THE GAME:
Savannah State begins a tough two-game road swing with a trip to Frankfort, Kentucky to face Kentucky State as they attempt to snap a two-game losing skid.

With records of 1-6 overall and 1-5 in the SIAC, Savannah State can play spoiler for the remainder of their conference schedule. Closing the season with victories will help the momentum going into the off-season.

In KSU, the Tigers face a team that is ranked No. 2 in the NCAA Division II Super Region2 rankings and No. 6 in the Black College Football D2 poll.

The Thorobreds have won their past two games and 5 of their last 6. In addition they are 3-0 at home this season. and have defeated Savannah State the past two meetings.

GAME INFORMATION:
Savannah State (1-6, 1-5 SIAC) at Kentucky State (6-2, 5-1 SIAC)
Date: Saturday, October 24th
Time: 1:00pm
Location: Alumni Stadium | Frankfort, Kentucky
Game Notes: https://ssuathletics.com/documents/2026/10/19/2026_SSU_Football_Game_Notes_vs._KYSU.pdf

HEAD COACHES:
Savannah State: Thomas Howard: 1-6 (1st Season)
Kentucky State: Felton Huggins 23-18 (4th Season)

WEATHER INFORMATION:
Saturday's weather forecast in the capital city of the Commonwealth of Kentucky shows sunny skies with it being 68° at kickoff. Winds will be blowing East at 4 miles per hour.

BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Live Stream: Kentucky State SIAC Network Channel
Live Stats: https://ksuthorobreds.com/sidearmstats/football/summary

THOMAS HOWARD SHOW:
Catch the "Thomas Howard Show" each Wednesday during the football season on YouTube. Hear directly from the Head Tiger as he breaks down the latest Tiger football action, previews the upcoming matchup, and takes you inside the program. Catch the latest episode HERE.

SERIES HISTORY:
Savannah State and Kentucky State have been playing each other since 1949. Saturday will be the 14th meeting of the programs. The Thorbreds have a slight lead in the overall series at 7-6 but Savannah State hopes to leave the contest with the series knotted at seven win apiece.

COACH HOWARD ON KENTUCKY STATE:
"We are really going to have to be prepared. It is some things up there that they are doing quietly that they definitely changed what people think about Kentucky State football. We are going to have to come ready to play. They've played some of the tough opponents that we've played. We have got to be ready to play and get out our guys comfortable and understanding what they are doing because (Kentucky State Head) Coach (Felton) Huggins has got those guys playing at a high level. We have to match their intensity."

LAST WEEK AGAINST FORT VALLEY STATE:
Savannah State University held a one-point lead entering the fourth quarter, but Fort Valley State University scored 14 unanswered points in the final period to defeat the Tigers, 22-9, in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) football action Saturday afternoon at Theodore A. "Ted" Wright Stadium.

Playing in front of a Homecoming crowd of 10,330, Savannah State controlled the time of possession and established its running game but struggled to turn scoring opportunities into touchdowns.

The Tigers finished with 224 yards of total offense, including 162 yards rushing, while holding the Wildcats to 291 total yards.

Savannah State's defense recorded seven tackles for loss, one sack and an interception

While SSU was unable to find the end zone, the Tigers used the leg of Joshua Woodley to put points on the board. The freshman kicker booted field goals of 20, 26 and 23 yards to keep Savannah State in the game.

Rodney Hill returned to the lineup after missing three games to produce a season-high 78 yards on the ground while KJ Debruce added 60 rushing yards. RaShawn Truell completed 10 of 17 passes for 62 yards and Tristian Sizemore caught five passes for 45 yards. Zamarian Williams led the defense with ten tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Adonis Brazil added two tackles for loss and a sack to go with his four tackles and Aamari Smith had the only interception of the game.

LAST YEAR AGAINST KENTUCKY STATE:
Savannah State's offense produced a season-high 344 yards but it was not enough in a 37-20 loss to Kentucky State at TA Wright Stadium on September 27, 2025. Christian Burks came off the bench to throw for 165 yards and threw a touchdown to Cinsere Clark while Joseph Hampton ran for a touchdown and Jimmy Tran kicked a pair of field goals. Darrian Bell anchored the defensive effort with ten tackles. KSU led 6-0 but Tran hit field goals of 42 and 38 yards to tie the game early in the second quarter. The Thorobreds scored 17 unanswered points to go into intermission with a 23-6 lead and added another touchdown early in the third quarter for a 30-6 cushion. A two-yard touchdown run by Hampton got the Tigers within 30-14 before KSU answered with another score. The final touchdown of the game came with just under eight minutes left when Clark caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Burks.

SAVANNAH STATE/KENTUCKY STATE CONNECTIONS:
Dr. John Wolfe served as president at Kentucky State (1990-91) and Savannah State (1993-97); Dr. George W. Reid served as vice president of academic affairs at Savannah State and was the president of Kentucky State from 1998-2002; George Small was the Savannah State defensive coordinator from 1990-91 and was the Kentucky State head coach from 1995-2000, George James was the Kentucky State head coach from 1990-91 and was the Savannah State defensive coordinator on the Tigers 1992 team that made the Division II playoffs; Theo Lemon was the Savannah State head coach (2006-07) and was the Thorobreds defensive coordinator/interim head coach (1984).

COMMON OPPONENTS:
Savannah State and Kentucky State have four common opponents: Albany State, Edward Waters, Miles and Morehouse.

SSU has lost to Albany State (49-17), Edward Waters (55-30), Miles (25-17) and Morehouse (34-23).

Kentucky has beaten Albany State (24-16) and Miles (46-0) and lost to Edward Waters (61-42). The Thorobreds will play Morehouse on November 7.

YOU CAN GET ANYWHERE FROM HERE:
Former Savannah State University quarterback Robert Kenner, Jr. operates the Law Offices of Robert Kenner, Jr. which is located in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Kenner has been practicing law for over 20 years. He is a highly experienced criminal defense and personal injury attorney.  Robert received his undergraduate degree in criminal justice from Savannah State College; a Master's Degree in Administration of Justice from Penn State University, and received his law degree from John Marshall Law School in Atlanta, Georgia.  

Kenner has handled several high-profile criminal cases wherein his clients have been found not guilty of murder, felony murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and D.U.I. Robert has argued before the Georgia Supreme Court and the Georgia Court of Appeals where he has gotten several of his clients' convictions overturned and/or evidence ruled inadmissible at trial. Robert has represented clients throughout Georgia, and in several other states.
As a personal injury lawyer, Robert has gotten large settlements and verdicts for clients in civil cases involving wrongful deaths, nursing home abuse, slip and fall, false arrest, malicious prosecution, tractor trailer accidents, auto accidents, premises liability, and contract disputes.  Robert also represents clients in real estate closings and transaction, contract disputes, and entertainment law.

During the 1986 season, Kenner was the starting quarterback, leading the team to a 6-4 record which was the first winning season for the program since 1979. Kenner finished the year completing 49 of 93 passes for 741 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions.

Robert is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (GACDL), and the Dekalb County Lawyers Association.

RETURN TO THE MIDWEST:
The trip to Kentucky State will be a homecoming of sorts for Savannah State Co-Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Backs Coach Clyde Grady.

Prior to joining Savannah State, Grady spent four seasons at Georgetown College as the Defensive Backs Coach and Defensive Pass Game Coordinator from 2022–2025.

Georgetown, Kentucky is located 18.2 miles from Frankfort, Kentucky.

Head coach Thomas Howard was an assistant at Findlay University in Ohio from 2011-14 and at Lincoln-Missouri from 2009-10.

Offensive line coach Jessie Dove was an assistant at Lincoln -Missouri from 2024-25.

LONG RIDE:
The Tigers take their longest road trip of the season when they visit Kentucky State. The tip to the mid-west covers a little over 600 miles and will take nearly ten hours by vehicle.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING:
Savannah State is ranked in the top 50 in several categories in the latest Division II statistics rankings. 

The Tigers are ranked #16 in team tackles for loss (7.4), #20 in red zone offense (0.905), #25 in blocked punts (1), #42 in defensive touchdowns (1) and #43 in blocked kicks (2).

Individually, Joshua Woodley is ranked #1 in field goal percentage (1.000), Kenny Gladden is #3 in kickoff return for a touchdown (1), Adonis Brazil is #9 in sacks (0.86) and #14 in tackles for loss (1.43), Joshua Wodley is #20 in field goals per game (1.14) and Zamarian Williams is #29 in solo tackles (5.00).
 
TIGER LEADERS:
With Savannah State in the home stretch of the schedule, the Tigers continue to make a push to improve each outing. Injuries to some veteran players have given several freshmen and newcomers a chance to get more playing time.
 
Zamarian Williams and  Kaiden Stanciel have formed a dynamic duo in the SSU defense. Williams leads the pack with 46 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 1 sack while Stanciel has 36 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. On the defensive front, Adonis Brazil has 25 stops, 10 tackles for loss and 6 sacks while Jamari Hinton has chipped in 20 tackles and 2 tackles for loss. The secondary features Reggie Troutman (33 tackles and 2 tackles for loss), Kevin Stokes, Jr. (26 tackles and 1 tackle for loss) and Terrell Gordon, Jr. (25 tackles and 1 interception). Trevor Strowbridge has 22 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 3 breakups and 1 interception.
 
Quarterback RaShawn Truell needs 31 yards to reach 1,000 passing yards for the season. The sophomore signal caller has thrown 9 touchdowns with 4 interceptions. Christian Burks and Fabian Walker are capable backups with Burks completing 45% of his passes and Walker with a 55.6 % completion rate. Tristan Sizemore entered fall camp as a unknown but has moved up the depth chart with 24 catches for 374 yards and 3 touchdowns while Jahziah Avilez has 15 catches for 159 yards, Carter Payne has 5 catches for 80 yards and 2 touchdowns and Treston Rhodes has 3 receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown. The Tigers' running game has seen KJ Debruce improve each week and he leads the team in rushing with 218 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Kendarius Brown  has 174 rushing yards. Elijah Stephens and Rodney Hill are threats to run and catch the ball out of the backfield while Caleb Barbas has made opponents take notice when he carries the pigskin.
 
Chase Butler averages 37.61 yards per punt and has a long of 60 yards. Three of his punts have landed inside the 20. Joshua Woodley has made all eight of his field goal attempts and 14 of 15 extra point attempts.

On punt returns, Jeffrey Jefferson Jr. averages 27 yards followed by Kenny Gladden (18) while on kick returns, Trenton Rhodes averages 17.57 followed by Kenny Gladden (27.40, 1 touchdown) and Jahziah Avilez (15.33).

SCOUTING THE THOROBREDS:
Kentucky State entered the season coming off a 2025 campaign where they went 9-3 overall and 7-1 in conference play. Picked to finish fifth in the SIAC in 2026, the Thorobreds landed seven players on the preseason All-SIAC list including wide receiver Darius Cyprian who earned other preseason recognition such as Deacon Jones Player of the Year Watch List, D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List and BOXTOROW HBCU Preseason All-American.

One of the top teams in the league, the Thorobreds average 34.25 points and 419 yards per game while they surrender 20.88 points and 333.6 yards per night.

KSU has the No. 2 scoring offense and No.3 scoring defense in the SIAC, the No. 3 total offense and total defense in the conference. They have the No. 2 defense against the run and No. 3 passing offense and their defense leads the SIAC in sacks (25) and forced fumbles (10).

Tristan Thomas leads the ground game with 282 yards and 5 touchdowns. Juan Gainous has thrown for 1,526 yards with 12 touchdowns and 1 interception. His top targets are Darius Cyprian who has 51 receptions for 766 yards and 7 touchdowns and Jaden Hale who has caught 31 passes for 516 yards and 6 touchdowns.

In the defensive trenches you will find Carlos Bazert (25 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 6 sacks), Michael Daniels (18 tackles,5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks) and Jordan Diggins (17 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack). The Thorobreds have a strong linebacker unit with Kendrick Curry (48 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks) and Elijah Henderson (37 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks) while the secondary features Roman Hernandez (41 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions) and Lawrence McConnell (33 tackles, 2 tackles for loss).

Leland Gantz handles the kicking duties, averaging 46 yards per punt, with a long of 72 yards. He has made 31 of 32 extra point attempts and has made 7 of 13 field goal attempts with a long of 36 yards. Marcus Floyd averages 16.33 yards on punt returns and 14.57 yards on kick returns.

The Thorobreds have 14 players on their roster that call Georgia home.

Stay Connected
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