MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Just over three months ago, the coaches and sports information directors from across the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) picked Alcorn State and Alabama State atop the East Division in the preseason poll.
 
Now five weeks into the season, the two meet for the first East Division contest on the schedule for both teams on Saturday afternoon in Lorman (Miss.).  The two teams will battle to take the early lead in the division standings, with each team tied for fifth all-time in the conference with four appearances in the conference championship game.
 
Alabama State (1-3, 0-1 SWAC), who last played in the conference championship game in 2010, comes into the contest off a bye week after dropping a 34-0 road contest to Grambling State in conference play. The Hornets have played perhaps the toughest schedule in the conference to start the season, with a pair of losses coming against teams ranked in the top 10 in their respective divisions – Auburn (FBS) and Kennesaw State (FCS).
 
Ezra Gray leads the Alabama State offense with an average of 53 yards per game on the ground, while coming off a 130-yard performance against Grambling State. He also has added 570 all-purpose yards, averaging 142.5 yards per game for the Hornets. Through the air, Alabama State is averaging 175 yards through the air, with 19 different receivers catching a pass through the first four games.
 
Defensively, Kurron Ramsey leads the Hornets with 28 total tackles – including 20 solo tackles. Meanwhile, Joshua Hill has 25 tackles and Darron Johnson 23. The Hornets currently lead the country in fumbles recovered (eight) and turnovers gained (10).
 
Alcorn State (4-1, 2-0 SWAC) has won the last four East Division titles, and come into the contest on a four-game winning streak after a season-opening loss to Georgia Tech. The last time the Braves did not make the conference championship game was in 2013, a year in which Alabama State last won against the Braves – a 49-30 Hornets' victory.
 
The game kicks off at 2 pm on the campus of Alcorn State on homecoming, with pregame beginning at 1:30 pm on the Hornet Sports Network.

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