Football | 10/4/2017 1:24:00 PM

GAME CENTRAL

GAME CENTRAL

Savannah State Tigers I Game Notes: Click Here
(0-4, 0-2 MEAC)
Vs.
Hampton Pirates I Game Notes: Click Here
(2-2, 1-0 MEAC)

Theodore A. Wright Stadium
(Savannah, Georgia, 2 p.m.)

Savannah, Ga. -- SSU takes on Hampton Univ. for its 2017 Homecoming on Saturday. It will be the 2nd time since entering the MEAC the Tigers will face Hampton for Homecoming. HU defeated SSU, 22-5, in the 2011 Homecoming.

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The Series: Hampton leads the series, 7-0.

Tiger Bites

- The Tigers are 2-4 in Homecoming game since entering the conference in 2011. SSU's wins came against Edward Waters in 2012 and Howard last year.

- The Tigers are still looking for their 1st win of 2017. SSU last win came at home against Norfolk St. on Nov. 5, 2016.

- SSU is currently ranked  5th in the MEAC and 73rd nationally in rushing; and  4th in the MEAC and 63rd nationally in net punting.
 
COMMON OPPONENTS
SSU and Hampton have five common opponents: Florida A&M, Bethune-Cookman, Norfolk State, Delaware State and South Carolina State.
 
THE RAEBURN FILE
SSU head coach Erik Raeburn is known as a rebuilder. In his first head coaching job at Coe, he had back-to-back 6-4 seasons. In his third season, his team went 10-2 and made the Division III playoffs. At Wabash, he made the Division III playoffs his first two years. He went 8-2 in his third year, then went 12-1 in his fourth season and earned another trip to the Division III playoffs. SSU went 3-7 last year in Raeburn's first season with the Tigers so there is optimism in the air on the marsh.

CAREER DAY
Rashad Saxton ran for a career-high 103 yards in last week's loss to Bethune-Cookman. He also had a career-long 43 yard touchdown run.
 
LOOKING FOR POINTS
SSU has not scored a touchdown in the second and third quarters this season.
 
LOOKING BACK
25 years ago, the 1992 Tiger team became the first and only Savannah State football squad to play in the post season.
 
STOP THAT STREAK
SSU has never beaten Hampton. The Pirates lead the series 7-0.
 
HAMPTON CONNECTIONS
Former SSU athletics administrator and Interim Director of Athletics Paula Jackson is currently the Hampton Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance and Student Services/Senior Woman Administrator (SWA).

REUNION
SSU's Jaelin White and HU's Keenan Marr both played at Grady HS; SSU's Bradley Bailey, Michael Johnson and Tino Smith and HU's Ryan Gould played at Fork Union Military Academy; SSU's Milton Woodward IV and HU's Zach Houston played at Riverwood International; SSU's Cameron White and HU's Tyheen Freeman and Oral Varcciam played at Lithonia HS; and SSU's Giovanni Lugo and HU's Myles Morris both played at Georgia State.
 
LOOKING BACK
20 years ago during the 1997 season, Chris Gillam intercepted four passes in a game against Kentucky State. Gillam returned one of those interceptions for a 76-yard touchdown.
 
NEW TIGERS
Defensive line coach Jonas Jackson and his wife Liz welcomes twins to the Tiger family this summer. Kayon  and his sister Kora were born June 15 at Savannah's Candler Hospital. Kayon was born at 12:22 pm and weighed 6 pounds and 2 ounces while Kora was born at 12:23 pm and weighed 5 pounds and 9 ounces.

LOOKING BACK
50 years ago, the 1967 Tiger team won the Southeastern Athletic Conference title with a record of 6-2-1
 
IN DAD'S FOOTSTEPS
Senior defensive back Kalin Lovett is the son of Neely Lovett, a former SSU defensive back who played for the Tigers from 1991-94.
 
WELCOME TO THE MARSH
Glenn Davis joins the coaching staff this season and will be in charge of the corner backs. Davis comes to SSU from Northern Michigan where he coached the defensive backs.

BROTHERLY LOVE
Keynnard and William Campbell are the only set of brothers on the team. Keynnard is a senior running back while William is a junior defensive back.
 
WHERE'S THE BEEF
SSU recruited six offensive linemen during the off season. The newcomers average 6-foot-4 and 298 pounds.
 
MOVING BACK DOWN
In April 2017, the Savannah State administration made the decision to move SSU athletics from Division I to Division II.
 
BIRTHDAY WISHES
Quarterback TJ Bell was born on Oct. 5 and wide receiver Jarawa Middleton was born on Oct. 6
 
SSU GOING DIVISION I
Savannah State University made the decision to move from Division II to Division I in 1998, while opting to leave the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and become independent of conference affiliation. SSU played their first season as a Division I institution in 2002.
 
ABOUT THE MEAC
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, a NCAA Division I Conference, is in its 45th year of operation heading into the 2015-16 academic school year. The MEAC is made up of 13 outstanding, historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Bethune-Cookman University, Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, Savannah State University, and South Carolina State University.
 
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
The SSU roster is made up of players from 12 states (Georgia, Florida, Colorado, Indiana, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, Texas, Ohio, Maryland and Connecticut.
 
PRESEASON HONORS
Two SSU players received preseason honors from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Linebacker Mulik Simmons and lineman Stefan Banks were both named to the third team defense.
 
THE SIZE OF IT
Freshman offensive lineman Michael Johnson is the largest player on the squad at 330 pounds while wide receiver Monroe Thorton is the smallest at 5-foot-6 and 140 pounds. Johnson along with wide receivers Steve Hagan and Deric Wright are all listed  at 6-foot-7.