GAME CENTRAL

SSU Tigers (0-0, 0-0 MEAC)
at
Colorado State Rams (0-0, 0-0 Mountain West)
Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium
(Fort Collins, Colo., 2 p.m. MT)

On Game Day

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Tiger Bites
- Savannah State kicks off its 114th year of football as the Tigers travel west to face the Rams of Colorado State in its 2015 season opener. This will be the seventh consecutive season the Tigers have played their opener on the road.

 - The Tigers are 31-53-6 in season openers and head coach Earnest Wilson is 0-2 in his season opening debuts at Savannah State.  He has losses at Georgia Southern and at Middle Tennessee.

- Saturday's game will mark the first meeting between the Tigers and the Rams. It is also the first time SSU has faced a team from the Mountain West Conference.

- The last time SSU played a 10-game schedule was in 2009. The Tigers finished 2-8 that season.

- SSU sophomore wide receiver Justin Middleton grew up in Fountain, Colorado before moving to Bluffton, South Carolina; the son of SSU linebacker coach Tony Pierce played linebacker at Air Force last season (Jordan Pierce); SSU and NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe played with the Denver Broncos for 12 seasons and won two Super Bowls.

- Marquis Smith was the only SSU football player to receive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) preseason honors. Smith was named to the third team.

- Sophomore running back Joshua Berry is a cancer survivor. Berry was diagnosed with acute leukemia in November 2010. Joshua is now in remission after chemotherapy and blood platelet transfusions.

- This week's trip to Fort Collins, Colorado is the longest road trip for SSU this season. According to MapQuest it is 1,706.9 miles from Savannah to Fort Collins.
 
- Nineteen members of the 2015 football squad hail from Savannah-Chatham County. Nine local schools are represented on the roster (Bible Baptist, Benedictine, Bethesda, Calvary, Jenkins, Memorial, Savannah Christian, Savannah High and Windsor Forest).

- Twenty years ago during the 1995 season, SSU had a 7-4 record under coach Wendell Avery. 25 years ago SSU had a 7-4 record under William "Bill" Davis.

 Wilson Says..
Coach Wilson on the 2015 Tigers…
"Each year I've been here we've gotten stronger, the program's become more stable.  I'm up to 110 football players, which I'm happy about.  So now, we are able to put together scout teams.  We've got about 50 freshmen in our program.  The kids are bigger, stronger and faster than what we've had in the past."
 
Coach Wilson on playing Colorado State…
"Colorado State game came about because my mentor is the head Chancellor of the whole university system.  We decided to play the game against each other and I hope to go out there to Fort Collins and put on a great showing and show what the MEAC football is all about.  It's going to be tough game.  I feel like we're more prepared going into this season than any other season.  This is the first time I've walked into the season where I wasn't hiring coaches on the same day that kids were coming to camp.  So, I'm excited about it." 
 
Coach Wilson on Colorado State offense…
"We believe they are going to come out of the "I", which they've done at the University of Georgia.  We know Colorado State has the No. 1 wide receiver in the country.  Most people don't realize that he was the No. 1 wide receiver in the country coming back.  They have a little bit of team speed, good size.  They're starting out with a brand new quarterback; so hopefully they'll keep it basic.  Usually the first play of the game, they come out with something.  So, we've got to be aware."
 
Savannah State Game Notes: Click Here
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Colorado State University
Colorado State Athletics Website: Click Here
Colorado State Media Guide: Click Here
Colorado State Game Notes: Click Here