson State

1 2 Total Braves 0 No. 19 Tigers 0 Date: November 20, 2021 Location: Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS Game start: 1:00 p.m. CST Elapsed time:   Game attendance:   Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:   TV announcers (ESPN3):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Jackson State Tigers football team and Soul Bowl

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Alcorn State	Jackson State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alcorn State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Jackson State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving