In the blink of an eye, in football terms, Jay Hopson took Alcorn State from the depths of despair to the class of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The program that was 2-8 the year before he got there has gone 28-10 over the past three seasons, with two SWAC championships, one Black College national title, and one near-miss at a second national title.

The stat Hopson, ever the perfectionist, has stuck in his mind, however is 50. Excluding two blowout losses to Football Bowl Subdivision teams Mississippi State and Georgia Tech, that’s the total number of points Alcorn’s losses have been decided by in the past three seasons.

It works out to about a touchdown per game. A play here or a play there. It’s a razor-thin margin that could have turned Alcorn’s run from great to historic — and also the reason Hopson is happy with where his program sits despite a 41-34 season-ending loss to North Carolina A&T in the Celebration Bowl last weekend.

“You look at our losses this year, and we’re 15 points away from being 12-1,” Hopson said. “You’re proud and excited about all the great things you’ve done, but it’s the near misses that stick in your side a bit. Those are the things you look at. But like everything else, it’s football.”

Another thing that’s part of the game, Hopson said, is change, and Alcorn will have to deal with some of it this offseason.

The group of seniors who have been there with him since the beginning, like quarterback John Gibbs Jr., tight end Jordan Payne and cornerback Quinton Cantue, are starting to leave. Seventeen seniors in all played their last game Saturday in the Georgia Dome.

A new group will rise to replace them. Lenorris Footman started the last six games after Gibbs went down with an ankle injury. Junior Marquis Warford emerged as the Braves’ top receiver and earned the SWAC Newcomer of the Year Award. The defense was strong and deep and led not only the SWAC, but the entire Football Championship Subdivision in several categories.

Hopson added that in addition to raw talent, injuries to key players this season allowed younger ones to gain valuable playing time. Looking at the big picture, he said, the Braves are in a strong position to remain atop the SWAC for a while.

“We have a lot of excellent players coming back. A lot of receivers. We have a lot of guys that have been playmakers for us,” Hopson said. “This was the year, that by Week 4 or Week 5 you started to lose a lot of players and you worry about how it’s going to wind up. A lot of guys stepped up and played well, so it’s a good thing now.”

The biggest of those was Footman. The sophomore from Monticello, Fla., stepped in when Gibbs injured his ankle in the first quarter against Southern on Oct. 31 and became the team’s second-leading rusher with 1,023 yards.

Footman had 950 yards and 10 touchdowns in Alcorn’s last seven games.

“Lenorris started seven games and Gibbs started six. So we have a starting quarterback coming back now,” Hopson said.

While Footman excelled as a runner, he struggled at times throwing the ball. He completed just 43.5 percent of his passes for the season, and threw for less than 150 yards in four of his six starts. It’s something he’ll have to work on in the offseason, Hopson said, but also something that wasn’t entirely his fault. Playcalling that favored the running game and other factors also contributed to the low yardage total.

“We have to work on a few things, but Lenorris is a great passer. There were some throws he made against A&T that were right where they needed to be,” Hopson said. “A lot of times the quarterback gets the blame, but the wide receivers and offensive line are all tied together in that too.”

Up next for Hopson and the Braves is the recruiting season, then spring practice and the run-up to the 2016 season. Whatever the future holds, whether it’s a winning season, a conference title or a national championship, Alcorn has established itself as a dominant power in the SWAC that won’t be easily defeated.

“We’ve had a couple of good years, and even the first year we had a good year. You hope you get more recognition on the national and regional level to help with recruiting,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate to be around some tremendous football players and coaches. To be on this ride, I’m thankful.”