SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah State used touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams to earn its first victory of the season, holding off Allen University, 38-36, Saturday evening at Theodore A. "Ted" Wright Stadium.
The victory also marked a career milestone for Savannah State head coach
Thomas Howard, who earned his first career victory as a collegiate head coach.
The Tigers improved to 1-4 overall and 1-3 in SIAC play with the victory, while Allen fell to 2-3 overall and 1-2 in conference action. Savannah State finished with 321 yards of total offense, including 184 yards on the ground, and controlled the football for 34:38.
Savannah State overcame a seven-point halftime deficit and twice rallied from fourth-quarter deficits before
Trevor Strowbridge's 43-yard interception return for a touchdown gave the Tigers the cushion they needed.
Allen struck first when Nanders Lawrence returned a punt 57 yards for a touchdown with 12:31 remaining in the opening quarter.
Savannah State needed only 14 seconds to answer.
Freshman
Kenny Gladden fielded the ensuing kickoff and raced 98 yards for a touchdown, with
Joshua Woodley's extra point giving the Tigers a 7-6 advantage.
The Tigers extended the lead later in the quarter. Savannah State put together an 11-play, 80-yard drive that consumed nearly six minutes, capped by Rashawn Truell's 16-yard touchdown pass to freshman
Carter Payne.
Woodley's extra point pushed the lead to 14-6.
Allen responded with 15 unanswered points during the second quarter. Javis Floyd scored on a 12-yard run before Tyreshon Freeman returned a Savannah State fumble 46 yards for a touchdown, putting Allen ahead 21-14.
Savannah State cut into the deficit on the final play of the first half when Woodley connected on a 40-yard field goal, sending the Tigers into the locker room trailing 21-17.
The Tigers regained the momentum during the third quarter.
After the Savannah State defense turned away Allen on a blocked field-goal attempt, the Tigers marched 85 yards on 14 plays and took 7:33 off the clock.
Caleb Barbas finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown run, giving
Savannah State a 24-21 lead with 1:59 remaining in the third quarter.
Allen answered early in the fourth when Brent Upshaw Jr. connected with Caleb Alexander for a two-yard touchdown, putting the Yellow Jackets back in front, 28-24.
Savannah State responded again.
Taking over at the Allen 20-yard line, the Tigers needed just three plays to reclaim the lead. Barbas powered into the end zone from nine yards out for his second touchdown of the night, giving Savannah State a 31-28 advantage with 6:16 remaining.
Eleven seconds later, the Tigers struck again.
On Allen's first play following the kickoff, Strowbridge intercepted Upshaw and returned the ball 43 yards for a touchdown. Woodley's extra point stretched the Savannah State advantage to 38-28 with 6:05 remaining.
Allen refused to go quietly, putting together a 12-play, 66-yard drive that ended with Demetri Simmons scoring on an eight-yard run with 1:28 left. A successful two-point conversion trimmed Savannah State's lead to 38-36.
The Tigers secured the ensuing kickoff and ran out the remaining time to preserve the victory — the first of the
Thomas Howard era at Savannah State.
Savannah State's rushing attack produced 184 yards on 48 attempts. Barbas led the scoring effort with two rushing touchdowns while finishing with 43 yards on 10 carries.
Kendarius Brown led the Tigers with 70 rushing yards on 20 attempts, while
Elijah Stephens added 38 yards on seven carries.
Truell completed 10-of-13 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown, while
Christian Burks completed 2-of-3 passes for 36 yards. Freshman
Tristan Sizemore led Savannah State's receivers with five catches for 89 yards, including a game-long 35-yard reception. Payne added a 16-yard touchdown reception.
Strowbridge turned in one of the biggest defensive performances of the night, finishing with eight tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass breakup and the 43-yard interception return for a touchdown. Freshman
Zamarian Williams led
Savannah State with 10 tackles, while Kevin Stokes Jr. recorded seven.
Kaiden Stanciel added five tackles and two tackles for loss.
Special teams also played a major role in the victory. In addition to Gladden's 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, Woodley was perfect on the night, connecting on a 40-yard field goal and all five of his extra-point attempts.
Clint Davis III also recorded a blocked field goal for the Tigers.
Savannah State finished 7-of-14 on third down and converted both of its fourth-down attempts. The Tigers also scored on four of five trips into the red zone and generated 14 points off turnovers.
Savannah State returns to the road on Saturday, Oct. 10, traveling to Atlanta to face Morehouse College in another SIAC matchup. Kickoff is set for 1:00pm at B. T. Harvey Stadium.
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