THE GAME
Savannah State University will close out their 2026 season hosting Virginia University-Lynchburg.
 
It's been a tough season for the Tigers as they opened the season with South Carolina State (defending HBCU &MEAC champions) followed by Albany State (defending SIAC champions) and Edward Waters (predicted 2026 SIAC champions). And in the late stretch of the season, the Tigers faced two of the top three teams in the conference (Kentucky State and Benedict).
 
While SSU hasn't gotten the results they wanted, the squad has experienced growth and development and that can be used as building blocks for years to come.
 
Last week, SSU's defense held Benedict, a team who entered the game averaging 31.13 points and 397.4 yards per game, to just one offensive touchdown and 258 yards.
 
A win for the Tigers over VUL could halt a four-game slide and put a cap on the current season that would send the players, coach and fans home with hopes that the momentum continues into the next season.

GAME INFORMATION:
Virginia University of Lynchburg (1-9) vs. Savannah State (1-8, 1-5 SIAC)
Date: Saturday, November 7th
Time: 3:00pm
Location: Theodore A. "Ted" Wright Stadium | Savannah, Georgia
Game Notes: https://ssuathletics.com/documents/2026/11/2/2026_SSU_Football_Game_Notes_vs._VUL.pdf

HEAD COACHES:
Savannah State: Thomas Howard: 1-8 (1st Season)
Virginia-Lynchburg: Tim Newman

WEATHER INFORMATION:
Saturday's season finale will be played under partly cloudy skies with temperatures forcasted to be at 75° at kickoff with a 0% chance of rain. Winds will be blowing Northeast at 4mph

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Live Stream: Savannah State Sports Network/SIAC Network
Broadcaster: Terry Hines (Play-By-Play)/Curtis Foster (Color Commentary
Live Stats: https://ssuathletics.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
Today's contest will be the third overall meeting between Savannah State and Virginia-Lynchburg.
 
Savannah State has won both previous matches. 
 
The Tigers defeated VUL 60-21 in 2019 and 28-14 in 2022.
 
COACH HOWARD ON VIRGINIA-LYNCHBURG
"The one thing that I know about Virginia Lynchburg, they're always going to be loaded with skilled players."

"Coach Tim Newman does a great job of motivating those young guys saying, 'Hey man, it's another game we can go in and take from somebody. We can go steal this game.'"
 
"On defense they're very, very active. They do a lot of moving around. Your quarterback's got to play with great eyes to be able to see what's going on."

"They definitely will challenge you at the line of scrimmage with the defensive backs trying to press you, and they'll play off and mix it up. They're going to come after us."
 
"They actually play with about three quarterbacks  that can throw the football. They'll rotate them throughout the game."

"They have some receivers that really can go up and get the football. They got a bigger kid that looks on film like he's about 6'4" or 6'5" and about 220 pounds, and he can go get it."

"The running backs run the football really, really hard. They're always a team that is going to be loaded with athletes and if you're not doing what you're supposed to do, they can take advantage of you and run by you."
 
LAST WEEK AGAINST BENEDICT
In a game that the final score was not reflective of the end result, Benedict defeated Savannah State 23-0 at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium in Columbia.
 
In the first and second quarters, Benedict had to settle on field goals, after having the Savannah State defense stop them at the two-yard line.
 
Benedict drove inside the SSU red zone in the third quarter but the Tiger defense would only allow them to get another field goal as they extended their lead to 9-0.
 
The fourth quarter saw Benedict score a pair of touchdowns to get some separation. Benedict intercepted and returned a Rashawn Truell pass 17 yards for a touchdown with 8:46 remaining and finished the scoring with a touchdown pass with 1:09 left.
 
Savannah State had their chances to get on the scoreboard but came away empty.
 
In the first quarter, SSU put together a nine-play, 49-yard drive that reached the Benedict 23. However, a 40-yard field goal attempt was unsuccessful. The Tigers drove 50 yards in the fourth quarter before turning the ball over on downs at the Benedict 22.
 
Fabian Walker finished the game with 81 yards of offense, getting 47 on the ground, 18 receiving and 16 passing. Truell completed 5 of 8 passes for 36 yards, Kendarius Brown  ran for 59 yards, Elijah Stephens added 36 yards on the ground and Carter Payne caught two passes for 11 yards. Reggie Troutman had 10 tackles, Kaiden Stanciel had nine tackles , 2 tackles for loss and a sack, Trevor Strowbridge added six tackles, 2 tackles for loss and two sacks, Zamarian Williams was in on six tackles and two tackles for loss and Amaari Smith had a interception.
 
Chase Butler punted seven times and had a long of 48 yards and Kenny Gladden returned two kickoffs for 42 yards.
 
LAST TIMES AGAINST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY-LYNCHBURG
The last time Savannah played Virginia-Lynchburg was during the 2022 season. 
 
Jadon Adams threw for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead the Tigers to a 28-14 Homecoming win over Virginia-Lynchburg on October 8, 2026 in a game played at Theodore A. Wright Stadium.
 
SSU trailed 7-0 after one quarter of play but a 13-yard touchdown pass from Adams to Brent Carr with 1:04 remaining in the second quarter to send the teams tied at 7-7 at halftime.
 
The Tigers scored twice in the third quarter to take a 21-7 advantage. Adams scored on a one-yard run with 6:58 left in the quarter and then threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Da'Shun Mitchell with 1:16 showing on the clock.
 
JT Hartage scored on a 38-yard run early in the fourth quarter to give Savannah State a commanding 28-7 lead before the Dragons cut their lead in half with a touchdown with 1:10 remaining in the contest.
 
Adams ended the day with 114 yards passing and 50 yards on the ground while Demeke Colbert caught four passes for 79 yards. Tavare Brewton led the defense with five tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack.
 
The Dragons out-gained SSU 294 to 268
 
AVOIDING A SLOW START
The first half has not been kind to the Savannah State offense this season. The Tigers have been outscored 82-24 in the first quarter and 100-16 in the second quarter.
 
To avoid another slow start, SSU needs to dictate the tone by establishing a strong running game in the early possessions which will open up their receiving package.
 
Utilizing a heavy dose of Tiger running backs in the first two drives will take the air out of VUL's blitz packages. Forcing the Dragons to stack the box early will simplify the reading windows for SSU's quarterbacks, letting them play faster from the initial whistle.
 
VUL's defensive backs love to challenge receivers right at the line of scrimmage using tight press coverage. Instead of letting the offense get bogged down in slow-developing plays, Savannah State needs to test that press early. 
 
Calling quick-striking slant routes or taking a shot downfield to the wide receivers right out of the gate can burn VUL's aggressiveness. Splitting the defensive backfield early will force them out of press-man and create spacing for the ground game.
 
SAVANNAH STATE/VIRGINIA-LYNCHBURG CONNECTION
The last time Savannah State played Virginia-Lynchburg, wide receiver Cinsere Clark was on the other sideline. Clark played for the Dragons during the 2022 season before transferring to St. Francis and later to Savannah State.
 
Defensive back Emari Napper also transferred from VUL, before playing for the Tigers
 
YOU CAN GET ANYWHERE FROM HERE
Former Savannah State running back Jumaane H. Davis is the Chief Adult Probation Officer of the DeKalb County State Court Probation Department.
 
Chief Davis leads a dedicated team of 44 professionals, including 34 POST-certified sworn officers and 10 administrative personnel. Under his leadership, the Probation Department continues its mission of serving the State, Magistrate, and Superior Courts of DeKalb County by ensuring the successful fulfillment of all terms and conditions of probated sentences. Additionally, the department supports the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office by providing critical assistance in courthouse security during emergency situations.

Chief Davis began his law enforcement career in July 1999 with Professional Probation Services in Atlanta. He joined the DeKalb County State Court Probation Department in January 2001, where he has served for over 24 years. Throughout his tenure, he has held numerous key positions, including Training Officer, Senior Probation Officer, Principal Probation Officer, Probation Supervisor, and Assistant Chief. Notably, he was the first male officer to serve in the department's Domestic Violence Unit.

In addition to his probation work, Chief Davis also served as a criminal investigator with the DeKalb County Public Defender's Office from 2007 to 2012, where he focused on high and aggravated felony cases. His comprehensive experience, unwavering work ethic, and commitment to public service led to his appointment as Chief in 2024.
 
Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Decatur and Stone Mountain, Georgia from the age of six, Chief Davis is a proud product of the DeKalb County community. He is an alumnus of Redan Elementary, Miller Grove Middle, and Redan High School, graduating in 1994. He went on to attend Savannah State on a full football scholarship. While at Savannah State, he distinguished himself both academically and professionally, serving as a Resident Assistant and completing internships with the SSU Police Department, Chatham County Sheriff's Office, and the Georgia Lottery Corporation's Corporate Security Team. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice on May 9, 1999.
 
During the 1995 season, as a sophomore, Davis had 16 carries for 121 yards and two touchdowns and averaged 21.3 yards on kick returns. The following year he was second on the team in rushing with 293 yards and three touchdowns. In 1997, Davis averaged 13.1 yards on kick returns while rushing for 129 yards, averaging 5.6 yards per carry.
 
LAST GAME
Today's game will be the last game in a Savannah State uniform for 16 seniors. Getting a chance to finish their collegiate careers in front of the home crowd will be:
 
Rodney Hill, Elijah Stephens, Christian Burks, Emari Napper, Cinsere Clark, Curtis Spivey, Emmanuel White, Calvin Leonard, Jamari Hinton, Amaari Smith, Kevin Stokes, Jr., Zyaire Williams, Cayden Buchanan, Kason Hodges, Nicolas Garcia and Khalifa Sene
 
PICK POCKET
Amaari Smith has seen action in seven games this season. After not getting a interception in his first four games, the sophomore defensive back has picked off passes in the Tigers last three contests.
 
The transfer from UT-Chattanooga has had interceptions against Fort Valley State, Kentucky State and Benedict.
 
Smith's interceptions against Fort Valley State and Kentucky State led to SSU field goals while his interception against Benedict came at the end of the first half.
 
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Savannah State is ranked in the top 50 in several categories in the latest Division II statistics rankings. 

The Tigers are ranked #22 in team tackles for loss (7.2), #26 in red zone offense (0.880), #38 in blocked punts (1), #41 in rush defense (124.2) and #50 in team sacks (2.22).

Individually, Joshua Woodley is ranked #5 in field goal percentage (0.090), Adonis Brazil is #5 in sacks (0.89), Kenny Gladden is #7 in kick return for a touchdown (1),  Adonis Brazil is #20 in tackles for loss (1.33), Amaari Smith is #24 in interceptions per game (0.48), Tristan Sizemore is #28 in yards per reception (19.52),  Joshua Woodley is #31 in field goals per game (1.0), Kenny Gladden is #31 in kick returns (25.1) and Zamarian Williams is #32 in tackles for loss (1.19) and #41 in solo tackles (4.63).

TIGER LEADERS
As the Tigers wrap up the 2026 campaign, a mixture of young and seasoned players have led the way statistically. Veteran players were in the starting lineup at the start of the season but newcomers, who were thrown into the lineup to provide depth, saw themselves seeing more action once injuries started to mount.
 
SSU's offensive strength is its multi-faceted running attack. Coming off back-to-back road losses at Kentucky State and Benedict College, expect heavy workloads from running backs Kendarius Brown, KJ Debruce and Elijah Stephens.
 
Defensive lineman Adonis Brazil has been a disruptor all year. Supported by playmakers like defensive back Trevor Strowbridge and linebackers Zamarian Williams and Kaiden Stanciel, the Tiger defense will look to completely shut down a struggling VUL offense.
 
Leading the team from the quarterback position are RaShawn Truell, Fabian Walker and Christian Burks. Truell has thrown for 1,137 yards with 10 touchdowns and 7 interceptions while Walker has completed 60 percent of his passes for 168 yards and Burks has added 58 yards while connecting on 45 percent of his passes. Kendarius Brown has rushed for 289 yards while KJ Debruce has churned out 234 yards. Rodney Hill has gained 191 yards and a touchdown and Elijah Stephens has rushed for 161 yards and a score. Caleb Burbas has ran for three touchdowns. Tristan Sizemore is the top pass catcher with 27 receptions for 527 yards and 4 touchdowns. Jahziah Avilez has 13 receptions for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns and Carter Payne has 9 catches for 107 yards and 2 touchdowns.
 
Defensively, Zamarian Williams has 54 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 1 interception while fellow freshman Kaiden Stanciel has 52 stops, 7 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 1 interception. Veteran defensive backs Reggie Troutman (44 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 4 pass breakups), Trevor Strowbridge (34 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 interception), Kevin Stokes, Jr. (30 tackles, 1 interception), Terrell Gordon, Jr. (25 tackles, 1 interception) and Amaari Smith (17 tackles, 3 interceptions) make for a strong secondary. The defensive line is anchored by Adonis Brazil who has 28 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 8 sacks. Jamari Hinton (24 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack), Akeem white 918 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks) and Cayden Buchanan (15 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack) make for a solid defensive front.
 
Chase Butler has punter 49 times and average 37.90 yards kick. He has a long of 60 yards. Joshua Woodley has made 9 of 10 field goal attempts and 16 of 17 extra point attempts while Kenny Gladden, who has a 98 yard kick return for a touchdown on his resume, averages 25.07 yards on kick returns. 
 
SCOUTING VIRGINIA LYNCHBURG
Virginia University-Lynchburg has had a challenging 2026 campaign. Like Savannah State, they enter the contest looking to break a tough multi-game losing streak.
 
They have essentially played a "road warrior" schedule this fall. Their previous games include losses against Division I FCS programs like Hampton (45-0), Morgan State (55-0), Bethune-Cookman (62-3), and Norfolk State (62-0). 
 
The Dragons enter the game with a 1-8 record with their lone win being a 19-14 victory over Clayton State, a club team, on October 17, 2026. On September 26, VUL lost to Bluefield 30-26 and had 292 yards of offense.
 
Last week, VUL lost their game to Livingstone 37-14. In that contest, the Dragons were held to minus 44 yards rushing while their quarterbacks were sacked 11 times.
 
Virginia-Lynchburg operates a multi-quarterback system. You can expect to see James Carney, Christian Banks, and Max Zavala share snaps under center. Zavala has had big games against Morgan State (151 yards), Newberry (177 yards), Livingstone (212 yards) and Bluefield (129 yards, 2 touchdowns) while Banks excelled against Roanoke (124 yards). Running backs Nycholas Underwood and back Israel Rhodes shoulder the bulk of the carries out of the backfield. Rhodes is their main yardage threat, having gained 102 yards against Bluefield. When the Dragons throw the ball, they will look to the trio of Joshua Soyemi, Omarion Hairston and Dustin Placide. Hairston had 3 catches for 101 yards against Livingstone.
 
Tarik Carswell will anchor the defensive line along with pass rusher Izaunti Brooks while Najahti Clark will defend at linebacker. Roaming the defensive secondary will be Cayden Clark, Ronald Rainey, Franklin Williams and Tyson Woods along with Jamaar Massey. Najahti Clark had a dozen tackles against Morgan State, Woods was in on 10 stops against Bluefield and Williams had 13 tackles against Newberry.