Alcorn State at Southern Miss

The clearest matchup is Alcorn State’s offensive line against the pressure threat Southern Miss can create with Garrick Ponder. Ponder remains on the roster after producing 11.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in 2025, so Alcorn cannot allow obvious passing downs to become a steady diet of disruptive snaps. On the other side, Jeffery Pittman remains on the Southern Miss roster after running for 695 yards and eight touchdowns and catching 25 passes last season. Alcorn’s defensive front and linebackers have to tackle cleanly and maintain gap discipline whenever Pittman carries; otherwise, Southern Miss can keep the entire playbook available.

Southern Miss can control the game by keeping its quarterback decision inside a balanced plan rather than asking the position to carry every possession. Pittman’s 2025 production offers a template for staying on schedule, while Braxton—if he wins the job or has a role—brings an experienced passing and running element. Alcorn State’s route is to disrupt that comfort: win first down, prevent manageable second-and-short situations and make Southern Miss sustain long drives. Offensively, Alcorn can control the pace by protecting the ball, managing tempo, using field position to limit Southern Miss’s possessions and keeping Ponder from turning long-yardage snaps into drive-ending plays.