JACKSON — For beleagured Alcorn State coach Dr. Johnny Thomas, the Braves’ 2007 season was like a bad episode of the Twilight Zone. On Monday, he took the fall.

Alcorn State officials told Thomas his contract would not be renewed when it expires on Dec. 31.

On Saturday, the Braves concluded a 2-8 season with a 31-19 loss to Jackson State at the Capital City Classic at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Thomas gave a subtle hint during the postgame conference that his days at Alcorn might be numbered.

“Some very unusual things that I have never seen before have happened this season. It’s been like I’ve been in the Twilight Zone. I’m glad it’s over,” Thomas said.

“We had both quarterbacks get hurt at one point or another. We lose our snapper (center) and didn’t get him back until the fourth game. We lost a couple of offensive linemen, both for the season. There was just no continuity,” Thomas said.

He then gave a strong defense of his program, one that went 47-62 in his 10 seasons at the Lorman school.

“We’ve had six winning seasons before this one. My coaches have done a phenomenal job here at Alcorn. All coaches have down seasons. Joe Paterno had a bad year. Bobby Bowden has had a down year. This was my down year,” Thomas said. “Some things are beyond your control.”

While Jackson State has a bitter in-state rivalry with Alcorn State for recruits and Southwestern Athletic Conference wins, JSU coach Rick Comegy defended Thomas.

“They have lost some good people during the season. The Spillman kid and a couple of the offensive linemen went down. It was obvious they weren’t the team they were a year ago,” Comegy said.

Alcorn State beat JSU 32-31 last year for its fourth straight win over the Tigers.

“Coach Thomas is a guy I have always admired the most within the conference. He knows more about this league than any other coach,” Comegy added.

The Braves’ players also weighed in for their coach.

“As players, we didn’t talk about it,” junior linebacker Lee Robinson said. “We just play the game. But if you want to blame somebody, blame us. We were the ones who were playing out there. Yes, we did have injuries, we just didn’t play well enough.”

Saturday’s game with JSU proved to be a typical chapter in a 10-chapter novel. The Braves dominated play early, taking a 6-0 lead, and were driving to another score when an inopportune fumble stopped the drive and handed the momentum over to Jackson State.

The Alcorn offense did not get its bearings back until the fourth quarter and by then it trailed JSU 24-6.

“We fumbled the ball and it went downhill from there,” Thomas said.

One key strategic factor behind the Braves’ downfall in 2007 was a lack of any kind of running game.

The team’s leading rusher, Joshua Brumfield, finished with just 220 yards. As a team the Braves gained just 2.6 yards per carry.