SAVANNAH, Ga. - Savannah State's football team is finalizing preparations for Saturday night's season opener against Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla.
The Tigers and Cowboys will play at 7 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) at Boone Pickens Stadium. The game will be televised by Fox College Sports.
SSU practiced Wednesday afternoon at T.A. Wright Stadium. The Tigers are scheduled to practice at 6 a.m. Thursday before taking a 4:30 p.m. flight to Oklahoma City. Friday, the Tigers will drive by bus to Stillwater for an 11 a.m. walk-through at Boone Pickens Stadium.
“And then we're going to go to a movie and relax a little bit. Get the kids off their feet,” SSU second-year head coach Steve Davenport said after Wednesday's practice. “We had planned to go to the Oklahoma City building that was bombed but we weren't able to get clearance to go there. So we decided to go to a movie and relax.
“A lot of these kids have never been to Oklahoma so, obviously, it's a business trip to go and try to win a football game but it's also an opportunity for the kids to see a part of the country that they otherwise probably would never see.”
Davenport said it is critical that SSU's offense play turnover-free football. Last season, Oklahoma State led the nation with 44 forced turnovers. The Cowboys have finished in the top 11 nationally in that category for three consecutive seasons.
“Defensively, they are outstanding,” Davenport said of the Cowboys. “They have nine returning starters from last year. Their two corners (junior Justin Gilbert and senior Brodrick Brown) are both All-Americans.
“Obviously, from a coach's perspective, you come up with a game plan and you try to go get after them. But they're pretty good, man.”
Davenport said SSU must play turnover-free football.
“We're talking about ball security and harping on ball security,” he said. “You turn it over and give a good football team short field position, it can get out of hand in a hurry. One of our biggest keys to keeping this thing to where we want it to be is to make sure that we're holding on to the football. And if we've got to punt it, punt it. We say that about Oklahoma State but that's going to be our mantra for everybody we play.”
Oklahoma State, which won the Big 12 Conference championship last season with a record of 12-1 overall, 8-1 in the conference, lost four starters on the offensive line from last season's team.
The Cowboys also lost quarterback Brandon Weeden (Cleveland Browns) and receiver Justin Blackmon (Jacksonville Jaguars), who were first-round NFL draft picks.
“They lost some guys who were stars on offense but when you're at that level you replace,” Davenport said. “So they've got some good-looking football players that are itching at the bit to get their opportunity to show what they can do.
“Their quarterback (Wes Lunt) is a true freshman but he's obviously talented. We'll probably see him in the NFL three years from now. You just can't take the notion that these guys don't have experience. I'm sure they'll come ready to play.”
Bruce ready to kick
If SSU's offense stalls and the Tigers are in field goal range, kicker
Christopher Bruce said he hopes to be called upon.
Bruce, a 5-foot-8, 160-pound sophomore from Savannah's Memorial Day School, was the backup last season to Derek “Canada” Williams, a four-year starter who graduated and returned home to Toronto.
“I love pressure,” Bruce said. “I love being out here for the team if I'm called upon. I've never been in front of 70,000 (fans) but I'll tune them out; tunnel vision when there's pressure and the game's on the line.”
Bruce attended Savannah's Jenkins High School for one year but did not play football. He transferred to Memorial Day School, was a three-year starter at cornerback and kicker, and helped Memorial Day win state championships during his junior and senior seasons.
At SSU last season, Bruce punted nine times for a 35.6-yard average.
This year, during preseason camp, the left-footed Bruce sat out several practices after re-pulling the left quadriceps muscle (located at the front of the thigh). The injury was the result of overuse from too much kicking, he said.
“Clint (Brif, SSU's head athletic trainer) has helped me come back to life, basically,” Bruce said. “Everything is a little better. Still tired. A little weaker than usual. It's not 100 percent but as close as it's going to be by game time. It's time to fight through the pain.”
Bostick to start at QB
Antonio Bostick will start at quarterback for SSU, Davenport said Wednesday.
“We're putting a lot of the load on Bostick's shoulders,” Davenport said. “He's got to be smart with the football, and got to get rid of it, and make the right reads. So we've got a lot invested in his performance.”
