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Savannah State University Athletics

1
6
Erskine College ERC 1-5 , 0-0
39
Winner Savannah St. SSU 5-1 , 3-0
Erskine College ERC
1-5 , 0-0
6
Final
39
Savannah St. SSU
5-1 , 3-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ERC Erskine College 0 0 6 0 6
SSU Savannah St. 6 14 9 10 39

Game Recap: Football | | By Donald Heath

Tigers ‘Methodically’ Roll Past Erskine

Savannah, Ga. – Savannah State University took its time methodically defeating Erskine College 39-6 on Saturday night at Theodore A. Wright Stadium.

"It's a death of 1,000 cuts," said coach Shawn Quinn about his Tigers' run-oriented offensive attack that generated long drives and consumed the clock like a good book.

SSU (5-1, 3-0 SIAC) won the battle of time possession by nearly 19 minutes. The Tigers converted 12 of 15 third-down plays into first downs and dominated the night for 2,675 fans with Homecoming against Clark Atlanta (3 p.m.) on the horizon next Saturday.

Returning alumni should be proud of a team that has won five straight games for the first time since Joe Crosby's bunch won the final five of the 1994 season.

"We gotta keep it going," said running back D'Angelo Durham, who scored SSU's first touchdown on a 1-yard blast.

And the Tigers kept going and going and going against the second-year Erskine program. Quarterback JT Hartage ran for a 14-yard TD and threw a 4-yarder to Einaj Carter.

D'Vonn Gibbons, who produced a game-high 137 rushing yards, had a 65-yard TD sprint. Shamarcus Poole added a 14-yard TD run and kicker Kenneth Lockhart had a field goal and four extra points.

And Le'Vonte Larry added a rarity when he returned a fumbled Erskine extra-point snap for an SSU two-point conversion.
"When the team is playing well, it's a scary sight," Hartage said.

The Tigers rolled up a season-high 369 rushing yards, and the 446 yards of total offense were their second highest output of the season.

Defensively, SSU grounded the Flying Fleet, particularly in the first half when the visitors managed just 37 yards. Erskine didn't record a first down until its fourth offensive possession with nearly seven minutes to go in the second quarter.

It was a strong performance from a defensive unit that allowed 392 yards a week ago against Kentucky State.

"We came out and decided to execute. Everyone was on the same cord," said Tigers' defensive tackle Cameron M. Brown, who had a team-leading five tackles. "We still have a long way to go but we're going to get it together."

The defense's job was a lot easier with the help of a ball-control offense.

"We'll take those long drives," Quinn said. "As an old defensive guy, I was happy to have those six-minute drives with touchdowns at the end. That's the kind of defense you can play while you're (on the sidelines) drinking Powerade."

On its first possession, SSU used 14 plays to chew up 85 yards and 7:46 on the clock, culminating with Durham's 1-yard touchdown run.

The Tigers' second possession went another 83 yards on 15 plays, leisurely using up another 7:50, before ending in a fumble at the 2.

But a pattern was being set—Erskine's defense was in for a long and busy night.

After the turnover, the defense stopped the Flying Fleet and Carter returned the ensuing punt 38 yards for an apparent score, but a penalty negated the big play.

Hartage entered at quarterback and, on his first play of the game, ran 14 yards for a TD to up the lead to 13-0.

The freshman says he doesn't always know when he's going in the game. But Hartage knows one thing. "I know whenever my number is called, I'll be ready," he said. 

Erskine made its initial first down with 7:29 left in the half, but once punting the ball back to the Tigers, the Fleet sunk back watching SSU work its way to the end zone.

The Tigers turned three more third downs into first downs before turning the 10-play, 53-yard drive (another 5:56 off the clock) into seven points when Hartage found Carter open for a 4-yard TD pass and it was 20-0 with 13 seconds left before half.

In just the first 13 seconds of the second half, Gibbons took the first snap 65 yards for a touchdown and the record of the Christian college from Due West, SC, was headed due south.

Erskine's Senika McKie hauled in a 13-yard TD pass from Bryce Jeffcoat to break up the shutout in the third quarter.

But Larry returned the extra-point try for a two-point conversion and Poole's TD run and Lockhart's field goal ended the scoring in the fourth quarter.
"It was a good week of work and that's the result of a good week of practice," Quinn said.
 
 
 
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