THE GAME
Savannah State will begin the Thomas Howard era on the road, with a trip to Orangeburg, South Carolina to take on South Carolina State. It will be the season opener for both teams. SSU posted a 4-6 overall and a 3-5 SIAC record a year ago while the Bulldogs went 10-3 overall and 5-0 in the MEAC in 2025. South Carolina State went on to win the Celebration Bowl and was crowned the 2025 HBCU National Champions. The Bulldogs enter the 2026 season ranked No. 24 in the latest FCS poll. The first game between SSU and the Bulldogs was played in 1915. South Carolina State leads the series 20-2.

GAME INFORMATION
Savannah State (0-0, 0-0 SIAC) at South Carolina St. (0-0, 0-0 MEAC)
Date: Saturday, August 29th
Location: Orangeburg, South Carolina | Oliver C.Dawson Bulldog Stadium at Willie Jeffries Field
Time: 6:00pm EST

GAME NOTES
Savannah State Game Notes (Game 1 vs. SC State)

COACHES
Savannah State: Thomas Howard, 1st Season
SC State: Chennis Berry, 6th Season Overall (46-13) | 3rd Season at SC State (19-6, 10-0 vs. MEAC)

COACHES 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. Here's this week's debut edition of the show: YouTube Link

WEATHER REPORT
Saturday's forecast for Orangeburg is expected to be mostly cloudy with temperatures at around 82° at kickoff. There is a 56% chance of thundershowers in the forecast as well, with winds blowing at 10 MPH SSE.

BROADCAST INFORMATION: 
Channel: ESPN+
Broadcast Link: ESPN+
Radio Broadcast: Bulldog Sports Network (ESPN Orangeburg)
Live Stats Link: https://ssuathletics.com/sidearmstats/football/summary

HOWARD'S THREE KEYS TO BEATING SOUTH CAROLINA STATE
1-"Offensively, we have to do a great job of giving them a lot of looks and making them uncomfortable. We have to play to our strengths. South Carolina State is big and physical up front so we have to match their physicality." 
2-"Defensively, we have to take the ball away and stop the run."
3-"We need to win the kicking game."

LAST YEAR
SSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead over the Bulldogs, thanks to a 41-yard field goal by Jimmy Tran  but SC State reeled off 21 straight points to take a 21-3 lead into the half. A 38-yard field goal by Tran made the score 21-6 in the third quarter but the Bulldogs finished the game with 28 unanswered points to get the win. The SSU defense held the Bulldogs to just 46 rushing yards, recovered two fumbles and sacked the quarterback twice. Christian Burks threw for 116 yards, Cinsere Clark caught four passes for 64 yards and Ameer Phillips had three tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 1 forced fumble in the 49-6 loss.

SAVANNAH STATE/SOUTH CAROLINA STATE CONNECTIONS
Savannah State head coach Thomas Howard was the Bulldogs defensive coordinator/linebacker coach (2019-20); SCSU head coach Chennis Berry was a All-SIAC offensive tackle at Savannah State in 1994; William "Bill" Davis served as head football coach at Savannah State (1986-92, 2000-01) and at South Carolina State (1979-85); Daryl "Brick" McNeill served as an assistant coach at South Carolina State (1984-87) and later at Savannah State (1988-92) before becoming the Tigers head coach (1997-98); Robby Wells was the defensive coordinator at SCSU (2002-05) and later served as the Savannah State head coach (2008-09); 

A HOUSE DIVIDED
Coach Howard's wife Kimberly, along with his parents are all graduates of South Carolina State.

HOMECOMING
The game will be a homecoming for five Savannah State players who grew up in the Palmetto State. Defensive back Jeffrey Jefferson is from Summerville, tight end Kevin Cobbs is from Ridgeville, offensive lineman Dakarai Sumter is from Hopkins, offensive lineman Jonathan Orr is from Hardeeville and defensive lineman Michael Bennett hails from Cross.

DID YOU KNOW?
NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Harry Carson played at South Carolina State and his son Donald was a two-sport athlete in football and basketball at Savannah State. Harry led the Bulldogs in sacks in 1975 with 17 and 30 years later in 2005 Donald led SSU in sacks with 9.5.

LEGACY TIGER
While coaching at Allen University, Coach Howard had the opportunity to coach Calvin Leonard before the program shut down. Leonard transferred to Savannah State and played for the Tigers from 2006-08 and led SSU in tackles in 2008 with 89. Now, Howard will get the chance to coach Cameron Leonard who is Calvin's son at SSU.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Savannah State's roster is made up of players from seven different states. 62 hail from Georgia while 21 are from Florida, five from South Carolina, three from North Carolina, two from Alabama and one each from Tennessee and Massachusetts.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Coach Howard inherits a top notch defense. In the final NCAA Division II statistics, the Tigers 2025 defense was ranked #4 in total defense, #5 in rush defense, #7 in tackles for loss, #9 in sacks and #10 in red zone defense.

TIGER LEADERS
There has been quite the battle for the starting quarterback position for the Orange & Blue. Christian Burks, Fabian Walker, Rashawn Truell, and Paul Hammond are the returning signal callers for the Tigers, with true freshman Cayden Benson also making it a tough competition. Coach Howard has elected to wait until gameday to officially announce his starter at the position. The running game was bolstered with the signing of Arkansas transfer Rodney Hill and when SSU throws the ball, Cinsere Clark will be the top target along with Valpariso transfer Carter Payne, freshman Camron Jones and tight end Kevin Cobbs, a transfer from Erskine. Look for junior Kahleem Murphy to lead a offensive line that has some experience. The defensive front will rely on Georgia Military transfer Davion Foster in the early going while Trevor Strowbridge, Reico Collins and Cameron Leonard will all have to grow up fast in their linebacker roles. Veteran Emari Napper is expected to lead a up and coming defensive secondary. Youth will also be served in the kicking game with newcomers Joshua Woodley (kicker) and Chase Butler (punter). Jacob Landreth will back up Woodley and Butler.

SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA STATE
The Bulldogs are the defending MEAC and HBCU champs and enter the season ranked No. 24 in the preseason FCS poll. Five South Carolina State players have been named to the BOXTOROW 2026 HBCU College Football Preseason All-America Team in running back Tyler Smith, center James Reddick II, defensive tackles Joshua Barker and Ka'Von Chisolm and linebacker Jordan Franklin. Those five along with wide receiver Darius Thompson, offensive lineman Moses Umoren, defensive lineman Jordan Dollard, defensive back Sharmari Reed, running back Josh Shaw, offensive lineman Kiande Marsh, linebacker Roderick Kelly and defensive back Kwantre Harry were selected to the preseason All-MEAC Team. Franklin earned preseason MEAC Defensive Player of the Year honors.

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.