SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah State University's football team did it again. The Tigers defeated Norfolk State, 31-14, on Saturday night at T.A. Wright Stadium, registering back-to-back wins for the first time since 2008.

SSU defeated Howard University, 31-27, last Saturday and the Tigers beat Bethune-Cookman, 16-10, on Sept. 24. SSU now has earned at least three wins in a season for the first time since 2008, when it finished 5-7 as a Football Championship Subdivision Independent. The Tigers joined the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2011.

A Senior Night crowd of 3,147 watched as SSU (3-4 overall, 3-2 MEAC) never trailed in the game. SSU's 17-point margin of victory is its largest since 2009, when the Tigers beat Edward Waters, an NAIA school, 45-24 on Halloween.

"I'm so proud of our guys," SSU first-year head coach Erik Raeburn said. "The last time we won at home and then had to go on the road, I didn't feel like we got refocused quick enough, and didn't have a great week of practice. But I felt like they handled a really emotional Homecoming win last week, and they celebrated the victory, but got refocused and had a great week of practice, and that's why we played well today."

SSU freshman T.J. Bell passed for three touchdowns and ran for another. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound graduate of Jefferson High School in Louisville, Ga., was 15-of-28 passing for 159 yards without an interception. He ran for a game-high 149 yards on 14 carries.

"T.J. played fantastic," Raeburn said of Bell, who earlier in the week was chosen MEAC Rookie of the Week for his performance against Howard last Saturday. "We feel like he's been playing well all season. Earlier in the year, we were struggling up front a little bit but then the last two games our offensive line has really stepped up. We've blocked much better and you can see the kind of player he can be when he gets some blocking up front, some protection."

Bell threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Harris, and John Barron kicked the first of his four extra points, to make it 7-0 with 1:19 left in the first quarter. Bell's 6-yard touchdown run with 7:40 remaining before halftime made it 14-0.

"They've really stepped up," Bell said of SSU's offensive linemen. "They really are doing their job now. No problem. I feel great. I was never scared at any point. The defense always says they've got us and they always come through. I give high praise to the defense, too."

Norfolk State (2-7, 1-5) cut it to 14-3 at halftime on Cameron Marouf's 31-yard field goal with 3:59 remaining in the second quarter.

SSU defensive back David Crowley, who started his second consecutive game, intercepted Norfolk State quarterback Greg Hankerson at SSU's 12-yard line in the first quarter. Crowley, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound junior from Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville, Fla., picked off a Hankerson pass a second time, this time in the end zone, with 1:32 left before halftime.

"What we do in practice helps us win games like this," Crowley said. "We execute our assignments. It's the greatest feeling. You've got to feel ecstatic after all these wins. We need to keep climbing to show not only the city of Savannah and our own school, but the whole nation, that we are rising. We've gotten better. Our coaching staff came in and fixed the program up, and we have faith in them."

SSU extended its lead to 21-3 on Bell's 13-yard touchdown pass to Cantrell Frazier with 4:30 left in the third quarter.

Norfolk State's Marouf kicked a 37-yard field goal to cut it to 21-6 early in the fourth quarter. SSU's Barron kicked a 38-yard field goal to give the Tigers a 24-6 advantage midway through the fourth quarter.

Norfolk State running back Gerard Johnson ran for a 17-yard touchdown, and Hankerson passed to Marcus Taylor for a two-point conversion, to cut it to 24-14 with 4:53 to play in the game.

But SSU put the game out of reach, 31-14, when Bell threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Tino Smith with 3:16 to go. Bell's 62-yard run on second-and-4, his longest run of the game, sparked the five-play, 69-yard scoring drive.

SSU's Smith finished with 77 yards receiving on six catches, both game highs. The Tigers' Arshon Spaulding ran for 64 yards on 20 carries.

Norfolk State's Johnson ran for a team-high 53 yards on 12 carries. Hankerson finished 17-of-29 passing for 199 yards and two interceptions.

Norfolk State middle linebacker Kyle Archie made a game-high 10 tackles. Free safety Donte' Haynesworth had seven tackles, including the Spartans' only sack.

SSU defensive end Marquis Smith registered a team-high nine tackles, including two sacks for minus-18 yards. Earlier in the week, Smith was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Howard.

SSU free safety Terrance McCray had eight tackles and two pass breakups for the Tigers. Defensive end Stefen Banks had two sacks and nose guard Corey Barrett had a sack. In the first quarter, SSU linebacker Mulik Simmons forced Norfolk State's Johnson to fumble and SSU defensive back Juwuan Tolbert recovered at the Tigers' 33-yard line.

SSU will travel to Hampton, Va., to play Hampton University at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Tigers will play South Carolina State on Nov. 19 in Orangeburg, S.C. SSU will finish its season Nov. 26 against Morgan State at T.A. Wright Stadium in a game that was rescheduled because of Hurricane Matthew.

"We want to try to build some momentum we can carry into the offseason," Raeburn said. "We're real happy to stay undefeated at home so far but now we've got to figure out a way to win one on the road."