THE GAME
In a series that dates back to 1934, Savannah State will be making their first trip Tuskegee since the 1999 season. Both Savannah State and Tuskegee are still looking for their first win of the young season. While SSU has one conference game under its belt, The Golden Tigers, who enter the game coming off of a bye week, will be playing their home and conference opener. The Golden Tigers lead the series 7-14.
 
LAST YEAR
The Tigers committed five turnovers and had a key fourth-down penalty lead to a score in a disappointing 21-14 loss to Tuskegee before an overflowing crowd of 12,723 at Theodore A. Wright Stadium. A one yard touchdown run with 6:57 left in the game broke a 14-14 tie and gave Tuskegee the lead. SSU had a chance to tie the game as they drove to the Golden Tigers 16 but the Savannah State quarterback threw a interception which sealed Tuskegee's win.
 
COACHES QUOTE
"We are playing a really good Tuskegee team. We have to play a good game with passion and discipline in order to win. Winning is hard and we are looking to get on the winning track this week! We have to improve our productivity in all three phases of the game (Offense, Defense and Special Teams) in order to have success."

LAST WEEK
Savannah State put together a good defensive effort in the Tigers 10-3 setback to Central State. The Tiger offense is still trying to find its rhythm but showed signs of improvement in the second half but were unable to find the end zone. SSU's defense gave up only 212 yards in the home opener and kept the Marauders out of the end zone after a touchdown on the first possession.
 
TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYERS
Quarterback Jadon Adams is the Tigers top offensive threat as he leads the team in rushing (126 yards) and passing (88 yards). Demeke Colbert is Adams' top target with 4 receptions for 25 yards.
 
TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYERS
The Tigers defense is anchored by its linebackers with Darrian Bell (14 tackles) and Tavare Brewton (13 tackles) leading the way. Defensive back Ahlik Booker has been in on 12 stops.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
Lexington Matthews is third in the conference with a 40.5 punting average while kicker Jimmy Mal has been good on 2 of 3 field goal attempts.
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN TIGERS
Aaron James is in his second season as head coach of the Golden Tigers. Chris Robinson and Raequan Beal have been splitting time at quarterback for TU. Robinson has thrown for 237 yards and Beal has accounted for 215 yards. Johnny Morris is the top rusher and averages 4.2 yards per carry while Gabriel Garmon and Reggie Brigman have combined for 13 receptions and 206 yards. Defensive back Rossie Grimes has 21 tackles and linebacker Charles Davis has been in on 16 stops.
 
THE SKINNY
With both teams having aggressive defensive units, this could be a low scoring game. While Tuskegee's offense will rely on their passing game, SSU's offense has yet to strike an identity but their running game did show some flashes of promise in the second half of the game with Central State. Savannah State will also be playing their first daytime game of the year and will have to get adjusted to the Tuskegee heat which is expected to be 90 degrees on Saturday afternoon.
 
SAVANNAH STATE/TUSKEGEE CONNECTION
Tuskegee tennis coach Greg Green is a former tennis coach at Savannah State. While at SSU, Green was the head tennis coach from 1995-99 and won three SIAC championships and made three NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. He also won SIAC Coach of the Year three times. During his five years at Savannah State, Green was also a assistant football coach.
 
COMMON OPPONENTS
Savannah State and Tuskegee have four common opponents: Edward Waters, Lane, Central State and Clark Atlanta.
 
AARON VS. AARON
In a rare twist, the first names of the head coaches for Savannah State and Tuskegee is Aaron.
 
STOP THAT STREAK
Savannah State will be looking to halt their nine game losing skid, which dates back to the 2023 season. The Tigers last win was a 28-21 victory over Clark Atlanta on September 16, 2023.
 
HOMECOMING
Savannah State has five players on the roster from Alabama. The game with Tuskegee will be a homecoming for freshman defensive lineman Akeem White, who is from Auburn, which is less than 30 miles from Tuskegee.
 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Happy birthday wishes to defensive back Ahlik Booker who celebrated his birthday on September 20

CATCHING ON
Wide receiver Da'Shun Mitchell has caught a pass in 22 consecutive games.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Savannah State is one of eight teams in the conference still looking for their first win of the season and is one of three teams in the conference who has not lost a fumble so far.

GETTING A LEG UP
Lexington Matthews is ranked second in punting in the SIAC and No. 29 in Division II. Five of his 13 punts have went more than 50 yards (52, 57, 55, 53 and 60).

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 October 12 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.