GAME CENTRAL

SSU Tigers (0-2, 0-0 MEAC)
vs.
Fort Valley Wildcats (0-1, 0-0 SIAC)
Ted Wright Stadium (Savannah, Ga., 6 p.m.)

On Game Day

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Tiger Bites
· SSU is 3-9 in home openers since playing its first game as Division I member in 2002. The Tigers have home opening wins over Johnson C. Smith in 2007, North Carolina Central in 2010 and most recently, last season, against Fort Valley.

· So the far this season, the Tigers have racked up 31 first downs in its first two games against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents. In comparison, last season, SSU only had 19 total first down in its first two games against FBS teams Georgia Southern and Troy University.

· After the 1^st two games of the season, the Tigers are leading the conference and are 14^th nationally in time of possession.

· Freshman quarterback Tino Smith got the 1^st start of his collegiate career against Georgia Southern last week. The Carmel, Indiana native led the team with 12 completions for 110 yards and one touchdown. He split time with junior transfer Ker-Sean Wilson.

· The Tigers got their first passing touchdown of the season in its game against Georgia Southern. Freshman quarterback Tino Smith threw a 31-yard strike to wide receiver Cantrell Frazier in the 4^th quarter.

· SSU head coach Earnest Wilson III is 1-0 in home openers in his collegiate head coaching career. The Tigers defeated Fort Valley, 27-20, in its home debut last season. Wilson is looking to keep his streak unblemished.

· At the end of 2013, SSU's passing offense was ranked 63rd nationally and 2nd in the MEAC. Coach Wilson's "Air-Raid" attack threw for 3091 yards, setting a new SSU Division I record for most passing yards in a season.
 
The Game
Savannah State
After suffering back-to-back losses against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents Middle Tennessee State and Georgia Southern, Football Championship Subdivision member Savannah State is eager to play NCAA Division II Fort Valley State.
 
The 6 p.m. game on Saturday, September 13^th between SSU (0-2) and FVSU (0-1) at T.A. Wright Stadium will be radio-broadcast by WHCJ 90.3 FM. To celebrate SSU's home opener, the athletics department is asking fans to wear orange for an "Orange Out" at the game.
 
"We're at home. We need to get a win," SSU second-year head coach Earnest Wilson III said. "That's the biggest thing. Just being hungry. The kids want to see success."
 
SSU had success against FVSU last season, beating the Wildcats, 27-20, to give Wilson his only victory as the Tigers' coach. SSU is 12-35-4 in the series.
 
FVSU is coming off a 56-13 loss to Delta State last Saturday in Fort Valley, Ga.
 
SSU is coming off an 83-9 loss to Georgia Southern, a first-year member of the FBS, last Saturday in Statesboro.
 
"They felt the sting of that one," Wilson said. "But, like I told them, 'Learn, guys, learn.' And that's what they're doing. The guys are fired up. We've got a bunch of freshmen and they knew what they were getting into when they came. They knew it would be tough. And they're fired up about it."
 
Wilson said his Tigers learned valuable lessons by playing up a division in their first two games.
 
"What's cool about these guys is they're thinkers. They're thinkers and analyzers," Wilson said. "I sat and ate dinner with them last Sunday and they were telling me, 'Coach, you know what, now we know the speed of the game. We understand the speed of the game.' I think against Georgia Southern, they found the strength of the game. Plus, one thing I've been teaching them about is they've got to learn to attack and be explosive. I think that's what Georgia Southern was, and they got to learn from that on the field."
 
SSU's coaching staff has not had to remind the Tigers this week that there needs to be a sense of urgency to beat FVSU.
 
"Our alumni let us know they don't want to lose because I guess this is a bragging rights thing," Wilson said.
 
TWO-QUARTERBACK ROTATION FOR SSU
Wilson said Tino Smith, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound freshman transfer from Fork Union Military Academy, likely will start at quarterback for a second consecutive game. Against GSU, Smith was 12-of-20 passing for 110 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown pass to Cantrell Frazier with 29 second left in the game. Smith ran 10 times for 27 yards.
 
"He did start the last game. It's probably going to continue to be that way," Earnest Wilson said.
 
Ker-Sean Wilson (no relation to Earnest Wilson) started SSU's season opener against Middle Tennessee State at quarterback. Against GSU, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound junior transfer from Eastern Arizona Community College was 9-of-19 passing for 98 yards to go with an interception. He ran nine times for 26 yards.
 
"I think I'll just keep going with two quarterbacks. (Smith) completed 60 percent of his passes. He's looking good in practice. You might see Ker-Sean playing other positions. You might see (Smith) playing other positions. We know that they're explosive guys and we've just got to get them out on the field. We might play one of them in the slot. They're both learning to handle pressure."

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Fort Valley State University
FVSU registered five sacks against SSU last season, something the Tigers hope to avoid allowing Saturday night.
 
"Last year, they blitzed a lot," Earnest Wilson said. "We've seen them on tape and they're blitzing again. They play man-to-man very well so we're preparing against a lot of man routes. But at the same time, they've got a great middle linebacker."
 
Linebacker LeRon Furr, a 6-foot-3, 240-pound senior from Columbus, Ga., led the Wildcats with 80 tackles last season, including 6.5 sacks. Furr made 5.5 tackles against Delta State last Saturday.
 
Defensive back Dominique Burks, a 5-foot-10, 200-pound junior from Cuthbert, Ga., made a team-high seven tackles against Delta State.
"That's why it's good to have mobile quarterbacks," Earnest Wilson said. "But at the same time, we're working on putting some wrinkles in too, hopefully, stop them from blitzing too much. You know, you blitz enough, what do they say, you live by the sword, you die by the sword."
 
Quarterback Malcolm Eady, a 6-foot, 210-pound junior from Swainsboro, was 21-of-39 passing for 178 yards against Delta State. He ran 10 times for 21 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown.
 
"Offensively, they've got a seasoned quarterback who ran for 80 yards last year versus us," Earnest Wilson said of Eady. "He's not a bad thrower."
 
Running back Jamar Smith, a 6-foot, 200-pound senior from Binghamton, N.Y., led the Wildcats with 58 yards on six carries against Delta State.
 
"The first week, Middle Tennessee State taught us one thing. The second week, Georgia Southern taught us something else," Earnest Wilson said. "And now the third week, we're really going to see a lot blitzing. Middle Tennessee and Georgia Southern blitz but they don't blitz like these guys."

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FVSU Game Notes: Click Here