THE GAME
Savannah State University will start the second half of their season with a trip to Atlanta, Georgia to face Morehouse College.

Last season, SSU hosted the Morehouse for their Homecoming and this year the Maroon Tigers have returned the favor as they host Savannah State for its Homecoming.

Both teams enter the game with some momentum, having won their last game with Savannah State beating Allen 38-36 and Morehouse edging Tuskegee 30-28.

The Tigers have been improving as the season has moved from August to October.

After not getting a interception in the first two games, the SSU defense has picked off at least one interception in the past three contests. 

The special teams unit has blocked a kick in the past two games and Joshua Woodley has made at least one field goal in the past four games.

After a rough start, Savannah State has the chance to finish the season strong, starting with a win over Morehouse, to spoil their Homecoming.

GAME INFORMATION:
Savannah State (1-4, 1-3 SIAC) at Morehouse (2-4, 2-3 SIAC)
Date: Saturday, October 10th
Time: 1:00pm
Location: B. T. Harvey Stadium | Atlanta, Georgia
Game Notes: https://ssuathletics.com/documents/2026/10/6/SSU_Football_Game_Notes_vs._Morehouse.pdf

WEATHER INFORMATION:
The effects Tropical Storm Isaias will be felt in the Atlanta area, as there is an 87% chance of rain on Saturday. Temperatures are expected to have a high of 68° and a low of 63°, with winds blowing East at 18mph.

BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Live Stream: SIAC Network/Maroon Tiger Sports Network

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
In a series that began in 1927, this will be the 31st meeting between Savannah State and Morehouse. 

Savannah State has won the last 8 of  the last 9 meetings and leads the overall series 17-13. The last time SSU lost to Morehouse was 2007.

COACH HOWARD ON MOREHOUSE
We are going down there to win a football game and the fact that it happens to be homecoming, that's on them.

Coach (Brad) Sherrod has a good football team. They picked up a big win this weekend as well so I know they will be coming in riding high.

Miles Scott is comfortable with what they are doing offensively. He has some veterans with skill players and the two running backs he has and the receiving corp. We will have to mix it up because he is a smart quarterback.

Our alumni supporters will be in the building so it'll be more like a homecoming for us. Our Atlanta alumni chapters along with others will be there to support us.

LAST WEEK
Savannah State used touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams to earn its first victory of the season, holding off Allen, 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.

SSU fell behind 6-0 early in the first quarter but responded with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Kenny Gladden and a 16-yard touchdown pass from RaShawn Truell to Carter Payne to take a 14-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Tigers were out-scored 15-3 in the second quarter, getting their only points off a 40-yard field goal by Joshua Woodley as time expired in the first half to send Savannah State into intermission down 21-17.

The only score of the third quarter came with 1:59 on the clock as Caleb Barbas capped a 14-play, 85-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run to put Savannah State ahead 24-21. The scoring drive was set up when Clint Davis III blocked a field goal attempt by Allen.

A touchdown by the Yellow Jackets with just under 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter gave the visitors from Columbia, South Carolina a 28-24 advantage but that didn't last long with Savannah State answering with a nine-yard touchdown run by Barbas with 6:16 remaining which was followed by a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown by Trevor Strowbridge with 6:05 showing on the clock for a 38-28 lead. Allen scored a touchdown with 1:28 remaining and made the two-point conversion to make the game close.

Savannah State ended the game with season-highs in points (38) and rushing yards (184).

Kendarius Brown led the rushing attack with 70 yards while Caleb Barbas added 43 yards and a pair of touchdowns. 

RaShawn Truell threw for 101 yards and a touchdown, while Christian Burks completed 2-of-3 passes for 36 yards. Tristan Sizemore led Savannah State's receivers with five catches for 89 yards and Carter Payne added a 16-yard touchdown reception.

RaShawn 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.

Zamarian Williams led Savannah State with 10 tackles and Trevor Strowbridge finished with eight tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass breakup and the 43-yard interception return for a touchdown. Kevin Stokes, Jr. recorded seven tackles and Kaiden Stanciel added five tackles and two tackles for loss.

Special teams also played a major role in the victory. In addition to Kenny Gladden's 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, Joshua 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.

LAST YEAR AGAINST MOREHOUSE
Savannah State's defense dominated in the Tigers 24-16 Homecoming win over Morehouse on October 25, 2025 at Theodore A. Wright Stadium. SSU held the Maroon Tigers to -20 rushing yards, had ten sacks and intercepted four passes. Morehouse led 6-3 at the half but Savannah State went ahead in the third quarter with David Gardner, Jr. running for a touchdown and Jadon Adams throwing a touchdown to Josiah Benson for a 17-6 advantage. A RaShawn Truell to Braylon Fowler touchdown play put the Tigers ahead 24-6 before Morehouse attempted a late comeback. Truell passed for 129 yards and a touchdown, Gardner ran for 49 yards and a touchdown, Fowler caught four passes for 51 yards and a score while Darrian Bell led the defense with nine tackles.

SAVANNAH STATE/MOREHOUSE CONNECTION
Savannah State head coach Thomas Howard played defensive back for Morehouse (1999-2002) and SSU running back coach Russell Ellington III played linebacker for the Maroon Tigers (2012); Thomas Howard and Morehouse defensive coordinator Terry Lantz were on the defensive staff at North Carolina A&T from 2017-22; current Savannah State women's basketball coach Phillip Wallace, Jr. was the Associate Athletics Director of Operations at Morehouse (2022-24); Morehouse linebacker David Omene played at Savannah State (2024-25).

COMMON OPPONENTS
Savannah State and Morehouse have three common opponents: Edward Waters, Allen and Kentucky State.

Both teams have already lost to Edward Waters. EWU beat Savannah State 55-30 on September 19 and took care of Morehouse 46-38 on Sept. 26.

Savannah State defeated Allen 36-36 on October 3 and will face Kentucky State on Oct. 24. Morehouse will play Allen on Oct. 31 and Kentucky State on November 7.

YOU CAN GET ANYWHERE FROM HERE
Former Savannah State linebacker Ernest Miller is a actor, martial artist and a former professional wrestler. He is known by his SSU family as "Dirty Red" while wrestling and movie fans known him as "The Cat".

After graduating from, Miller attended Savannah State where he majored in electrical engineering and was a member of the Tigers football team. He led the team in tackles in 1981 (72) and 1982 (76). Following his time at SSU, Miller attended training camps for the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots.

A three-time world karate champion and ISKA kickboxing competitor, Miller began his professional wrestling career in 1997. 

From 1997-1999, he was a part of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as a wrestler before switching to become the WCW Commissioner (2001-02). In 2002 he transitioned to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) which lasted until 2004.

On the big screen, Miller played the role of The Ayatollah in the 2008 movie The Wrestler. He appeared as Earnie Shavers in The Legend of Bruce Lee  in 2008 and was featured in Blood and Bone in 2009.

WEEKLY HONORS
Savannah State defensive back Trevor Strowbridge and wide receiver/kick returner Kenny Gladden were recognized by the SIAC for their performances last week against Allen. 

Strowbridge was named the SIAC Defensive Player of the Week. He finished with eight total tackles, including five solo stops, one tackle for a loss of six yards and one pass breakup. Strowbridge delivered the biggest defensive play of the night when he intercepted an Allen pass and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown with 6:05 remaining in the fourth quarter. The pick-six gave Savannah State a 38-28 advantage and ultimately provided the decisive points in the Tigers' two-point victory.

Gladden was named the Special Teams Player of the Week.  He returned three kickoffs for 121 yards, highlighted by a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the first quarter. Gladden touchdown came just 14 seconds after Allen opened the scoring with a punt-return touchdown, immediately answering for the Tigers and giving Savannah State a 7-6 lead. He also returned one punt for 18 yards, finishing the contest with 139 total return yards.

TIGERS FROM THE ATL
The game will be a homecoming for 31 Savannah State players who hail from the Atlanta metro area, representing the 404, 770 and 678.

Savannah State has three players on the roster from Atlanta: Christian Burks, Anthony Hill and Triatan Sizemore.

The Tigers have 28 players from the Atlanta metro area: Fabian Walker (Decatur), Robert Lockhart (Fairburn), Camron Jones (Dallas), Cayden Benson (Union City), Prince Brown (College Park), Albert Gooding (Lithonia), Kendarius Brown (Hiram), Cameron Leonard (Jonesboro), Caleb Barbas (Roswell), Clint Davis III (Jackson), Christian Bailey (Covington), Ryan Henson (Hampton), Zachary Coleman (Conyers), Bryce Thomas (Covington), Chase Butler (Conyers), Cayden Burnett (Jonesboro), Jamari Hinton (Jonesboro), Kaiden Stanciel (Stockbridge), Dillon Lattimore (Conyers), Giovanni Wilson (Covington), Bryce Favors (Stone Mountain), Joshua Hadnot (Hampton), Darrian Parks (Newnan), Kenny Gladden (Lithonia), Joshua Okeleye (Norcross), Ivan Kynes (Smyrna), Cameron Brown (Powder Springs) and Emmanuel Talabi (Alpharetta).

In addition, head coach Thomas Howard grew up in Riverdale and assistant head coach, offensive coordinator & quarterback coach Quentin Burrell hails from Decatur.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Savannah State is ranked in the top 50 in several categories in the latest Division II statistics rankings. 
The Tigers are ranked #14 in blocked punts (1), #22 in defensive touchdowns (1), #25 in blocked kicks (2), #29 in fewest penalty yards (255), #31 in punt returns (11.75), #36 in team tackles for loss (6.6), #38 in fewest penalty yards per game (51), #43 in kick return defense (17.43) and #46 in red zone offense (0.867).

Individually, Kenny Gladden is ranked #2 in kickoff returns for a touchdown (1), Trenton Rhodes is #12 in combined kick returns (371), Zamarian Williams is #37 in solo tackles (5.00), 
Lonnell McCall II and Jadahrien Stokes are #38 in fumble recoveries (1), Trenton Rhodes is #48 in all purpose yards (113.50) and Joshua Woodley is #49 in field goals per game (0.80).

TIGER LEADERS
The Savannah State defense is being led by freshmen Kaiden Stanciel and Zamarian Williams. Stanciel,a linebacker, has 30 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss while Williams, a defensive back, is on his heels with 29 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss.

Defensive backs Kevin Stokes, Jr. (22 tackles), Reggie Troutman (22 tackles, 2 tackles for loss), Terrell Gordon, Jr. (16 tackles, 1 interception) and Trevor Strowbridge (16 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1interception) lead the secondary. Adonis Brazil has made his presence felt on the defensive line with 14 stops, 3 tackles for loss and 2 sacks.

The Tigers have used a running back by committee approach and all are beginning to produce when their number is called.

Kendarius Brown is the leading rusher with 156 yards followed by KJ Debruce (101), Elijah Stephens (89 and 1 touchdown) and Rodney Hill (81 and 1 touchdown). Caleb Barbas earned some carries last week and responded with 43 yards and 2 touchdowns on 10 touches.

When SSU puts the ball in the air, they will use the arm of RaShawn Truell who has completed 53 of 104 passes for 675 yards, 7 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Top targets include Tristan Sizemore (13/183 yards and 1 touchdown), Jahziah Avilez (9/100), Trenton Rhodes (3/83, 1 touchdown), Carter Payne (5/80, 2 touchdowns), Elijah Stephens (6/75) and Rodney Hill (6/66).

Chase Butler averages 37.64 yards per punt and has a long of 60 yards while Joshua Woodley has made all 4 of his field goal attempts and 11 of 12 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 (30.75, 1 touchdown) and Jahziah Avilez (15.33).

SCOUTING MOREHOUSE
Morehouse has won two of their last three games and will be fired up to in their Homecoming catfight with Savannah State. The Maroon Tiger offense averages 28.17 points and 373.3 yards a game while their defense yields 31.50 points and 386.7 yards a game.

MC entered the season predicted to finish 12th among the 13 teams in the conference, after finishing 3-7 a year ago. Despite their previous record, there is some talent on the team with ten players being named to the preseason all conference team.

Miles Scott has passed for 1,245 yards with 4 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Jeremiah Gibson has caught 24 passes for 379 yards. Noah Rhodes has 16 receptions for 276 yards an a touchdown and Savion Red has 8 catches for 106 yards and a score. Red is also a threat to run the ball with 247 yards and 8 touchdowns although Chase DeVaughn is the leading rusher with 414 yards and 3 touchdowns. Up front, making the blocks are Chris Allen and Theodis Collins. DeVaughn is also a kick return specialist, averaging 25.71 yards a return with 1 touchdowns.

The defensive line is led by Jordan Williams, who has 23 tackles, 7 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, and Jashaud Johnson, who has been in on 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. Linebacker Sean Johnson leads all defenders with 47 tackles, 7 tackles for loss and 2 sacks while fellow linebacker Zach Underwood has 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. Roaming the defensive backfield will be safety Joshua Maye (22 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries) and cornerbacks Joshua Houston 920 tackles, 2 interceptions) and Joziah Campbell (11 tackles, 3 interceptions, 2 tackles for loss).

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.