SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah State University's football team on Saturday will attempt to do something no SSU football team has done since officially joining the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2011 – win a second MEAC game in a season.

SSU (1-2 overall, 1-0 MEAC) will play Florida A&M (0-4, -1) at 6 p.m. at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla. The game will be radio-broadcast by WHCJ 90.3 FM and it will be live web-streamed on SSUAthletics.com.

SSU is coming off a 16-10 victory in overtime against Bethune-Cookman last Saturday at T.A. Wright Stadium. The Tigers beat FAMU, 37-27, last season in Savannah. SSU's only MEAC victory on the road as an official member of conference was a 33-30 win at North Carolina Central in 2011. SSU beat NCCU, 28-21, in 2010 in Savannah but both teams were provisional members of the MEAC.  In 2004, the Tigers won, 41-34 in double-overtime, at Norfolk State but SSU was an independent.

Because SSU is brimming with confidence after beating Bethune-Cookman, combined with the Tigers' victory over FAMU last season and the Rattlers 0-4 record this season, SSU head coach Erik Raeburn cautioned his players about being overconfident. He stressed to them what he calls "the 24-hour rule."

"We had that when I was a player," Raeburn said. "I've always done this as a coach, win or lose. If you play poorly, you've got to find a way to put it behind you and focus on the next team. Learn from your mistakes. You've got 24 hours to sulk or dwell on it and then you've got to put it behind you and start focusing on the next game.

"But it's equally as important after a win. When you win, everyone is telling you how good you are and giving you those pats on the back all week. You kind of lose your focus and you don't have the same intensity and sharpness at practice. And then it ends up getting you on Saturday."

RAEBURN FAMILY'S SPECIAL MOMENT
 Amid all of the celebrations that took place throughout T.A. Wright Stadium following SSU's victory against Bethune-Cookman, there was one that looked like it could have been the inspiration for a Norman Rockwell painting.

Raeburn stood outside of the Tigers' locker room clutching a football. It was the game ball. Someone handed it to him inside the locker room minutes earlier. Raeburn said he couldn't remember who it was amid the chaos. He was wet, having been doused with a bucket of ice-water on the sideline by jubilant SSU players, but his family didn't mind.

The 45-year-old Raeburn did his best to choke back tears as his wife, Liz, and their children, Cade, Elle and Reese, took turns hugging him. Their young children joyfully wept, overwhelmed by the emotion of the moment. Liz's face also was red from crying. And then, after each person had their one-on-one hug, the entire family huddled together for a group hug.

It was a special moment, a feel-good moment that resembled a scene at the end of the Jimmy Stewart movie "It's A Wonderful Life." That's what happens when you beat defending MEAC co-champion Bethune-Cookman, snap a 16-game losing streak in the series against the Wildcats, and record your first win after being outscored a combined 110-0 in your first two games against Georgia Southern and Southern Mississippi.

"My wife's always excitable and my kids are very supportive," Raeburn said. "They were really emotional. They've never seen any of my teams lose like we did those first two weeks. I don't know if that contributed to it or if they just got caught up in how excited everybody was. They were even more emotional than normal."

And what became of that game ball?

"I'm going to get someone with neater handwriting than I have to write the score and stuff like that on it," Raeburn said. "I've got some (footballs) on the bookshelf at the house from other games and I'll put that one right up there with them."

Raeburn said he and his family were impressed by the reaction of well-wishers, including many SSU alumni.

"I got tons of text messages," Raeburn said Monday after the team's practice. "People on Twitter, Facebook, emails. I got some phone calls. Tons of Savannah State alums, fans. And tons of my friends and former players. It was nice to hear how excited everybody was for us to get a win in our home/conference opener. That was unexpected but it really made me feel good."

SWEET IRONY FOR FRAZIER
SSU's Cantrell Frazier did not play in the Tigers' game against FAMU last season because of an injury. That didn't stop him from thoroughly enjoying it. In a player profile in the game program that SSU's Sports Information Department produced for last Saturday's game against Bethune-Cookman, Frazier said his most memorable moment on the field was "when we beat FAMU last year. Even though I was injured, I was still happy about that."

Frazier now has an even better moment to cherish. He scored the game-winning touchdown against Bethune-Cookman. And his 9-yard touchdown run was his only carry in the game.
"It was a great feeling to be able to do that and to help out the team with this win," said Frazier, a 5-foot-11, 193-pound senior from Landmark High School in Fulton County, Ga.

TIGERS HUNGRY FOR MORE VICTORIES
"They got a little taste of it and they really liked it," Raeburn said. "Hopefully, we can keep working hard and getting better. We did have our best week of practice last week. I think they realize that and we got the result that they were looking for on Saturday. Hopefully, that will fuel them to try to replicate that same great week of practice in the hopes of trying to find a way to scratch one out again on Saturday on the road."

SSU PLAYMAKERS
Earlier this week, SSU defensive end Marquis Smith was named NC Mutual Life Insurance Company BOXTOROW National Player of the Week for his performance against Bethune-Cookman.

Smith, a senior who this season moved from linebacker to defensive end, registered a game-high 12 tackles (nine solo), three tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and 1.5 sacks against the Wildcats.
It was the fourth honor this week for Smith, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound Prince Georges County, Md., native. He was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Week, College Sports Madness MEAC Defensive Player of the Week, and an honorable mention STATS Defensive Player of the Week.

"Last year, we came out of halftime flat and had to regroup, and then try to come back at the end of the game," Smith said. "This time (against Bethune-Cookman), we actually came out strong right after halftime. I feel like that was the difference. This win is much better than (SSU's victory over FAMU last season) because it's our first home game. We set the tone."

Senior Arshon Spaulding has a team-high 74 yards on 19 carries. Freshman Blake Dever, who made his second straight start at quarterback against Bethune-Cookman, is 15-of-39 passing for 181 yards without a touchdown or interception. Freshman T.J. Bell is 13-of-20 passing for 117 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Senior Jeremiah Harris has made five catches for a team-high 79 yards and a touchdown.

Linebacker Mulik Simmons has registered a team-high 31 tackles. Linebacker Marcus Lee and defensive end Stefen Banks are tied for second on the team in tackles with 25 apiece.
Punter John Barron leads the MEAC in punting average (41.9 yards) with 21 punts for 880 yards, including a long of 62 yards.

FAMU OUTLOOK
FAMU lost its season opener, 70-3, to the Miami Hurricanes. The Rattlers followed that with a 49-10 loss to Coastal Carolina, a 20-17 setback against Tuskegee, and 48-14 defeat to South Carolina State.

"They're kind of like us," Raeburn said. "They played Miami and Coastal Carolina, some incredible teams. And then they opened up conference play against one of the best teams in the MEAC. I know this past week they turned the ball over seven times, which is really uncharacteristic of them. I guarantee you that will be a huge focus for them. I'll be shocked if they turn the ball over at all this week. They're athletic. They try to be balanced between the run and pass like we try to do. That always makes you more difficult to defend."

FAMU quarterback Kenneth Coleman, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior, is 62-of-103 passing for 586 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions in four games. Brandon Norwood has made 20 catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Montavius Williams has made 14 receptions for 137 yards. Kevin Troutman has made 10 catches for 107 yards. Devin Bowers, in only two games, has run for 120 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Hans Supre, in four games, has run for 70 yards on 34 carries. Defensive back Jacques Bryant has made a team-high 24 tackles to go with an interception.

"Defensively, they're really athletic at defensive end," Raeburn said. "They're similar to Bethune-Cookman. They're really big inside on the D-line. They'll be a challenge for us to run the football against. We'll have our hands full again. We've struggled, offensively. Third-and-1, fourth-and-short, we had like four of those and we went 0-for-4 (against Bethune-Cookman). Man, we didn't convert on any of them. You've got to be able to be more physical and get a yard when you need it."