UAPB faces tough homecoming test
A few things have changed around the Southwestern Athletic Conference over the past few seasons, starting with an NFL Hall of Fame coach taking over a league blue blood and almost instantly returning them to the top of the organization’s throne.
The addition of two teams that were once a part of a rival conference also caused a ripple effect — from long-term scheduling to overall revenue — for the other schools in the SWAC. But those changes haven’t altered the viewpoint University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Coach Alonzo Hampton has when talking about a program he feels has been the league standard despite those changes.
“Let’s be honest, everybody talks about Jackson State and [Florida A&M],” he explained. “Before Deion [Sanders] came into this league, Alcorn State was the toast.”
The Braves just so happen to be in Pine Bluff today to help honor the Golden Lions (1-5, 0-3) on their homecoming.
The 45th overall meeting between the two teams is set to unfold at Simmons Bank Field inside Golden Lion Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m., but Hampton expects both teams to be ready long before then, especially the group that’ll be standing along the opposing sidelines.
Hampton praised the sustained success the Braves have had for the past decade, particularly under head coach Fred McNair. Alcorn State (3-3, 2-1) won four conference championships in six title game appearances from 2014-2019. Jay Hopson led the team to two straight SWAC East division titles, and McNair
picked up where he left off when he took over the reins in 2016.
Even when the Braves were bumped to the SWAC West division in 2021 after Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman joined, they’ve still been more than formidable despite being absent from the title game the past three seasons. That switch also coincided with Sanders’ second season at Jackson State, which ended up winning consecutive league championships in 2021-22 under his watch.
This year, Alcorn State is again back in the thick of things, currently a half-game behind Prairie View A&M for the top spot in the West.
“That’s hats off to Coach McNair,” Hampton said. “Like I told our coaches, we need to figure out what they’re doing. We need to get some of the players they got. The way they look, they look like a Power 5 football team.”
Alcorn State has depended on an effective run game in the past, but it hasn’t been as potent in 2023. However, that’s not enough to ease Hampton’s concerns.
Jarveon Howard does have a team-high 276 yards rushing and three touchdowns for the Braves, but he blistered the Golden Lions defense last year when he ran for 299 yards and four scores in a 3821 victory.
“We know the running back, that kid is tremendous,” Hampton said. “They want to give it to him 40 times a game. He’s that good.”
Quarterback Aaron Allen has also been a plus for the Braves, having thrown for 1,181 yards and seven touchdowns. Besides those two players being the focal points of what the Braves want to do offensively, the possibility that they, as a whole, may be picking up steam is even more worrisome.
After losing three of its first four games, Alcorn State has won consecutive contests against Alabama State and Grambling State. For UAPB, it’s just the opposite.
The Golden Lions have lost three straight games, including a 42-17 loss last week to a Mississippi Valley State team that was winless beforehand. Hampton hasn’t minced words when talking about what his team needs to do to get out of his recent slide, whether it’s taking care of the football, capitalizing on scoring opportunities when they’re available or forcing turnovers.
Whatever the situation, he wants the Golden Lions to compete throughout in order to give themselves a chance.
“We need to show up, and that’s the bottom line,” he said. “We need to put our big-boy pants on. We’re gonna have to tackle that running back, and we need to get after that quarterback.
“And on offense, we need to be able to sustain drives. We’re not doing a good enough job of that. Yeah we had 400 yards [against Mississippi Valley State], but it didn’t feel like 400 yards. We’ve got to do a better job of getting our guys ready to go and matching the intensity of other teams.”