GAME CENTRAL: Savannah State at South Carolina State

Football
10/3/2025 1:41:00 PM

Walter Moore

THE GAME
Savannah State will play their next three games on the road, staring with a trip to Orangeburg, South Carolina to take on South Carolina State. Both teams enter the contest coming off of a loss with SSU losing to Kentucky State (37-20) and South Carolina State falling to Charleston Southern (31-24). This game will be the first meeting between the Tigers and Bulldogs since November 17, 2018 when SCSU won 21-17 at Oliver. C. Dawson Stadium/Willie Jeffries Field. Savannah State led 17-7 at the half but were outscored 14-0 in the second half. At that time, both teams were members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The first game between SSU and the Bulldogs was played in 1915. South Carolina State leads the series 19-2.

GAME INFORMATION
Savannah State (2-2, 1-2 SIAC) vs. South Carolina State (2-3, 0-0 MEAC)
Date: Saturday, October 4th
Time: 1:30pm
Location: Oliver C. Dawson Bulldog Stadium | Orangeburg, South Carolina

BROADCAST INFORMATION: 
Channel: ESPN+
Broadcast Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/20fc5d46-dfdf-42f4-8280-77526cb5b4a5
Live Stats Link: https://www.scsuathletics.com/sidearmstats/football/summary

COACHES
Savannah State: Aaron Kelton, 4th Season (Record At SSU: 14-20)
South Carolina State: Chennis Berry, 2nd Season (Record At SCSU: 11-6)

WEATHER
Saturday’s game in Orangeburg will be played under mostly cloudy skies with a gametime temperature of 80°. There is a 15% chance of rain and winds will be blowing East Northeast at 13 MPH.

KELTON’S QUOTE
It is always fun to play against the top talents and South Carolina State University is just that. We are excited to take on this big challenge and keep getting better. They are really good and we need to keep working to get our program where they are.”

GAME CAPTAINS
Captains for the South Carolina State game are tight end Jordan Springs, defensive lineman William Jones and linebacker Gary Davis, Jr.

LAST WEEK
Savannah State’s offense produced a season-high 344 yards but it was not enough in a 37-20 loss to Kentucky State at TA Wright Stadium. Christian Burks came off the bench to throw for 165 yards and threw a touchdown to Cinsere Clark while Joseph Hampton ran for a touchdown and Jimmy Tran kicked a pair of field goals. Darrian Bell anchored the defensive effort with ten tackles. KSU led 6-0 but Tran hit field goals of 42 and 38 yards to tie the game early in the second quarter. The Thorobreds scored 17 unanswered points to go into intermission with a 23-6 lead and added another touchdown early in the third quarter for a 30-6 cushion. A two-yard touchdown run by Hampton got the Tigers within 30-14 before KSU answered with another score. The final touchdown of the game came with just under eight minutes left when Clark caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Burks.

SAVANNAH STATE/SOUTH CAROLINA STATE CONNECTIONS
SCSU head coach Chennis Berry was a All-SIAC offensive tackle at Savannah State in 1994 and SCSU Assistant AD for Football/Chief of State Steven Aycock was a All-SIAC center in 1992 and 1993 for the Tigers; William “Bill” Davis served as head football coach at Savannah State (1986-92, 2000-01) and at South Carolina State (1979-85); Robby Wells was the defensive coordinator at SCSU (2002-05) and later served as the Savannah State head coach (2008-09); Savannah State tight end Jordan Springs played for the Bulldogs (2019-23) before transferring to SSU.

A FALLEN TIGER
Everette Daniels, who played football and baseball at Savannah State in the mid-1980s, died on September 24, 2025. Daniels was a Savannah native and played linebacker for the Tigers.

HOMECOMING
The game will be Homecoming for South Carolina State but it will also be a homecoming for four Savannah State players who grew up in the Palmetto State. Linebacker Hashim Patterson is from Dalzell which is just over an hour from Orangeburg, defensive lineman Jamar Walker and tight end Jordan Springs are from Irmo which is just under an hour from Orangeburg and wide receiver Josiah Benson hails from Clemson which is almost a three hour drive from the SC State campus.

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.

STRONG ENDING
Savannah State’s defense has only given up three points in the fourth quarter this season.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
According to the latest NCAA Division II statistics, Kevin Stokes, Jr. is ranked #1 in punt returns for a touchdown (1); John “Wesley” Bentley is #3 in fumble recoveries (2); Darrian Bell is #6 in forced fumbles (.050); Joseph Hampton is #9 in combined kick returns (333 yds) and #17 in all-purpose yards (148.50); Xavier Esquillen is #19 in sacks (.88); Jimmy Tran is #20 in field goals per game (1.25); and Cinsere Clark is #22 in receiving touchdowns (4). As a team, SSU is #1 in fumble recoveries (8); #12 in total defense (268 yds), third down conversions (0.286) and time of possession (33:45); #13 in first downs defense (59); #15 in rush defense (87.8); and #27 in kickoff returns (25.76).

TIGER LEADERS
The Tiger defense yields 24.3 points a game and is led by linebacker Darrian Bell  who has 31 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles and 1 sack. Tavare Brewton is right behind him with 22 tackles and defensive end Xavier Esquillen has been in on 14 tackles, 4 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. John “Wesley” Bentley has 13 tackles and a pair of fumble recoveries while fellow defensive lineman Tony Rountree Jr. has 12 tackles and 4 tackles for loss. Savannah State’s offense produces 23 points a game and is under the guidance of quarterbacks Christian Burks and Fabian Walker. Burks has thrown for 485 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions while Walker has 322 passing yards with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Cinsere Clark has 253 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns, tight end Arik Gilbert has 168 yards and a score and Jadon Adams has caught 8 passes for 122 yards. In the backfield, Joseph Hampton is the leading rusher with 177 yards and 2 touchdowns and David Gardner, Jr. has 158 yards and 2 touchdowns. Lucas Edenfield averages 38.7 yards per punt, has a long of 44 yards and has 7 punts that has pinned opponents inside the 20 yard line while Jimmy Tran has made all 9 of his extra point attempts and has made 5 of 7 field goal attempts with a career-long of 42 yards.

SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA STATE
The Bulldogs are the defending MEAC champs and were picked to finish first again this season. South Carolina State has lost their past two games and look to get back on track with a win over the Tigers in front of their Homecoming crowd. DB Jarod Washington, OL Roger Smith and DL Josh Barker were pre-season All-MEAC selections. SC State averages 23.8 points a night and is led by quarterback Ryan Stubblefield who has passed for 782 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. He has also ran for 152 yards and 4 touchdowns. William Atkins has added 450 passing yards and Tyler Smith has gained 171 yards on the ground with a pair of touchdowns. Jalen Johnson has 307 receiving yards while Savannah, Georgia native Deyandre Ruffin has caught 19 passes for 196 yards. Jordan Smith has 163 receiving yards and 1 touchdown. Defensively, the Bulldogs surrender 37.6 yards per game. Linebackers Roderick Kelly (22 tackles) and Franklin Jordan (18) are two of the top defenders along with Michael Lunz who has 19 tackles, 9 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. Defensive back Jarod Washington has contributed 16 tackles and 3 pass breakups. Nico Cavanillas Alti is 7 of 7 on extra point attempts and is 7 of 8 on field goal attempts with a long of 50 yards.

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.