Sept 21st – Savannah State
In Part 3 of the 12 part 2013 CANE opponent series, we’re going to talk a team that to be quite honest, we shouldn’t be playing, but they are on the schedule, and that’s the Savannah State Tigers, who come into Sun Life Stadium on September 21st, off the BYE week.
Here’s what you need to know about the Tigers: They started football back in 1915, so they've been around for almost 100 years. They have a new Head Coach in Earnest Wilson III, who became the 24th Head Coach in their history. He comes over from fellow MEAC School, Hampton, where he was their OC and QB coach. I’m sure this asked of Wilson during the interview process: “What do you do when you don’t know what to do?” The Tigers have won more than two games in a season only once since 1999.
They finished 2012 with their third straight 1-10 season and ranked among the 10 worst teams in the Football Championship Subdivision in rushing offense, total offense, scoring offense, rushing defense and scoring defense. That’s all that needs to be said right there about Savannah State.
With the hire of Wilson, perhaps it might the spark needed for their athletics program there. They've had a nice year with their baseball team winning the MEAC tournament and going to an NCAA regional, getting knocked out by FSU in Tallahassee. Also, they had several track and field athletes in the NCAA Championships.
Their men’s basketball team has been to the postseason the last two years, last year losing to East Carolina in the Collegeinsider.com tournament by 1 (66-65).
However, the big attention getter in any program, but especially in the South is football.
As their AD Sterling Seward Jr, pointed out to Donald Heath in the Savannah Morning News: “We’re in the South, and (football) has to be successful.”
That’s the challenge for that program, scheduling teams that they know will beat them easily, while earning paydays for the Athletics department.
Let’s talk about a few players to watch for them.
Offensively: There’s Senior WR Simon Heyward, who made their conference first team, while WR Dylan Cook and TE Kris Drummond were named to their conference third team. Heyward (5-11, 185) in 2012 had 44 receptions for 751 yards and 6 TDs. He’s a native of Savannah and he comes into his senior year with 116 career receptions for 1,381 yards and 8 TDs. He was also named to the First Team Preseason All-MEAC team by College Sports Madness He’s also on the watch list for the College Football Performance Awards FCS Wide Receiver Award. That award is given annually to the top wide receiver in the Football Championship Subdivision. Heyward is one of 34 players on the watch list. That’s pretty impressive. As for Cook (6-2, 190), a senior from Hiram, GA, he caught 37 balls last year for 491 yards and one touchdown. As for Drummond (6-5, 215), a junior from D.C., he caught 21 passes for 318 yards and a touchdown. Nothing much to write home about on either of those two. Clearly, their best receiver is Heyward.
Defensively: Senior DB John Wilson was named to their conference second team. While senior DL Micah Blount was named to their conference third team defense. Wilson (5-10, 175), a native of Athens, GA, had 68 tackles in 2012; only three of those tackles were for losses. However, he had four interceptions and broke up seven passes. He also blocked a kick. Blount (6- 6, 225), is a big boy out of Stone Mountain, GA, but only 225 lbs, pretty light for a tall frame. He played in nine games last year and had 37 tackles, four of those tackles were for losses and he also had 2.5 sacks.
In closing, Savannah State, which received one first place vote, was picked to finish 11th in the MEAC, which is not a big surprise, considering how terrible they've been in recent years. Expect another terrible season in Savannah.
In Part 4 of the series, I will talk a team that has made some pretty big noise this off-season and that’s the South Florida Bulls.
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