SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah State third-year head coach Earnest Wilson III said he is proud of the fight his football team demonstrated during a 20-17 overtime loss at Norfolk State last Saturday.

"I challenged them all week long and they did exactly what I asked them to do, and they came away, unfortunately, not with the victory, but we came away close," Wilson said. "It was tough but I was really proud of the young men. They worked hard. They did a good job. Unfortunately, we didn't come away with the victory."

This week, Wilson has challenged his Tigers to put the overtime loss behind them and use the same tenacity to prepare for a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference home game against Hampton University. SSU (1-7 overall, 1-5 MEAC) will face Hampton (5-5, 4-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday at T.A. Wright Stadium. The game will be radio-broadcast on WHCJ 90.3 FM.

SSU will attempt to snap a four-game losing streak and beat Hampton for the first time. The Tigers are 0-5 in the series against the Pirates, who won the last meeting, 21-13, in 2012.

Hampton is coming off a 33-0 victory over Florida A&M last Saturday. This will be the season finale for the Pirates, who are trying to finish above .500 for the first time since 2011.

SSU will finish its season against South Carolina State at 1 p.m. Nov. 21 at T.A. Wright Stadium.

Barron rebounding after missed FG
SSU had a 17-7 lead against Norfolk State in the third quarter but the Spartans scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter and added a 41-yard field goal with 2:28 remaining to force overtime.

In overtime, SSU kicker John Barron missed a 44-yard field goal attempt on the Tigers' first possession. Norfolk State's Cameron Marouf kicked a 38-yard field goal to win the game.

Understandably, Barron was disappointed but Wilson said the 5-foot-11, 180-pound junior from Marietta cannot take all of the blame for the loss.
"What I always say, and what I learned, is it doesn't take just one play to determine a win or a loss," Wilson said. "It takes 60 minutes to determine a win or a loss. We all made mistakes, from coaching to playing. He'll rebound. He'll definitely rebound. He's a good young man. He understands he's part of the team so we don't even worry about it."

SPAULDING TO START AT QB
Wilson said Arshon Spaulding will start at quarterback against Hampton. Spaulding, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound junior from Brunswick's Glynn Academy, started against Norfolk State. He ran for a game-high 97 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown, on 18 carries. Spaulding was 5-of-9 passing for 16 yards without an interception.

"We're still looking at Arshon as our starter," Wilson said. "We still have to develop the passing game and continue him on his journey to success."
SSU has started four players at quarterback this season: Tino Smith, David Handler, Spaulding and Leon Prunty, who made his first start this season against Howard on Oct. 31.

RUNNING BACKS NEED PASSING GAME
Spaulding, from the quarterback position, is SSU's leading rusher this season with 438 yards and three touchdowns on 78 carries. The next closest to him is running back Richard Williams with 319 yards and two touchdowns on 64 carries.

"They're both doing well," Wilson said. "I think they understand that for us to be better, we've got to be able to throw the ball downfield. And that's what we're not doing. I talked to the offensive staff about that and what they have to do in order to keep nine and 10 people from sitting in the box."

BIG WEEKEND FOR SSU RECRUITS
SSU's game against Hampton, as well as its season finale against South Carolina State, will be prime opportunities for the Tigers to showcase the program to high school recruits.

"We've brought in at least 50 for every game," Wilson said. "We will continue to do that, and not only the local talent but statewide, as well as Florida and South Carolina. Those have been really good for us as far as bringing in recruits."

Wilson said SSU has reached the point where it must become more selective. He said signees must be signees who can help fulfill the needs of the program.
"We're always going to try to sign local kids but I think we're past the point of just signing local kids because they're local," Wilson said. "It's got to be about signing the kinds of people that we need to win football games."

HAMPTON UNIVERSITY OUTLOOK
Quarterback David Watford, a 6-foot-2, 212-pound graduate student from Hampton, Va., is 150-of-285 passing for 1,825 yards, 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Watford transferred from the University of Virginia, where he started all 12 games in 2013, completing a school-record 244 passes.

Wide receiver Twarn Mixson, a 5-foot-10, 166-pound redshirt junior from Charlotte, N.C., has made 50 catches for 855 yards and eight touchdowns, all team highs. He leads the MEAC in receiving yards (85.5 per game) and catches (5.0 per game).

Running back Christopher Dukes, a 5-foot-8, 196-pound redshirt senior from Mobile, Ala., has run for a team-leading 607 yards and two touchdowns on 117 carries. Dwayne Garrett, a 6-foot, 200-pound redshirt senior from Phoenix, Ariz., has run for 438 yards and two touchdowns on 78 carries.

Linebacker Joshua Thorne, a 6-foot, 236-pound senior from Oxon Hill, Md., has made a team-leading 72 tackles. He led the MEAC in tackles last season with 113.
"The bittersweet thing about this game is I'm coaching against a team that I came from," said Wilson, who was Hampton's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2012-13. "All the young men that were freshmen my first year are seniors this year. They're looking forward to playing their last game ever against Coach Wilson. It's going to be sad because it makes me feel older.

"But at the same time, being able to see young men go and graduate, and know that I had a hand in their success, that's the thing I'm really looking forward to, whether it's with Savannah State or Hampton," Wilson continued. "These young men came to me before the season, some of the guys from Hampton University, and they said, 'Coach, thank you so much.' So it's kind of bittersweet right now. But, hopefully, we'll get that victory."