THE GAME
Savannah State will play their home finale this weekend and look to send the senior class out with a win in addition to breaking their five-game losing skid. Despite their record, the Tigers have been very competitive in their games and have played hard until the last whistle has been blown.
 
SSU enters the contest with a 2-6 overall record while being 1-5 in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Benedict remains undefeated with a 8-0 overall mark and a 6-0 record in the SIAC. Benedict is ranked #5 in the AFCA Poll and #1in the D2 HBCU Coaches Poll.
 
SSU and Benedict first met in 1932 and Benedict holds a 12-4 edge in the series.
 
LAST YEAR
Benedict defeated SSU 24-6 last year in Columbia, South Carolina on September 15, 2022 in Charlie Johnson Stadium in a game that was on ESPNU. It was a defensive battle in the first half and the teams went into intermission tied 0-0. Savannah State trailed 10-0 entering the fourth quarter but a 11-yard touchdown run by Jadon Adams early in the fourth quarter cut the Tigers deficit to 10-6. Benedict scored a pair of touchdowns in the final ten minutes of play to put thee game out of reach for SSU.
 
COACHES QUOTE
SSU head coach Aaron Kelton says "We are disappointed we didn't win the Homecoming Game. Having a chance to go back out and improve and work to win this week is our goal and mission. Our pride and love of SSU and our Seniors will  be a motivator for us this week."

LAST WEEK
Savannah State lost their Homecoming game to Tuskegee 21-14 before a record crowd of 12,723 fans at Theodore A. Wright Stadium. SSU led 14-7 at the half but Tuskegee took advantage of a trio of second half turnovers by SSU to leave town with a win. Da'Shun Mitchell had five receptions in the game for SSU for a career-high 136 yards.
 
TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYERS
Quarterback Jadon Adams is the top offensive threat for Savannah State. So far, the junior signal caller has completed 51.8 percent (115 of 222) of his passes for 1,403 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. He has also ran for five touchdowns and 267 yards.

Tailback Shamarcus Poole leads the team in rushing with  275 yards and two touchdowns this season.

Wide receiver Da'Shun Mitchell is the top pass catcher with 33 receptions for 537 yards while Brent Carr has 24 catches for 424 yards and six touchdowns.
 
TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYERS
Savannah State's defense is led by linebackers Gary Davis, who has 48 tackles, and Tavare Brewton, who has contributed 42 tackles. 

Ameer Phillips leads the defensive linemen with six tackles for loss and two sacks.

Roaming the secondary is Kirk Smith and Deandre Creary. Both have two interceptions to their credit.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
After missing the 2022 season while recovering from an injury, Kenneth Lockhart is back. In seven games, he has punted 40 times and is averaging 38.9 yards per punt with a long of 59 yards. 12 have landed inside the opponents 20. He has made 7 of 9 field goal attempts and has a long of 37 yards.

Joseph Hampton averages 21.5 yards a return, Randy Scott is averaging 26 yards and AJ Brown is averaging 16.8 yards a return.
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Chennis Berry was hired as the head football coach at Benedict in February 2020.  Prior to arriving at Benedict, Berry paid his dues as an assistant coach. His coaching resume also includes stops at Southern University, Howard, North Carolina A&T, Morris Brown, Kentucky State and Fort Valley State, while also serving internships with six different NFL teams.
 
The Tigers have wins over Shaw (52-0), Edward Waters (34-0), Lane (54-7), Chowan (31-3), Morehouse (27-3), Miles (27-24), Fort Valley State (48-6) and Kentucky State (63-14).
 
The Benedict offense is like a well-oiled machine, averaging 42 points and 409.8 yards a game. They are led by running back Deondra Duehart (423 yards, 5 touchdowns), quarterback Aeneas Dennis (1,946 yards, 13 touchdowns, 2 interceptions) and wide receiver Caden High (23 catches, 403 yards, 6 touchdowns). Benedict has the top scoring defense in Division II, yielding 7.13 points and 185.6 yards a game. Key playmakers on the defense are Dedrick Starkes (48 tackles), Jayden Broughton (36 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss and 8 sacks), Loobert Denelus (10 sacks) and Javoni Melidor (4 interceptions).
 
THE SKINNY
One of the match-ups to watch in this game will be the pass defense play of both teams. Benedict (115.4) leads the SIAC in pass defense and is #2 in Division II while Savannah State (190.9) is second in the SIAC in pass defense, behind Benedict. SSU has 7 interceptions so far while Benedict has picked off 12 passes on the season.
 
SAVANNAH STATE/BENEDICT CONNECTION
Chennis Berry, the head coach of the Benedict Tigers is a graduate and former student-athlete at Savannah State. Berry played tight end and on offensive line for SSU from 1991-94. He earned First Team All-SIAC honors at offensive tackle and was named Black College All-American Honorable Mention in 1994. He also served as a team captain and was a member of the 1992 squad that went to the Division II playoffs.
 
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Wide receiver Brent Carr is second in the SIAC in receiving touchdowns with six and is ranked #27 in Division II. Defensive back Dreshawn Dawkins leads the SIAC in forced fumbles with two and is ranked #21 in Div. II, Specialist Kenneth Lockhart is ranked #25 in Division II in field goal percentage with .778 and Joseph Hampton is ranked #17 in Div. II in combined kick returns with 440.
 
CATCHING ON
Wide receiver Da'Shun Mitchell has caught a pass in 18 consecutive games.
 
COMMON OPPONENTS
Savannah State and Benedict have three common opponents: Edward Waters, Fort Valley State and  Lane.
 
A HOUSE DIVIDED
Reserve Benedict linebacker Orlando Dean Jr. is the son of Savannah State Hall of Famer Orlando Dean who was a four year letterman (1989-92) in football. A native of Macon, Georgia, Dean played on the defensive line and made the All-SIAC Defensive Team in 1990, 1991 and 1992. During the 1991-92 season, he was the All-SIAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year. In 1992, he made the Associated Press Little College All-America First Team and was also selected to the Black College Sports All-America Team. Dean led Savannah State in sacks in 1990 and 1991. Dean was inducted into the SSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.
 
FINAL HOME GAME
Today's game will be the final home game in Theodore A. Wright Stadium for 18 seniors. Steven Wakefield, Kenneth Lockhart, Riyon Adams, Kyle Frazier, Randy Scott, Brent Carr, Elijah Norwood, Malik Fleming, Jameson Pettiford, Kirk Smith, Dreshawn Dawkins, Julian Roberts, Jarius Jackson, TyRique Mingle, Jonathon Glover, Devon Beckford, Vernon Bell and Walter Nelson will all play their final game in front of the home crowd.
 
NO BLOCKS
SSU is one of 75 Division II teams in the nation who has not allowed a blocked punt this season.
 
SECOND HALF BLUES
Savannah State has been outscored 109-54 in the second half this season. The Tigers have been outscored 56-21 in the third quarter and 53-33 in the fourth quarter.
 
CHASING 2000
Quarterback Jadon Adams has thrown for 1,403 yards so far. He needs 597 more to reach 2,000 for the season.
 
CAT FIGHT
For the sixth time this season, Savannah State will face a team from the feline family and for the time it will be a Tiger. SSU has already faced the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, Clark Atlanta Panthers, Edward Waters Tigers, Fort Valley State Wildcats and Tuskegee Golden Tigers.

FAMILY AFFAIR
Philadelphia maybe the city of brotherly love but Savannah State also has its share of family ties.

Defensive lineman Josua Shepherd and student assistant Elijah Shepherd are brothers.

Tight end Quavien Bell and linebacker Deon Bell are cousins.
 
NEW DIGITAL SIGNAGE
Fans will notice a new digital signage/scoreboard at T.A. Wright Stadium. The new board which is 32'x16', is apart of a overhaul of the university's technology enhancement campus-wide upgrades. The display board will also be incorporated into classroom usage as well as other departments on campus such as the NROTC program and Enrollment Management. The idea of the new signage board was the brainstorm of Dr. Dedra N. Andrews (SSU Director of Title III), Mr. Gary Miller (SSU Chief Information Officer) and  Opio Mashariki (SSU Director of Athletics).

 LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
The SSU roster is made up of players from eight states (Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Connecticut, New York, California, Tennessee and Alabama) as well as the District of Columbia
 
THE LEGACY CONTINUES
SSU defensive back Dwayne Ruff is the son of Savannah State alum Dwayne Ruff. The younger Ruff played three seasons at East Tennessee State. He earned his degree at ETSU and decided to play his final season of eligibility at SSU as a grad transfer. The elder Ruff was a two-sport student-athlete at SSU, playing football and basketball from 1986-89. He was a member of the 1989 team that included NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe that posted a 8-1 record.
 
WELCOME TO THE MARSH
SSU head football coach Aaron Kelton welcomes two new coaches to his staff. Marking their first season at Savannah State are A.J. Walsh (offensive line) and Keon Cezar (defensive line).
 
IN MEMORY
SSU mourns  the loss of former Tigers head football coach Dr. Leo Richardson. He led the Tigers to a 6-2-1 record in 1967 which was good enough to win the Southeastern Athletic conference championship. That same year Richardson was named the SEAC Coach of the Year. In addition to coaching football at SSU, Richardson also served as the head men's basketball coach and a biology professor. He was inducted into the SSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010. Richardson died on July 23, 2023.
 
TRANSFER U
SSU has 15 players on the roster that have transferred from other schools. The programs, which range from FBS to junior college, include East Tennessee State, Bryant University, Pittsburgh, North Carolina Central, Glennville State, Point University, Georgia Southern, Lane College, Grambling State, Albany State, Louisburg College, Hobart College, American River College, Los Angeles Valley Community College and Hutchinson Community College.
 
SURVIVOR
SSU signee Kyle Frazier is a cancer survivor. Frazier was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in April 2019 but after chemotherapy treatments, he was declared cancer free in August 2019. The Augusta, Georgia native enrolled at SSU in January 2020 and joined the football team in 2021.He has made the all conference team his freshman and sophomore years.

FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE
Savannah State will appear on ESPN+ twice during the season.The Tigers will play Clark Atlanta on September 16 at Theodore A. Wright Stadium at 6 p.m. The 2023 SSU Homecoming match-up with Tuskegee University on October 21 will also appear on ESPN+ with a 3 p.m. kickoff.

HOME GROWN
SU has 14 players in its roster from ten different of the local high schools (Islands, Savannah High, Johnson, Windsor Forest, Memorial, Beach, Bethesda, New Hampstead, Calvary and Jenkins.
 
THE SIZE OF IT
Freshmen linemen Kamrem Bing and Derrick Clark are the biggest players on the team. Bing, a offensive lineman weighs 340-pounds while Clark, a defensive lineman stands 6-foot-5. Freshman wide receiver Jason Cobb is the smallest player on the roster at 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds.
 
GETTING THE MILES IN
SSU has six road games on the schedule with an average of 355 miles for each game. Tiger fans will travel to Lakeland, Florida (335 miles), Daytona Beach, Fla. (234 miles), Brunswick, Georgia (79 miles), Fort Valley, Ga. (175 miles), Wilberforce, Ohio (689 miles) and Jackson, Tennessee (620 miles).
 
PRESEASON HONORS
During the SIAC Football Media Day in July, four SSU football players were named to the preseason all conference team. Offensive linemen Kyle Frazier and Riyon Adams and running back Shamarcus Poole were named to the First Team while punter/kicker Kenneth Lockhart was picked for the Second Team.
 
WHAT'S IN A NAME
There are ten sets of players on the SSU roster that share the same last name. The team has three players with the last name of Williams, Brown and Johnson and seven sets with the last name of Roberts, Leonard, Adams, Bell, Davis, Hampton and Jones. Additionally there are players with the last name that is pronounced the same but spelled differently as in Brown/Browne and Clark/Clarke.