LORMAN, Miss.- Fredrick Robertson shook off a tackle behind the line of scrimmage and rushed for a 1-yard touchdown in overtime Saturday, as Alcorn State defeated Texas Southern 43-40 at Jack Spinks-Marino Casem Stadium. SWAC TV play-by-play announcer Charles Bishop called the game an "Insta-Classic."
Robertson capped off the contest with four total touchdowns. He carried 29 times for 105 yards and three scores and caught five passes for 70 yards and another score. Alcorn State stayed unbeaten in SWAC play with its first conference victory.
Meanwhile, Texas Southern remains winless in the conference, down 0-2 in a very competitive SWAC West division.
The Braves led 34-12 late in the third quarter, but the Tigers fought back.
Texas Southern scored 25 of the next 28 points in regulation to force overtime, then took a 3-point lead in overtime before Alcorn State answered with the winning touchdown.
A crowd of 9,731 watched a semi-marathon game that lasted four hours and five minutes.
The Braves won the coin toss in overtime, giving Texas Southern the ball first.
The Tigers were marching before an ineligible downfield penalty wiped out a 14-yard completion from Cam'Ron McCoy to JaQuan McGee, and Mahamadou Diarra sacked McCoy on the next snap.
After a third-down incompletion, placekicker Miguel Arana booted a 48-yard field goal for a 40-37 lead.
Alcorn State needed a touchdown to win and close it out.
Quarterback Jaylon Tolbert threw two incompletions before hitting Elijah Griffin for 13 yards on third-and-10. Robertson rumbled for 6 yards to the Texas Southern 6-yard line, setting up the Braves for the win.
Next, Tolbert rushed three straight times, converting a fourth-and-1 to reach the 1-yard line. Finally, Robertson scored on the next play.
Alcorn State went up 34-12 when Carl McDonald Jr. scored on a 2-yard run with 5:30 left in the third quarter. That drive started at the Texas Southern 34 after Jaylen Mcroy forced and recovered a fumble by Roriyon Richardson.
Texas Southern answered with a 7-play, 71-yard drive capped by McCoy's 34-yard touchdown pass to Daveon Walker. McCoy then ran 34 yards for a score on third-and-2 to finish a 12-play, 89-yard drive and cut the lead to 34-26 with 9:36 left.
The Tigers tied the game on their next possession. McCoy hit Walker for 48 yards, and McCoy ran in from 5 yards out with 4:37 remaining. Athean Renfro threw the two-point conversion pass to make it 34-34.
Alcorn State went 56 yards in 12 plays on its next drive. A personal-foul penalty nullified a 16-yard touchdown catch by Robertson. Kenyon Bowyer kicked a 35-yard field goal with 27 seconds left for a 37-34 lead.
Texas Southern needed three plays and 19 seconds to respond. McCoy found Fatu Mukuba for 54 yards to the Alcorn State 8, and Arana made a 25-yard field goal as time expired.
Arana opened the scoring with a 40-yard field goal. Alcorn State took the lead 7-3 on Tolbert's 27-yard touchdown pass to Robertson.
Landon Carson blocked a 30-yard Arana attempt later in the first quarter. The Braves took over at their 30 and drove 70 yards in 12 plays, ending with Tolbert's 14-yard touchdown pass to Griffin.
McCoy connected with Mukuba for a 37-yard touchdown on third-and-12 in the second quarter. Timothy Jasper blocked the extra point. Robertson then scored on 2-yard runs at 3:27 and 0:37 of the second quarter, and Alcorn State led 27-12 at halftime.
Texas Southern signal-caller Cam'Ron McCoy had a strong performance, completing 20 of 31 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions. He also rushed 13 times for 86 yards and two scores.
Tolbert completed 26 of 41 passes for 332 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He added 79 rushing yards on 12 carries. Armon Wright caught five passes for 61 yards.
TSU wideout Daveon Walker caught seven passes for 110 yards and one touchdown.
Fatu Mukuba was the all-star player of the game, catching two passes for 91 yards and returning five kickoffs for 152 yards, including a 54-yard return.
Arana made four of five field goals from 40, 37, 25, and 48 yards.
Donovan Jones led Texas Southern with 15 tackles.
Diarra led Alcorn State with nine tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
Alcorn State outgained Texas Southern 520 to 482 and scored on all six red-zone trips. The Braves converted both fourth-down attempts.
Alcorn State committed 13 penalties for 127 yards, compared with eight for 57 yards for Texas Southern.
Texas Southern averaged 7 yards per play.
Neither quarterback threw an interception.
The loss was tough for Texas Southern, who could be eliminated from SWAC West contention if they lost again in the conference.
Alcorn State is now in a battle with Prairie View A&M and Grambling State, with the division still up for grabs.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/hbcu as Alcorn State Wins A Thriller, Outlasts Texas Southern in Overtime .
