FORT VALLEY, Ga.-  Savannah State held a 17-3 lead in the second quarter and led 17-10 at intermission but could not hold on to it as Fort Valley State outscored SSU 28-7 in the second half as they handed the Tigers a 38-24 setback at Wildcat Stadium on October 7, 2023.

The loss, SSU's third in a row, gives the Tigers a 2-4 overall record while dropping to 1-3 in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.

Savannah State led 14-3 after one quarter of action with Allie Brown scoring on a five-yard run and Brent Carr catching a eight-yard scoring pass from Jadon Adams.

Brown's touchdown was set up by a interception by SSU's Gary Davis who picked off a Kelvin Durham pass at the SSU 39 and returned it 31-yards to the Wildcat 30. A key play on the drive was a 14-yard pass play from Jadon Adams to Da'Shun Mitchell which gave SSU a first down at the FVSU three.

Fort Valley State drove to the SSU 19 on their next drive but was unable to score a touchdown and had to settle on a 41-yard field goal.

Savannah State responded on their next possession with a eight-play, 60-yard drive that ended with Carr's touchdown. Mitchell had a 37-yard reception on the drive and Allie Brown had two catches of six and 11 yards that resulted in first downs.


The Tigers extended their advantage to 17-3 with just under five minutes remaining in the second quarter after a 22-yard field goal from Kenneth Lockhart. SSU drove to the Wildcats' two but could not punch it in for a touchdown. Mitchell had receptions of 13 and 11-yards during the possession and tight end Julian Roberts hauled in a 11-yard catch. 

Fort Valley State answered with a touchdown of their own with 2:15 left. Savannah State was driving late in the first half but Adams had his pass picked off by Jamal Janvier at the Wildcat 26 to end the threat. SSU led17-10 at the half.

Early in the third quarter Adams fumbled the ball deep in his own territory and FVSU's DeMarcus Harris picked it up and ran for a nine-yard touchdown to tie the game at 17.

The Wildcats scored another touchdown on their next possession to go ahead 24-17. With 4:05 remaining in the third quarter, Adams scored on a two-yard run to cap a 13-play, 72-yard drive that ate up seven minutes and 48 seconds off the clock to tie the contest at 24.During the SSU scoring drive, the Tigers was faced with a fourth and one from the Fort Valley State 26 but a  Shamarcus Poole 21-yard run that gave the Tigers a first down at the FVSU five yard line.


It would be the last time Savannah State would put any points on the scoreboard that night as the 4,322 fans in attendance saw Fort Valley State score a touchdown with 2:13 left in the third quarter and then add another with 7:43 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Savannah State ended the game with 295 yards of offense with only 59 coming on the ground. The Tigers controlled the time of possession, holding the ball for nearly 32 minutes (31:57).

Adams completed 18 of 37 passes for 221 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Shamarcus Poole was the leading rusher with 35 yards while Da'Shun Mitchell had five catches for 86 yards and Carr hauled in five reception for 75 yards and a score. Gary Davis had a team-leading eight tackles and a interception.

Kelvin Durham threw for 137 yards, a pair of touchdowns and a interception for the Wildcats. Brandon Marshall ran for 187 yards and a touchdowns, Za'Tarious Anderson had two receptions for 57 yards and two touchdowns and Malik Harp had nine tackles for the defense.

Fort Valley State (5-1, 5-0 SIAC had 377 yards of offense.

Savannah State will be back on the road for their next contest as they make their longest trip of the season to Wilberforce, Ohio to play Central State on October 14 at 1 p.m.