THE GAME
Savannah State will play the final game of their three-game road swing with a neutral site match-up in Augusta, Georgia with Fort Valley State in the Good Trouble Heritage Classic. The game will be played at David Dupree Memorial Stadium. The Tigers will enter the game fresh off of a 23-20 overtime win over Allen while FVSU suffered a 14-7 setback to Benedict. SSU is clinging to a outside shot of making a SIAC title run but with a 1-3 conference record, all Fort Valley State can do is play the spoiler role. The first game between Savannah State and FVSU dates back to 1934 and the Wildcats hold a 38-15-4 edge in the series.

GAME INFORMATION
Savannah State (3-3, 2-2 SIAC) vs. Fort Valley State (1-5, 1-3 SIAC)
Date: Saturday, October 18thh
Time: 3:00pm
Location: David Dupree Memorial Stadium at Lucy C. Laney High School | Augusta, Georgia

TICKETS
Tickets and tailgating spots are still available for the contest and can be purchased online at: https://goodtroubleclassic.com/

BROADCAST INFORMATION: 
Channel: ESPN+
Broadcast Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/f7c7fcc3-62b7-460c-85ab-78360af09ce4
Live Stats Link: https://www.ssuathletics.com/sidearmstats/football/summary

COACHES
Savannah State: Aaron Kelton, 4th Season (Record At SSU: 15-21)
Fort Valley State: Marlon Watson, 1st Season (Record At FVSU: 1-5)

WEATHER
The temperature at kickoff of Saturday's game in Augusta is expected to be in the mid 70s. It will be 76° under mostly sunny skies, with winds blowing South Southwest at 3 MPH. There is no rain chance currently listed in the forecast.

KELTON'S QUOTE
"Fort Valley State is a good football team with a lot of talented players. This is a rivalry game and it is a classic in Augusta where both schools SSU and FVSU are well represented. It is going to be a really fun environment and our goal is to come back with a win."

GAME CAPTAINS
Captains for thee game with Fort Valley State are running back Joseph Hampton, defensive lineman Tony Rountree, Jr. and defensive back Christopher Murray, all three natives of Augusta.

LAST WEEK
Savannah State defeated Allen 23-20 in overtime. The Tigers trailed 6-3 at the end of the first quarter but two touchdown runs by Joseph Hampton and a field goal by Jimmy Tran gave SSU a 20-12 halftime edge. Savannah State went scoreless in the second half while the Yellow Jackets added eight points to tie the game and send it to an extra period. Tran hit a 25-yard field goal in the Tigers first possession while Allen fumbled the ball on the first play of their overtime possession and it was recovered by Darrian Bell to give SSU the win. Bell ended the game with 23 tackles for the defense while Hampton ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns for the offense. Fabian Walker added 192 passing yards for the Tigers.

LAST YEAR
Fort Valley State defeated Savannah State 30-0 last year. The game was originally scheduled to be played on Savannah State campus at Theodore A. Wright Stadium but due to the power outage at SSU and other parts of the Savannah area as result of Hurricane Helene, the contest was played a day later on the FVSU campus stadium. The Wildcats led 3-0 at intermission and added 27 unanswered points in the second half. Christian Burks passed for 170 yards and Uchenna Nwoha had nine tackles. As a team, Savannah State had 163 yards of offense. The Wildcats had 436 yards of offense and their defense sacked the SSU quarterbacks eight times.

SAVANNAH STATE/FORT VALLEY STATE CONNECTION
Fort Valley State defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach Corey Barlow coached at Savannah State for three seasons. During the 2012-13 season, he served as cornerbacks coach and was named SSU's interim head coach from May to June and the following two seasons he was the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach.

RECORD BREAKER
Tiger linebacker Darrian Bell set a new single game record in SSU's win over Allen with 23 tackles (19 solo) which broke the record of 19 which was set in 2000 by Zake Richardson against Tuskegee and matched in 2006 by Trent Newton against Charleston Southern. For his efforts, Bell was named the HBCU National Player of the Week and the SIAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week.

COMMON OPPONENTS
Savannah State and Fort Valley State have three common opponents: Benedict, Albany State and Miles

POLL WATCHING
Savannah State is ranked #9 in the HBCU Premier Sports and More D2/NAIA Football Top Ten Poll and #10 in the BOXTOROW HBCU D2 Football Coaches Poll

A FALLEN TIGER
Eric Jackson, who played football at Savannah State from 1996-99, died on September 30, 2025. Jackson was a Atlanta native and played on the defensive line for the Tigers

SAVANNAH STATE/AUGUSTA CONNECTIONS
Richmond County Sheriff Eugene Brantley was a All-SIAC linebacker at Savannah State during the 1990 season and led the team with 118 tackles. David Moton, who serves as the president of the Augusta Chapter of the Savannah State University National Alumni Association, played on the Tigers offensive line in the early 1980s.

BACK IN THE CSRA
Savannah State has five players from the Augusta area. Running back Joseph Hampton, defensive lineman Tony Rountree Jr. and defensive backs Kirk Smith and Christopher Murray are all from Augusta and defensive back Zavion Leggett is from Grovetown.

GETTING PICKED OFF
Savannah State entered their game against Allen with no defensive interceptions but during the contest Desmond Callier, Ahlik Booker and James Shellman, IV all had one interception apiece.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
In the latest, NCAA Division II statistics, Savannah State is ranked #3 in fumble recoveries (11), #6 in time of possession (34:01), #14 in blocked punts (2), #15 in rush defense (90.3), #19 in turnovers gained (14), #21 in total defense (294.8) and #29 in first down defense (102). Individually, Jimmy Tran is #1 in field goals per game (1.67) and #27 in field goal percentage (.769), Darrian Bell is #3 in solo tackles (6.50) and along with John "Wesley" Bentley are #6 in fumble recoveries (2) and #26 in forced fumbles (.33), Kevin Stokes, Jr. is #3 in punt return for touchdown (1), Joseph Hampton is #8 in combined kick return yards (435) and #11 in all-purpose yards (142.67) and Xavier Esquillen is #25 in sacks (0.83).

TIGER LEADERS
Darrian Bell anchors the SSU defense with 55 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 sack. Xavier Esquillen has 18 tackles, 6 tackles for loss and 5 sacks while Desmond Callier, Ahlik Booker and James Shellman, IV all have one interception apiece. Joseph Hampton is the team's leading rusher with 304 yards and 4 touchdowns. Cinsere Clark has 28 receptions for 399 yards and 4 touchdowns while Christian Burks has thrown for 616 yards, 2 touchdowns and 4 interceptions and Fabian Walker has thrown for 514 yards, 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Lucas Edenfield averages 38.6 yards per punt and Jimmy Tran has made 10 of 13 field  goal attempts and 11 of 11 extra point kicks.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Fort Valley State is struggling with a 1-5 overall record. The Wildcat offense averages just 17 points a night and is led by quarterback Don Hudson who is a threat to run or pass the ball. The freshman has ran for 200 yards and has thrown for 388 and 4 touchdowns. JaiQue Hart has passed for 529 yards, 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions while Alexander Wilson has 184 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. Michael Cabellero, a Savannah native, has added 137 yards and a touchdown from his running back position. JT Pendleton has caught 26 passes for 416 yards and 5 touchdowns. The famed Blue Death Defense gives up 21 points a game and is led by linebacker Jadyn Walker (46 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and 1 interception), corner back Darnell Stephens (27 tackles and 13 pass breakups) and defensive end Omarion LaRoach (20 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks).

Stay Connected
For complete coverage of Savannah State University Athletics, follow the Tigers on social media @SavStateTigers on Facebook, Instagram, and X (Formerly Known As Twitter), or visit the official online home of SSU Athletics at http://ssuathletics.com.