THE GAME
This is a game that goes as far back as 1934 when the teams first met. While both teams have identical records at 1-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play, this rivalry will always be a cat fight until the final whistle is blown. SSU has won three games against the Wildcats in their last five meetings but FVSU leads the overall series 37-15-4.

LAST YEAR
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. SSU 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).

KELTON'S QUOTE
"Fort Valley is a really good team and we have to play our best game this season to get a victory. The environment will be electric and the game will be a lot of fun. We look forward to playing in game like this."

LAST WEEK
Savannah State won their first game of the season with a 20-16 victory over Tuskegee at Abbott Memorial Stadium. Savannah State trailed 16-6 in the third quarter before scoring a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to get their first win against the Golden Tigers since a 20-12 win in 1996. The Tigers put together a season-high of 297 offensive yards. Jhaydon Sullivan and Christian Burks combined to pass for 274 yards and two touchdowns while Da'Shun Mitchell had five receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns and Gary Davis, Jr. was in on ten tackles.

TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYERS

Quarterback Jhaydon Sullivan is the Tigers leading passer with 178 yards and two touchdowns. Fellow signal caller Jadon Adams is the leading rusher with 126 yards and a touchdown while the top running back is Shamarcus Poole who has rushed for 30 yards and a touchdown. Da'Shun Mitchell is the leading receiver with seven catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns although Demeke Colbert, Brent Carr and Randy Scott are all capable of making big plays.

TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYERS
The Tigers defense is anchored by its linebackers with Darrian Bell (23 tackles) and Gary Davis, Jr. (18 tackles) leading the way. Defensive back Ahlik Booker has been in on 15 stops.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Lexington Matthews has a 41.83 punting average while kicker Jimmy Mal has been good on 2 of 4 field goal attempts with a long of 41 yards.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Fort Valley State's 1-2 record is very deceiving. The Wildcats opened their season with a 45-42 loss to Clark Atlanta and last week fell to Delta State 27-27. CAU is unbeaten and is receiving votes in the AFCA Division II poll while DSU, is ranked 24th in the  poll. Quarterback Kelvin Durham has thrown for 710 yards and nine touchdowns while running back Brandon Marshall leads the team in rushing (203 yards and three touchdowns) and receiving (14 catches for 201 yards and three touchdowns). Leading the Blue Death defense is linebackers Kentrell Lawson (14 tackles), Malik Harp (13 tackles), Jayden Walker (13 tackles) and defensive back Jaquan Jackson (13 tackles).

THE SKINNY
Fort Valley State's high powered offense, which ranks number one in the conference, averages 36 points a game while Savannah State's defense surrenders 22.7 points a clip and is ranked number two in the SIAC. FVSU will rely on their passing game and they also have the top defense against the run in the league. The Tiger offense found new life with Jhaydon Sullivan and Christian Burks sharing the quarterback duties last week and they hope the success will continue against this week.


COMMON OPPONENTS
Savannah State and Fort Valley State have four common opponents: Albany State, Clark Atlanta, Benedict and Edward Waters.


SAVANNAH STATE/FORT VALLEY STATE CONNECTION
Kimberly Ballard-Washington, who works in the Fort Valley State Legal and Governmental Affairs Office, served as the 14th President of Savannah State from 2019-2023.

CATCHING ON
Wide receiver Da'Shun Mitchell has caught a pass in 23 consecutive games.

CHANGING SIDES
FVSU linebacker Jeremy Denson is a former student at Savannah State

HALL OF FAME
Congratulations for former SSU standout Charlie Jackson who was inducted into the Statesboro Athletic Hall of Fame on September 18, 2024. Jackson was a two-time All-SIAC linebacker in 1974 and 1975 for the Tigers.

POLL WATCHING
Savannah State received eight votes in the latest BOXTOROW HBCU Division II Coaches Poll

GETTING A LEG UP
Lexington Matthews is ranked second in punting in the SIAC and No. 22 in Division II. Six of his 18 punts have went more than 50 yards and two have been for 60 yards.

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.