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Strong first half carries Alcorn State past Texas Southern
LOMAN, Miss. (AP) — Noah Johnson accounted for 322 yards of offense and three touchdowns in the first half and Alcorn State opened Southwestern Athletic Conference play with a 27-15 victory over Texas Southern on Saturday night.
Johnson tallied 263 yards on 16-of-21 passing and carried nine times for 59 yards and a score as the Braves (2-1) piled up 388 yards of offense and rolled to a 27-0 lead by halftime. Johnson's 1-yard plunge and his 8-yard scoring strike to Raidarious Anderson staked Alcorn State to a 14-0 first-quarter lead. The Braves stretched their lead to 27-0 by halftime on the strength of P.J. Simmons 1-yard TD run and Johnson's 28-yard scoring strike to Chris Blair.
The Tigers (1-2) managed just 86 yards of offense in the first half, including minus-2 yards rushing on 14 carries. Texas Southern got on the scoreboard on its first possession of the second half, scoring on Glen Cuiellette's 23-yard strike to Bobby Hartzog Jr. Cuiellette and Hartzog Jr. hooked up for a 16-yard score in the fourth quarter.
Anderson finished with eight catches for 138 yards, while Johnson completed 22 of 33 passes for 311 yards.
Cuiellette had 206 passing yards in the second half.
