THE GAME
Savannah State will make the trip down I-95 to play Edward Waters in what will be a match-up of Tigers vs. Tigers. Coming off back-to-back wins, Savannah State will be searching for their third win in a row. Although EWU is struggling this season with only one victory, the last two games between these foes have been close with the difference being four points. Savannah State and Edward Waters have been playing each other since 1930 and EWU leads the all-time series 13-11-4.
 
LAST YEAR
Edward Waters led 20-6 midway in the third quarter before Savannah State fought back to take a 25-20 lead with 4:52 left in the game. EWU scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:22 remaining to take a 26-25 lead. SSU had one last chance to get the win but Kenneth Lockhart's 37-yard field goal attempt with 13 seconds remaining hit the right upright and Savannah State would fall by one point in a game played at TA Wright Stadium on September 30, 2023. Brent Carr had touchdown receptions of 17, 6 and 64 yards in the contest while Gary Davis, Jr. had 12 tackles.

KELTON'S QUOTE
"We are playing a good Edward Waters team whose record doesn't show how good they are. They are fast, physical and talented. We have to play a complete game for 60 minutes to achieve our goal of a victory this week."

LAST WEEK
Demeke Colbert scored three touchdowns to help SSU to a 30-18 win over winless Lincoln University of California. The Tigers led 17-0 at the half and 30-6 in the third quarter before Lincoln rallied with two second half touchdowns. A fourth quarter interception by Emari Napper prevented another potential touchdown by the Oaklanders. Had Lincoln been able to convert their point after touchdown conversions, the game would of been much closer.
 
TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYERS
Despite playing in only two games, quarterback Jadon Adams is the leading rusher with 126 yards and a touchdown. Running backs Joseph Hampton (123 yards, 1 TD) and Shamarcus Poole (109 yards, 2 TD) are dangerous when they get the ball. Since Adams has been sidelined with a injury, Jhaydon Sullivan and Christian Burks have been sharing the quarterback duties. Sullivan has thrown for 400 yards and six touchdowns while Burks has 391 yards and one touchdown. Da'Shun Mitchell has 340 receiving yards while Brent Carr has 195 and Demeke Colbert has 152. The trio has combined for six touchdowns.
 
TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYERS
Sophomore Xavier Esquillen is playing well at defense end with six tackles for loss and four sacks while William Jones had 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Leading the squad in tackles are linebackers Darrian Bell (43), Uchenna Nwoha (34), Gary Davis, Jr. (27) and Tavare Brewton (25).
 
TOP SPECIAL TEAM PLAYERS
Brent Carr averages 11.4 yards on punt returns while Shamarcus Poole and Allie "AJ" Brown are the top kick return men with 14.4 and 20.3 respective averages.
 
SCOUTING EDWARD WATERS
Edward Waters is coming off of a bye week so they have had time to for an extra week of preparation for their game with SSU. Keith Moore is EWU's top passer with 487 yards and three touchdowns but he did not play in their last game. Juwan Dent played against Fort Valley State and on the season has produced 346 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Brady Tillman is the leading rusher with 203 yards while Johnny Jones (172 yards) and Fatona Paulk (191 yards, 2 TD) are the top pass catchers. Linebackers Trevon French (37 tackles) and Widmyer Garcon (36 tackles) lead the defense. They have the top pass defense in the SIAC and are number three in punt returns.
 
THE SKINNY
This game features low scoring offenses and aggressive defenses. Although they have scored 65 points in their last two games, SSU only averages 16.3 points a game while Edward Waters is slightly better at 18.5 points a clip. It could be a defensive battle with Edward Waters having the number one pass defense in the SIAC while Savannah State has the number four defense against the run. Savannah State's defense has come up big the past two weeks with game-saving stops in the fourth quarter to secure wins over Clark Atlanta and Lincoln. The past two games between Savannah State and Edward Waters have been nail-bitters with SSU winning 31-28 in 2022 and EWU winning 26-25 last year so the 2024 version should be another close one. 
 
COMMON OPPONENTS
Savannah State and Edward Waters have five common opponents: Benedict, Tuskegee, Fort Valley State, Albany State and Lane.
 
SAVANNAH STATE/EDWARD WATERS CONNECTION
The game will be a reunion for Savannah State tight end coach Harold Nelson and defensive lineman Kelvin Drummond and Edward Waters wide receiver Deven Thompson. Nelson was one of the assistant coaches at Windsor Forest High School in Savannah when Drummond and Thompson were on the team.
 
CATCHING ON
Da'Shun Mitchell has caught a reception in 26 consecutive games.
 
PROTECTING THE PASSER
Since giving up 16 sacks in their first four games, Savannah State's offense line has not given up a sack in their past two contests
 
HOMECOMING
The game will be a homecoming for Savannah State defensive assistant Randall Moss who hails from Jacksonville, Florida and graduated from Ribault High School. The Tigers have five players on the roster who are also from Jacksonville. Those five players represent three high schools (Bartram Trail, Trinity Christian and Ribault). SSU has 19 players on the roster from the Sunshine State.
 
FIRST QUARTER BLUES
Savannah State has not given up any points in the first quarter in their past three games
 
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
According the the NCAA.com website, Lexington Matthews is 23rd in Division II in punting (42.1), Darrian Bell is 30th in solo tackles per game (5.0) and Xavier Esquillen is 36th in sacks (5). As a team, the Tigers are 17th in punt returns (14.8), 34th in team sacks per game (2.5), 45th in rushing defense per game (112.2) and 47th in net punts (37.0).
 
POLL WATCHING
Savannah State received seven votes in the latest HBCU Division II Coaches Poll powered by BOXTOROW
 
TOP FIVE
SSU is ranked in the top five in SIAC statistics in five categories: 3rd in net punting (36.5), 4th in rush defense (112.2), 5th in scoring defense (24.0) and 5th in forced fumbles (5).

WHATS IN A NAME
There are 20 players on the team that share the same last name. Three have the last name of Brown, Johnson, Jones or Williams while two have the sir name of Anderson, Davis, Leonard or White.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION-The SSU roster is made up of players from eleven states (Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, New York, Texas, California, Alabama, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Maryland) as well as the District of Columbia

WELCOME TO THE MARSH
Savannah native Harold Nelson and former North Carolina wide receiver Steven Jerry has joined the Tiger coaching staff this year. Nelson will be the tight ends and assistant offensive line coach while Jerry will be overseeing the wide receivers. Nelson has coached on the high school level in Savannah (Windsor Forest, Calvary Day and Islands) and in Florida and is owner of his own training company, Energy Sports Academy. Jerry's collegiate coaching resume list Central Florida, William & Mary, East Tennessee State, Virginia State, Florida A&M, Benedict and New Mexico Highlands, before coming to SSU

REFURBISHED TURF
SSU is among four HBCUs in Georgia and Alabama who will debut a refurbished football field this fall thanks to grants totaling more than $6.5 million from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. The work at T.A. Wright Stadium included the installation of a new turf and upgrades to the drainage system to improve field quality, safety and accessibility to community groups.

TRANSFER U
SSU has 28 players on the roster that have transferred from other schools. The programs, which range from FBS to junior college, include Albany State, Morgan State, St. Augustine, Bluefield State, Livingstone, Grambling State, South Carolina State, Mercer, Georgia Military, Pitt, Butler Community College, New Haven, Louisville, McPhearson, Louisburg, St. Thomas, Dean, Los Angeles Valley CC, Oklahoma Panhandle State, Notre Dame College, Lake Erie, UNC Pembroke, Georgia Southern and Florida.

HOME GROWN- SSU has ten players in its roster from eight different of the local high schools (Islands, Beach, Savannah High, Bethesda, Johnson, Windsor Forest, St. Andrews and Jenkins.

THE SIZE OF IT- Punter Lexington Matthews the tallest player on the team at 6-foot-5 but Offensive lineman Arnez Jones is the biggest at 360-pounds. Running back AJ Brown is the shortest player on the roster at 5-foot-7 while wide receiver Jalen Leonard is the lightest at 150 pounds.

PRESEASON HONORS
Eight Tigers were selected to the preseason All-SIAC team. Deandre Creary was named to the First Team Defense while Ahlik Booker and Nathaniel Chisholm were named to the Second Team Defense. Jadon Adams, Da'Shun Mitchell and Shamarcus Poole were named to the Second Team Offense while AJ Brown and Joseph Hampton were named as Second Team Return Specialists.

FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE
SSU appeared on the HBCU Go platform on September 7 with their game with Southern. Savannah State will also appear on ESPN+ three times during the 2024 season. The Tigers will play Central State on September 14 at Theodore A. Wright Stadium at 6 p.m. and will host Fort Valley State on Sept. 28 at 2 p.m. The 2024 SSU Homecoming match-up with Lane on October 26 will also appear on ESPN+ with a 3 p.m. kickoff.

NIL PARTNERSHIP
The Savannah State University Department of Athletics and Influxer have formed a partnership which will help SSU student-athletes with Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) merchandising opportunities. Influxer, an approved licensed NIL vendor, will house a complete NIL merchandise store for all Tiger student-athletes who choose to participate, featuring officially licensed apparel with their names and jersey numbers.