Savannah, Ga. -- Savannah State University first-year head coach Earnest Wilson III said his football team is beginning to develop an identity, and he is pleased with how the Tigers have practiced this week following a 24-22 loss to Delaware State last Saturday.
 
SSU (1-4 overall, 0-1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) will play Norfolk State (1-3, 1-0) in a MEAC game at 1 p.m. Saturday at William "Dick" Price Stadium in Norfolk, Va. The game will be radio-broadcast by WHCJ 90.3 FM.
 
"They've responded well," Wilson said of SSU, which scored two touchdowns in the final 5 minutes, 29 seconds against Delaware State but had a two-point conversion pass tipped, allowing the Hornets to escape with a victory. "They know what our goals are. I laid out our goals when I got here and they understand. When you're a coach who doesn't lay out your goals, then the kids don't know and they have no direction. We have direction.
 
"This is a team that is beginning to make its own image. They're the ones who are upset. They're the ones who are saying, 'We can't give up.' I like what I'm hearing from our players."
 
Norfolk State is coming off a 27-21 victory at Morgan State last Saturday. The Spartans are 7-1 in the series against SSU. Norfolk State won, 33-21, on Nov. 3, 2012, in Norfolk, Va. SSU's lone victory in the series was a 41-34 double-overtime victory in 2004. It was Richard Basil's first game as the Tigers' head coach without the interim tag.
 
Wilson said the challenge for SSU will be "if we can match up. We're not real physical. They're very physical. And we're young and inexperienced. We've got to play smart and get the ball on the perimeter, throw some screens."
 
BOSTICK TO START AT QB
SSU's Antonio Bostick, a 6-foot-1, 202-pound senior from Greensboro, Fla., will start at quarterback against Norfolk State, Wilson said.
 
Bostick started at quarterback against Delaware State but was replaced by Leon Prunty, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound redshirt freshman from Stockbridge, in the second quarter. Bostick returned with less than 2 minutes left in the third quarter.
 
Bostick finished 16-of-23 passing for 186 yards and two touchdowns. He ran nine times for 24 yards. Prunty was 18-of-26 passing for 170 yards. He ran 11 times for 30 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown. Neither quarterback threw an interception.
 
"We'll do the same thing (against Norfolk State)," Wilson said. "We'll start Bostick. Prunty will play, too. They're a 1-2 punch on the field. I feel like all four of our quarterbacks (Bostick, Prunty, Zach Hutcheson and Victorian Hardison) are coming along. They're beginning to understand the concepts better."
 
WILSON WANTS MORE OFFENSIVE PLAYS
Wilson said he wants his "Air Raid" offense to get between 85 and 105 plays each game. SSU had a season-high 78 offensive plays against Delaware State. The Tigers had 63 offensive plays against Georgia Southern, 54 against Fort Valley State, 51 against the University of Miami and 49 against Troy University.
 
"As we get better," Wilson said, "we'll be able to move the ball better."
Maintaining a fast-paced tempo requires stamina, something Wilson said SSU's quarterbacks are working to improve.
 
OFFENSIVE LEADERS
Running back DeQuan Daniels, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound freshman from Statesboro, is SSU's leading rusher with four carries for 77 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes. Prunty is second with 48 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries. Bostick is third with 40 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.
 
Wide receiver Simon Heyward, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior from Savannah's Beach High School, leads the Tigers in receiving with 17 catches for 258 yards and a touchdown.
 
Wide receiver Cantrell Frazier, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound sophomore from Fulton County, is second with 15 catches for 210 yards and a touchdown.
 
DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Linebacker Justin Dixon, a 5-foot-11, 225-pound sophomore, leads the defense with a team-high 45 tackles.
 
Linebacker Marquis Smith, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound freshman from Prince Georges County, Md., is second with 44 tackles.
 
Cornerback John Wilson, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound senior from Athens, is third with 30 tackles and a team-high three interceptions.
 
BACK IN THE LINEUP
Linebacker Trevion Ashford, a 6-foot, 190-pound sophomore from Acworth, has recovered from a shoulder injury and will play against Norfolk State, Wilson said. 
 
Defensive end David Adebiyi, a 6-foot-5, 260-pound junior from Atlanta, also will play after being sidelined with a high ankle sprain that he suffered against Georgia Southern, Wilson said.
 
NORFOLK STATE OUTLOOK:
Tyler Clark, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound redshirt sophomore who transferred from Old Dominion University, will start at quarterback for a second consecutive game, Norfolk State head coach Pete Adrian told The Virginian-Pilot earlier this week.
 
Clark was 18-of-28 passing for 125 yards and two touchdowns in the Spartans' victory at Morgan State. He is 36-of-59 passing (61 percent) for 284 yards, three touchdowns and an interception this season.
 
Nico Flores, Norfolk State's starting QB for most of last season, returned earlier this week from a four-game suspension. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound redshirt senior from Miami, Fla., reportedly was suspended before the season because his academic hours were not enough during summer classes. Last season, Flores threw for 1,067 yards and seven touchdowns.
 
The Spartans will be without kicker Ryan Lee, a redshirt junior who suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in his kicking knee against Morgan State, The Virginian-Pilot reported. Lee's void has been filled by freshman Cameron Marouf.
 
Running back Rolandan Finch, a 5-foot-10, 215-pound graduate student from Boston College, is the Spartans' leading rusher with 269 yards on 61 carries.
 
Tight end Joseph Hawkins, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound redshirt senior from Chicago, leads Norfolk State in receiving with 12 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown.
 
Norfolk State's defense is led by Marcell Coke, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound junior from Orlando, Fla., who has made a team-high 33 tackles and intercepted a pass.
 
Linebacker Lynden Trail, a 6-foot-7, 260-pound redshirt junior transfer from the University of Florida, intercepted two passes and made six tackles in the Spartans' victory over Morgan State. He was named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. Trail is Norfolk State's third-leading tackler with 28 tackles this season.