Box Score SAVANNAH, Ga. - Savannah State University's football players jogged alongside the first row of the bleachers at T.A. Wright Stadium and exchanged high-fives with fellow students and alumni after the Tigers rallied for a spectacular 27-20 victory over Fort Valley State University on Saturday night.
 
During the final 4 minutes, 31 seconds, SSU's special teams unit blocked a punt, the offense scored a touchdown and the defense intercepted a pass in the end zone as time expired to give the Tigers a home-opening victory in front of 3,220 jubilant fans. It was SSU's first victory since a 42-35 win over Edward Waters on Oct. 20, 2012, and it was the first victory for first-year head coach Earnest Wilson III.
 
"We're proud to still be undefeated at home," said Wilson, whose Tigers (1-2) clawed back from a 13-0 first-half deficit. "I'm just very proud of these players. I'm proud of these coaches. They did a great job trying to get these guys prepared. (Antonio) Bostick came through. Some of the guys we asked to step up, stepped up. Our goal is to teach them how to win and to have a winning season. We ain't quitting."
 
SSU, which finished 1-10 in each of the past three seasons, came into Saturday's game after a 66-3 loss at Troy (Ala.) University last Saturday and a 77-9 defeat at Georgia Southern on Aug. 31.
 
SSU hoped to beat Fort Valley State (0-2), its rival since 1934 and the only NCAA Division II team the Tigers will play this season, but they trailed, 13-0, after quarterback Eugene Smith's 16-yard touchdown run.
 
Then SSU's Lereginald Veals returned the ensuing kickoff for a 92-yard touchdown, cutting the score to 13-6 with 9:27 left before halftime. John Barron's kick for the extra point missed. Veals' kickoff return for a touchdown is SSU's third-longest since the school began keeping records in 1999. SSU has played football since 1915.
 
As the ball dropped from the sky, Veals had one thought: "Don't drop it," he said, laughing. "Because in warmups, in pregame, I was dropping a lot of them. So when I caught it, I just saw that I had a big gap and I had one man to beat, so I beat him down the right side and into the end zone."
 
The seismic momentum shift catapulted SSU to a 13-13 tie at halftime thanks to Bostick's 26-yard touchdown pass to Simon Heyward and Barron's kick for the extra point with 2:18 left before the break.
 
"The burden is off my shoulders now," said Bostick, a senior who took over at quarterback for redshirt freshman Leon Prunty in the second quarter after Bostick was suspended by the NCAA for two games for academic reasons. "After serving a two-game suspension, I didn't know I would get that much playing time coming into this game. Earlier in the week, on Wednesday, my suspension was lifted and I began to regain focus."
 
SSU remained focused after Fort Valley State's Smith threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Donte' Warren and Chris Ward kicked the extra point for a 20-13 lead with 7:55 left in the third quarter.
 
Bostick capped a five-play, 68-yard drive (SSU's longest of the game) that consumed 2:37 when he lofted a beautiful 11-yard touchdown pass to Cantrell Frazier, who made an over-the-shoulder grab in the right corner of the end zone with 13:25 left in the fourth quarter. Barron kicked the extra point, tying the game at 20.
 
"Everything goes to the offensive line. They fought their butts off today," Bostick said. "And then Simon and Cantrell, they're tremendous receivers to get the ball to."
 
Fort Valley State's Ward attempted a punt on fourth-and-17 from the Wildcats' 25-yard line but SSU's Marcus Lee blocked the ball with his right hand and it squirted out of bounds at FVSU's 1-yard line with 4:31 remaining.
 
"I just locked into tunnel vision," Lee said. "I just want to thank my coaches for putting me in position to do the best I can. I had to get it."
 
Two plays later, Bostick ran for a 1-yard touchdown and Barron kicked the extra point, giving SSU a 27-20 lead.
 
Fort Valley State's next drive ended when SSU's John Wilson (no relation to Earnest Wilson) registered the second of his school-record three interceptions in the game.
 
Wilson returned the ball 27 yards to Fort Valley's 21-yard line.
 
But SSU's Barron missed a 27-yard field goal attempt with 31.3 seconds left, giving Fort Valley State 31.1 seconds left to try and pull off a miracle. With 5 seconds left, the Wildcats' Smith was intercepted by SSU's Wilson in the end zone as time expired.
 
"I'm exhausted, man," Wilson said. "I came out, man, and left it all on the field tonight. I told our players at halftime to just come out and give me everything they've got."
 
It was an impressive finish for SSU, which did not gain a first down in the first quarter, and failed to produce any passing or rushing yards during its six plays. Fort Valley State produced 100 yards passing and 28 yards rushing on 21 plays in the first quarter.
 
SSU improved to 12-35-4 in the rivalry with Fort Valley State, a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference of which SSU used to belong.
 
SSU next will travel to Miami, Fla., to play the University of Miami Hurricanes at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Hurricanes had a bye this week, giving them two weeks to prepare for SSU after beating the Florida Gators on Sept. 7.
 
"We're going down there full steam ahead," said Bostick, who finished 15-of-33 passing for 226 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Heyward, a Beach High School graduate, finished with five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown.