Football | 11/1/2019 6:02:00 PM

SAVANNAH, GA. –Coming off a 5-game road stint, The Tigers put on a dominating performance in front 8,101 fans at Homecoming last week, beating their oldest rival Albany State 35-19 in a pivotal Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) game.
 
Savannah State held onto their unblemished conference record with the win and secured the first winning season for the football program since 1998.
 
Savannah State and Fort Valley State will battle for sole lead of the SIAC as both teams enter the game with 4-0 conference records.
 
Fort Valley State is one of Savannah State's oldest rivals next to Albany State. Dating back to 1934, Savannah State has met Fort Valley State 52 times on the gridiron. The Wildcats hold the historical advantage with a 36-12-4 record against the Tigers. The teams last met in 2014 for Savannah State's home opener. Fort Valley State won 42-28.
 
Tiger Bites:
 
FINAL TIGER WALK
This is the final home game for 13 SSU seniors: John Wilson, Czar Beneby, Adorian Beach, Giovanni Lugo, Joe Boykin, Major Bellamy, Jr., Tracy Gaston, James Kicklighter, Desmond Young, Tajavious Jackson, Casey Wilson, Ronnie Johnson and Awni Aishafei.
 
SIAC POW
 Sophomore running back D'Angelo Durham was selected as this week's SIAC Offensive Player of the Week, for his performance against Albany State. The Augusta, Ga. native rushed for 150 yards and scored three touchdowns, inlcuding a season-high 62-yard scoring rush. 
 
PLAYING WITH A CHIP
During the preseason predictions, SSU was picked to finish last in the SIAC Eastern Division. Albany State was picked to win the division followed by Benedict, Morehouse, Fort Valley State, Clark Atlanta and SSU. In addition, no SSU player was selected to the preseason all conference team.
 
SSU/FVSU CONNECTION
SSU defensive coordinator/defensive line coach  Thomas Sims and  Fort Valley State head coach Kevin Porter were teammates with the Kansas City Chiefs (1990-92).
 
COMMON OPPONENTS
Savannah State and Fort Valley State have five common opponents: Albany State, Clark Atlanta, Benedict, Florida Tech and Morehouse.