SAVANNAH, Ga.- Savannah State wrapped up spring football practice with the annual Orange & Blue Game on Sunday afternoon at Theodore A. Wright Stadium.
The defense (Blue) came out on top of the offense (Orange), 38-31.
The scoring system for the game was that the offense will be awarded seven points for a touchdown and three points for drives starting at the 25 or 40 yard lines that end inside the defensive 20 yard line.
The defense received seven points for any touchdown, four points for takeaways and three points for three and outs.
Running back
Carmelo Byrd scored the only touchdown during the first half on a three yard run as Orange went into the break with a 10-9 edge.
Right after halftime, the team did 7-on-7 drills.
Wide receiver
Jahziah Avilez caught a 15-yard touchdown for the Orange to expand their lead to 17-9 but a pair of defensive stops by Blue sliced the Orange lead to 17-15.
Cameron Jones had a 25-yard reception during the 7-on-7 drills while
Zachary Coleman hauled in a ten yard catch,
Jordan Anderson had a eight yard catch,
Elijah Stephens caught a pass for five yards and Josh Okeleye was good for a four yard catch.
In the second half of play a sack by linebacker
Anthony Wilson and defensive lineman
Jamari Hinton gave Blue three points to widen their lead to 24-17 and when
Trevor Strowbridge returned a
Carmelo Byrd fumble 72 yards for a touchdown, the Blue found themselves in front 35-17.
A 35-yard catch by Avilez help set up a six-yard touchdown run by
Caleb Barbas that cut the Blue lead to 35-24 but the defense stopped the offense several plays later when the quarterback bobbled the snap and was stopped when trying to run for a first down to make the score 38-24.
During the final snaps, the offense called on Byrd and
Dralin Gilbert to run the ball and a five-yard score from Gilbert was the final touchdown of the day which gave the Orange 31 but not enough to pass the Blue who had 38 points.
Defensive linemen who made multiple plays on the day were
Emmanuel Talabi,
Jamari Hinton and
Kenneth Russ while linebackers
Curtis Spivey and
Hashim Patterson stood out. In the secondary, Lonnell McCall,
Terrell Gordon, Jr.,
Bryce Thomas,
Solomon Jones,
Jaylin Nabor, Severino Croom and
Trevor Strowbridge were all flying to the ball with good coverage and pass breakups.
The players were showcasing what they learned during the spring practices, but for head football coach
Thomas Howard and his coaching staff, Sunday was all about evaluation, execution and watching how the players responded in front of audience.
The scrimmage drew several hundred fans who were anxious to see the new look Tigers.
When asked about his thoughts on Sunday's scrimmage, Howard said that he saw some good things but there is still much work to be done.
"The running backs ran the ball hard and the defense made some plays. We have a lot to clean up."
Howard added that nobody has emerged as the leader in the race to be the starting quarterback and the position is still open.
"We have a good battle. They are really competing every day."
Savannah State will kick off the 2026 season on August 29with a trip to Orangeburg, South Carolina to face FCS opponent South Carolina State.
After an OPEN week on September 5, the Tigers will play their home and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener on Sept. 12 against Albany State at T. A. Wright Stadium at 6 p.m.
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