THE GAME
Shorter will make the trip from Rome, Georgia to Savannah to play the Savannah State Tigers. It will be the first ever match-up between the Tigers and Hawks. Both teams will be coming off of opening season losses and looking for their first win of the season. SSU and Shorter are both looking to make a statement and turn their programs around. The Tigers are trying to improve on last season's .500 mark while the Hawks are looking to post their first winning season in 2012. Although Rome is a five-hour drive from Savannah, expect the Hawks to have a good bit of fans in the stands. Eleven players on the Shorter roster hail from the Coastal Empire, including one who is from Savannah.

STADIUM INFORMATION:
Theodore A. "Ted" Wright Stadium is a smoke-free facility. Additionally, Umbrellas are not permitted inside of the stadium. 

CLEAR BAG POLICY:
In An Effort To Create And Maintain A Safe And Enjoyable Gameday Environment, Savannah State University Athletics Is Adhering To A Clear Bag Policy.

TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets Must Be Purchased Online At http://SSUAthletics.com/Tickets

WEATHER REPORT:
Saturday's forecast in Savannah shows it to be sunny with a high of 90° and a low of 70°. Winds are expected to blow East Northeast at 5-10 mph with a 9% chance of rain.

KELTON'S QUOTE
"We need to get on track and protect the football. Last week was a huge disappointment for the entire program but this week we will try and play a cleaner game and bounce back. My words to the guys was the season is not one game so dial in and focus on the task ahead."

GAME CAPTAINS
Game captains for this week will be linebacker Darrian Bell, offensive lineman Kalifa Sene and running back Zyaire Williams 

LAST WEEK
Savannah State opened their 2025 season with a 41-14 loss to Edward Waters on August 30 at Theodore A. Wright Stadium. Fumble recoveries by John "Wesley" Bentley and Uchenna Nwoha led to a 30-yard touchdown run by Joseph Hampton and a 12-yard touchdown run by David Gardner, Jr. to give SSU a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. The Tigers did not score again as Edward Waters reeled off 41 unanswered points to win the game. SSU did not do themselves any favors by getting 13 penalties for 127 yards. Christian Burks threw for 132 yards for SSU while linebacker Darrian Bell had a game-high 11 tackles for the defense.

FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE:
Savannah State will be featured five times on ESPN Platforms.
SSU's season opener against rival Edward Waters opened conference's broadcast slate on August 30th, followed by the Tigers' first road contest of the season at defending SIAC Champion, Miles on September 20th, The Tigers' next ESPN+ broadcast will be on Saturday, September 27th in a home match-up against Kentucky State, then the inaugural Good Trouble Heritage Classic vs. Fort Valley State on October 18th in Augusta, Ga. Savannah State's final regular season ESPN+ broadcast will be on November 1st as the Tigers will travel to face Albany State.

SAVANNAH STATE SPORTS NETWORK
Savannah State will have three of their home games live-streamed on the Savannah State Sports Network with veteran broadcasters Curtis Foster and Terry Hines. Hines will be doing doing play-by-play and Foster will provide color analysis of the action. The three dates that will be live-streamed are September 6 (vs. Shorter), October 25 (vs. Morehouse) and November 8 (vs. Benedict).
Live Stream: https://siacnetwork.tv/ssutigers/
Live Stats: https://ssuathletics.com/sidearmstats/football/summary

PRESEASON HONORS:
Four Tigers were selected to the preseason All-SIAC team.
Defensive lineman Xavier Esquillen and linebacker Gary Davis, Jr. were both named to the First Team Defense while offensive linemen Keshawn Palmore and Khalifa Sene were both named to the Second Team Offense. Esquillen and Davis were also named to the HBCU Sports Division II Football Preseason All-American Team and Esquillen was named as an Honorable Mention HBCU College Football Preseason All-American from BOXTOROW.

HOME GROWN TALENT:
SSU has 12 players in its roster from eight different of the local high schools (Islands, Beach, New Hampstead, Calvary Day, Johnson, Life of Christ Academy, St. Andrews and Jenkins

TRANSFER U
Savannah State has a roster that has players that have transferred into the program from the FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III, NAIA and the junior college level.  Ten come from the FBS/FCS level (South Carolina State, Bethune Cookman, Yale, Middle Tennessee, St. Francis (Pa), East Tennessee State, Tennessee Chattanooga, Nebraska, Georgia Southern, Louisville and Valparaiso).

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON:
Sophomore defensive back Eszaunie Earls is a Tiger legacy. His father, Eugene Earls, played free safety for the Tigers from 1984-87.

SAVANNAH STATE/SHORTER CONNECTIONS
Savannah State head coach Aaron Kelton was head coach of the Shorter Hawks in 2016 and 2017. He also served as Shorter's interim athletic director during 2017.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
According to the latest NCAA statistics, Joseph Hampton is ranked #1 in kick returns (230 yards), #2 in all purpose yards (295) and #12 in kickoff return average (28.8). Darrian Bell is ranked #11 in solo tackles (11) and #19 in total tackles (11). As a team, SSU is ranked #3 in fumble recovery (3) and #12 in kick return average (28.75) and turnovers gained (3).

TIGER LEADERS
Christian Burks has 132 passing yards, Joseph Hampton has 56 rushing yards and Jadon Adams had 44 receiving yards. Darrian Bell has 11 tackles, Jimmy Tran is two for two on extra point attempts and Lucas Edenfield is averaging 34.4 yards per punt.

SCOUTING SHORTER
Shorter is under the direction of Zach Morrison who is in his eight season as the Hawks head coach. Shorter, who competes in Conference Carolinas, fell to Anderson in their season opener 34-7 last Saturday. The game was tied at 7-7 at the half and Anderson put the game away with a 27-0 run in the second half. As a team, Shorter was held to 59 yards on the ground and their offense line gave up seven sacks. Michael Rich threw for 115 yards with one touchdown and one interception while Alex Garnett caught five passes for 52 yards. Charles Alia ran the ball 11 times for 37 yards. Defensive back Brian Gilmore had a game-high ten tackles for the defense while defensive end Mikey Matos recorded four tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. 

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.