Football | 10/24/2018 6:27:00 PM

GAME CENTRAL

Savannah State Tigers I Game Notes: Click Here
(1-5, 0-3 MEAC)
vs.
Norfolk State Spartans I Game Notes: Click Here
(3-3, 1-2 MEAC)

October 27, 2018
Theodore A. Wright Stadium
(Savannah, Ga. 3 p.m.)

Savannah, Ga. -- The Tigers look for their first conference win of the season when they face Norfolk State on Saturday at 3 p.m. for Homecoming at Theodore A. Wright Stadium.

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The Series:  Norfolk State leads, 10-3.

Tiger Bites

- SSU hopes to extend their two-game win streak over the Spartans. The Tigers defeated Norfolk St. 31-14 in 2016 at home in Savannah, Ga., then won on the road 27-9 in 2017 in Norfolk, Va.

- The Tigers are currently 2nd nationally and lead the MEAC in punt returns averaging 24.2 yards per return.

- The Tigers are 2-5 in Homecoming games since entering the MEAC in 2011. SSU's wins came against Edward Waters in 2012 and Howard in 2016. Last year, the Tigers fell 17-10 to Hampton University on Homecoming.
 
GETTING OFFENSIVE
SSU's offense produced a season best 348 yards in their last game against Morgan State. The Tigers had 254 passing yards and 94 yards on the ground.
 
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, but bounced back to go 12-1 in his fourth season and earned another trip to the Division III playoffs. SSU went 3-7 in Raeburn's first season with the Tigers and 3-8 a year ago so there is optimism in the air on the marsh.
 
2000 CLUB
D'Vonn Gibbons passed for 1,694 yards last season and has 435 so far this year. He needs 306 yards to reach 2,000 for his career.
 
MR. ALL PURPOSE
JaMichael Baldwin leads SSU with 540 all-purpose yards. He has four rushing yards, 56 receiving yards, 121 punt return yards and 359 kick return yards.
 
PICK 'EM
Dating back to last season, SSU defenders have intercepted at least one pass in the past seven games.
 
CAREER-HIGH
Freshman linebacker Walter Yates had a career-high 10 tackles against Morgan State.
 
JUST FOR KICKS
Last season Giovanni Lugo had six punts that went 50 yards or longer. This season Lugo has had nine punts that have been at least 50 yards.
 
SSU-NSU CONNECTION
Norfolk State defensive back coach Cordell Taylor spent three years (2014-16) as the SSU defensive back coach. Norfolk State senior associate athletic director for administration/SWA Melody Webb is a SSU alumnae. Webb was a three-sport athlete (volleyball, basketball and track) at SSU as well as an All-SIAC performer.
 
COMMON OPPONENTS
SSU and Norfolk State share six common opponents in South Carolina State, Delaware State, Florida.
 
WATCH LIST
Senior defensive lineman Stefen Banks has been named to the Black College Hall of Fame 2018 Black College Player of the Year Watch List.
 
IN MEMORY
Former Savannah State football player Sam Lewis died on October 16, after a battle with cancer at age 59. Lewis, who was 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds, played with the Tigers in the late 70s as a return specialist. Heled the team in rushing and kick returns in 1978 and led the team in punt returns in 1979. He was invited to the Dallas Cowboys training camp. A Marine and Air Force veteran, Lewis' funeral was held Oct. 23 in Savannah at Sidney A. Jones and Campbell Funeral Services Chapel.
 
WHERE'S THE BEEF
Eight members of the SSU team weigh at least 300 pounds.

MILITARY MAN
SSU defensive back Terrance McCray is a military veteran. The junior from Charlotte served in the Marines.
 
DID YOU KNOW
Former SSU head football coach Theodore "Ted" Wright was also the head football coach at FAMU. At SSU, Wright is known more for his days as a head basketball coach.
 
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 12 outstanding, historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Bethune-Cookman University, Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M 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.
 
HOME GROWN
Seven members of the team hail from Savannah and come from six different of the local high schools (New Hampstead, Islands, Bible Baptist, Johnson, Windsor Forest and Jenkins .
 
THE SIZE OF IT
Sophomore 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 tight end Steve Hagan are both listed  at 6-foot-7.
 
MOVING BACK TO D-II
In April 2017, the Savannah State administration made the decision to move SSU athletics from Division I to Division II. SSU began the three-year transitional period in July of 2018. This is the final season the Tigers will play as members of the MEAC.