THE GAME
Coming off of a disappointing Homecoming loss, Savannah State hopes to bounce back as they face Albany State in their final home game of the year. SSU and Albany State have been playing each other since 1932, making the Golden Rams one of the Tigers' oldest rivalries. This Saturday will be the 66th time the teams have met on the gridiron. ASU holds the series lead, 46-17-2.
 
LAST YEAR
Despite playing their best defensive game of the season, the Savannah State football team would fall to Albany State University 15-12 in the inaugural Coastal City Classic which was played in Glynn County Stadium in Brunswick, Georgia on September 23, 2023.
 
The Tigers surrendered a season-low 15 points but were plagued by penalties throughout the contest. Savannah State ended the game with 13 penalties for a season-high 108 yards. ASU drew seven flags for 60 yards.
 
KELTON'S QUOTE
"Coming off of a tough loss we need to play better and be more focused on the little things. Albany State is a rivalry school and it is a big game for everyone. We want to get back on the winning track for sure and send our seniors out right on senior day"
 
LAST WEEK
The SSU Homecoming crowd of 8,730 saw the Tigers lead 21-7 with just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter but Lane capitalized on a pair of SSU turnovers and turned them into points which tied the game and forced the contest to go into overtime. Lane scored a touchdown in overtime and SSU did as well with Joseph Hampton scoring on a three-yard run but Jimmy Mal's extra point kick was no good and that was the difference as the Tigers three-game winning streak was snapped as well as their hopes for a chance to play in the SIAC Championship game.
 
TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYERS
Jhaydon Sullivan is the Tigers offensive leader at quarterback. In six games, he has thrown for 979 yards and 12 touchdowns while Joseph Hampton is the bell cow for SSU with 180 rushing yards and two touchdowns. SSU's group of pass catchers has good hands and size. Da'Shun Mitchell has 591 receiving yards and six touchdowns, Brent Carr averages 18.7 yards per catch and Demeke Colbert averages 13.1 yards per catch and had four touchdowns. Two of Khiry Wallace's six receptions have been touchdowns and tight end Brandon Fowler is also a threat.
 
TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYERS
Linebackers Darrian Bell and Gary Davis, Jr. lead the team in tackles with 56 and 47 respectively while fellow linebacker Uchenna Nwoha has 38. In the trenches, the Tigers depend on Xavier Esquillen (10.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks), William Jones (5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks) and Tony Rountree Jr. (5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks). Roaming the secondary will be Ahlik Booker (24 tackles) and Dreshawn Dawkins (22 tackles).
 
TOP SPECIAL TEAM PLAYERS
Brent Carr averages 11.43 yards on punt returns and Allie "AJ" Brown averages 18.8 yards on kick returns. Lexington Matthews has 10 punts that have pinned opponents inside their 20 yard line and nine of his punts have been 50 yards or longer.
 
SCOUTING ALBANY STATE
The Golden Rams have won five of their past six games. Their offense tops the SIAC in scoring (37.4) and total yards (396.5)  and is second in passing (264.8) while their "Dirty Blue Defense" ranks third in total defense (319.8), run defense (99.4) and sacks (27) and is fifth in scoring (25.3). Quarterback Isaiah Knowles leads the SIAC in touchdown passes (26) and is second in the conference in passing yards with 2,114. Tiant Wyche is the top running back (447 yards, 3 touchdowns) and wide receivers Javion Jackson and Jamill Williams both have six touchdown catches. Freshman linebacker Andrew Ruffin leads the team in tackles (38).
 
THE SKINNY
The previous two games between Savannah State and Albany State have been defensive battles. ASU won 30-21 in 2022 and 15-12 last year so this year could be another nail-bitter. SSU has the number four scoring defense in the SIAC while the Golden Rams are right behind them in the fifth spot.  ASU has the third best run defense in the conference and Savannah State's in ranked fourth. Both offensive lines will have their hands full. The Tigers have given up 23 sacks so far while Albany State have surrendered 19. Albany State's kicker has made 35 of 36 PAT attempts while Savannah State's Lexington Matthews is one of the top punters in Division II. In a game where both teams have dominating defenses, look for both quarterbacks to test the opposing secondaries with a lot of long pass plays.
 
COMMON OPPONENTS
Savannah State and Albany State have three common opponents: Fort Valley State, Edward Waters and Central State
 
SAVANNAH STATE/ALBANY STATE CONNECTION
Savannah State quarterback Jhaydon Sullivan is a former quarterback at Albany State. The Winder, Georgia native earned his undergraduate degree in communications from ASU and is currently enrolled at SSU as a graduate student.
 
SENIOR DAY
Today's game is the last home game for 23 seniors: Kelvin Drummond, Clarence "Tre" Samuel, Tracy Todd, Jordan Springs, Da'Shun Mitchell, Demeke Colebert, Brent Carr, Shamarcus Poole, Kirk Smith, Marlon Jackson, Randy Scott, Elijah Norwood, Hudson Primus, Jhayden Sullivan, Alie "AJ" Brown, Darrian Bell, Chris Murray, Bruce Mattox, Zaire Anderson, Curtis Spivey, Pearce Brown, Tyler Carmona  and Zaire Williams
 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Happy birthday wishes to offensive lineman Christian Hubbard who was born on November 10.
 
CATCHING ON
Da'Shun Mitchell has caught a reception in 28 consecutive games.
 
PERSONAL BEST
In last week's game against Lane, quarterback Jhaydon Sullivan threw for a career-high 323 yards while wide receiver caught eight passes for a personal best 150 yards.
 
SENDING OUR CONDOLENCES
Former Savannah State football player Andre Alston passed away on October 27, 2024 in Jacksonville, Florida. Alston played outside linebacker for the Tigers from 1966-69 while the team competed in the Southeastern Athletic Conference. Funeral services will held for Alston on November 7 in Jacksonville at Abyssinia Missionary Baptist Church.
 
TOP FIVE
SSU is ranked in the top five in SIAC statistics in five categories: 2nd in punting (36.6 net), 3rd in forced fumbles (6), 4th in scoring defense (24.0), 4th in rush defense (119.1) and 4th in passing offense (188.1)

POLL WATCHING
Savannah State received 1 vote in the latest HBCU Division II Coaches Poll powered by BOXTOROW

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
According to the NCAA.com website, Jhaydon Sullivan is ranked 4th in Division II in passing efficiency (178.3), 7th in yards per pass attempt (9.60) and 10th in passing yards per completion (15.30); Lexington Matthews is 29th in punts (41.9); Da'Shun Mitchell is 33rd in receiving touchdowns (6), 40th in receiving yards (591) and 44th in receiving yards per game (73.9); Xavier Esquillen is 3rd in sacks (1.06) and 37th in tackles for loss (1.3); and Darrian Bell is 50th in solo tackles (4.5). As a team, SSU is ranked 21st in passing yards per completion (14.33), 26th in punt returns (12.69), 29th in sacks (2.75), 45th in net punts (37.0) and 48th in rush defense (119.1).

WHAT'S 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 Alie "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 Alie "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 appeared on ESPN+ three times during the 2024 season. The Tigers played Central State on September 14 at Theodore A. Wright Stadium at 6 p.m. and traveled to Fort Valley State on Sept. 29. The 2024 SSU Homecoming match-up with Lane on October also appeared on ESPN+ with a 3 p.m.

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.