SAVANNAH, Ga. – When Savannah State's football team plays its home opener Saturday night against Florida A&M, SSU head coach Earnest Wilson III intends to pay close attention to how many penalties his Tigers commit.

SSU committed a season-low six penalties for 41 yards in a 42-14 loss to Bethune-Cookman last Saturday in Daytona Beach, Fla. B-CU was flagged an astounding 23 times for 212 yards.

SSU had 11 penalties for 93 yards in a 52-9 loss at Akron on Sept. 19, and the Tigers committed eight penalties for 78 yards in a 65-13 season-opening loss at Colorado State on Sept. 5.

One of the hallmarks of a disciplined team is how few penalties it commits. Wilson believes if he and his assistants continue to stress the importance of fundamentals, if they demand attention to detail and hold their players accountable for the seemingly little things, then victories eventually will emerge.
"Thank you for saying that," Wilson said when he was told that, judging from SSU's six penalties compared to Bethune-Cookman's 23, his team showed discipline. "We don't let stuff bother us. We prepare for that stuff. We're not going to do cheap shots and stuff like that. We really work on fundamentals and techniques. That's what we're practicing.

"I don't think people really realize that each year, we've turned the table," Wilson continued. "Since I've been here, we've had over 40-something records set. That shows you how bad the program's been though because when you have over 40 records set, offensively, defensively and special teams-wise, in two years, and your record looks like that, that means that your program is not very good. I think, now, I actually feel like we can start talking football in this program."
SSU (0-3 overall, 0-1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) will play host to FAMU (0-4, 0-1) at 7 p.m. at T.A. Wright Stadium. The game will be radio-broadcast on WHCJ 90.3 FM. The Tigers are 0-7 in the series. The Rattlers won, 24-14, last season in Tallahassee, Fla.

SSU will attempt to snap a 24-game losing streak. The Tigers' last victory was a 27-20 decision against NCAA Division II Fort Valley State on Sept. 14, 2013. The Tigers also will try to end a 32-game conference losing streak. The last time SSU won a conference game was in 2011, when the Tigers beat North Carolina Central, 33-30, in SSU's first official season in the MEAC.

FAMU is coming off a 30-14 loss to Tennessee State last Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla. The Rattlers lost, 36-0, at South Carolina State on Sept. 17. FAMU also fell, 58-21, at Samford on Sept. 12 and stumbled, 51-3, at South Florida on Sept. 5.

Wilson said he is unsure if Saturday's game will be a defensive battle or a high-scoring affair.

"It's kind of hard to tell right now," he said. "We've got such a young team and I take it day by day. I think we'll be focused well though. I think this is the first time since I've been around that we've had six or seven drives anywhere from nine to 15 plays. But we didn't come away with points (against Bethune-Cookman).

"I'm really beginning to see how only being able to practice 11 hours a week (because of NCAA restrictions pertaining to SSU's poor Academic Progress Rate for a third consecutive year) really hurts you," Wilson continued. "I talked to my athletic director (Sterling Steward) and he told me about the Bethune-Cookman coach (Terry Sims) saying that he thought we were gassed. Strength and conditioning-wise, we just don't have a weight room and stuff like that, and it's going to happen.

"If we don't get what we need (facilities), we're going to keep having the same problems. We went on seven nine-to-15-play drives. Remember now, that's half of the amount of times you get to touch the ball as an offense during a game. And we couldn't score. I'd say part of it is strength and part of it is not being able to meet so the kids can know everything. But we're going to get it together. There's no doubt about it in my mind. I'm probably the test vehicle for the NCAA. And our sanctions are pretty tough."

SPAULDING TO START AT QB AGAIN
SSU's Arshon Spaulding, who made his first collegiate start at quarterback against Bethune-Cookman, will start again against FAMU, Wilson said.
Spaulding, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound junior from Brunswick's Glynn Academy, was 11-of-21 passing for 102 yards without an interception against B-CU. David Handler, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound freshman from Culver City, Calif., made his first collegiate start at quarterback against Akron. Handler came off the bench against B-CU and he was 9-of-15 passing for 82 yards and an interception.

"We started Spaulding," Wilson said of SSU's game against B-CU. "We felt like he gave us the best chance to win the game. He's done a good job but we'll bring Dave (Handler) out there, too.

"We've just got to finish," Wilson continued. "We can't be in the red zone something like six or seven times (against B-CU) and not score. The week before (against Akron), we stopped a BCS team two times on the goal line. This (past) week, we didn't do so well. And then the offense finally started moving the ball.

We've got to finish everything. I've told the guys a lot of this is mental."

WILLIAMS POISED FOR BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE
Wilson believes it is only a matter of time before SSU's top running back, Richard Williams, has a breakout performance. The 5-foot-8, 195-pound junior from Memphis, Tenn., has led the Tigers in rushing in two of their three games.

Williams ran 15 times for a team-high 79 yards against B-CU. He ran six times for 11 yards against Akron. Williams had 13 carries for a team-high 73 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown, against Colorado State.

Spaulding, who ran 11 times for 32 yards against B-CU, was SSU's leading rusher against Akron with 14 carries for 60 yards.

"I think we haven't given Richard enough of a chance," Wilson said. "In two out of three games, he's rushed close to 80 yards. If we weren't in the situation we were in, he probably would have gone over 100 yards. I think Richard is doing good. I know the overall stats don't always reflect what we're doing but you've got to remember we're playing anywhere from four to five freshmen on the offensive line at any given time."

SMITH SHAKES OFF THE RUST
SSU linebacker Marquis Smith made a game-high eight tackles against B-CU. It also was a season high for the 6-foot-3, 235-pound junior from Prince Georges County, Md. Smith got off to a slow start this season with only two tackles against Akron and three tackles against Colorado State.

Smith, who was named to the Preseason All-MEAC third team, has been hampered by a knee injury he sustained last season against South Carolina State. The injury did not require surgery, Wilson said, but it has slowed Smith.

"Marquis is getting over that knee injury, and now that he's gotten that rust off of him, it's on now," Wilson said. "He really missed pretty much the whole summer, the whole offseason, even though he lifted (weights) on his own."

WILSON: SSU'S BAND IS BETTER THAN FAMU'S BAND
Wilson wishes he could watch the halftime show Saturday because he said he believes SSU's marching band, The Coastal Empire Sound Explosion, will out-perform Florida A&M's Marching 100.

"Someone told me they're bringing their band but you know what? Our band from Tigerland is better than their band," Wilson said, laughing. "I'm putting it out there right now. I'm putting it out there. I love my band and I have faith in my band. Our band director (Marques Graham), he's doing a great job with the young people.

 "I've heard a lot of people are coming to the game," Wilson continued. "I think we'll have a really good crowd. We definitely need (the fans). We need the power of intimidation on our part."

THEO LEMON RETURNS TO SAVANNAH
SSU fans will recognize a familiar face on Florida A&M's sideline. Former SSU head coach Theo Lemon is the Rattlers' defensive coordinator and defensive line coach.

 "I know Theo Lemon quite well," Wilson said. "When I was (an assistant) at the University of Maine (1992-93), he was (an assistant) at Northeastern (Mass.) University. He and I are friends, and I look forward to seeing him again. I know he's got a great defense. He would have put together a really good (SSU) program (if he had more time)."

Lemon, who founded SSU's Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter, went to FAMU from Dayton, Ohio, where he had been teaching in the city's public school system since 2008. He also served a three-year stint with the NCAA's National Consortium of Academics and Sports from 2009-11.

 "I knew that he wanted to get back into coaching but the right job just hadn't come along (until FAMU)," Wilson said. "He and I have known each other a long time. He's a good man."

FLORIDA A&M OUTLOOK
First-year FAMU head coach Alex Wood replaced Earl Holmes, who was fired in October 2014, four days before the Rattlers' homecoming. Wood came to FAMU from the University of Buffalo, where he was the interim head coach, offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach.

Wood was the head coach at James Madison before becoming the Minnesota Vikings' quarterbacks coach in 1999, and later joining the Arizona Cardinals as offensive coordinator. He also was the running backs coach at the University of Miami (Fla.) from 1989-93, winning national championships in 1989 and 1991.

"Alex Wood is a great coach," Wilson said. "He's been a coach at some of the top programs around. He's been an NFL coach. He's taking some time, just like it's going to take me some time to get my program together. They're going to be good but right now they're up and down and everything else."

Rattlers quarterback Carson Royal, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound redshirt junior from Jacksonville, Fla., is 39-of-86 passing for 481 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions.

Wide receiver Brandon Norwood, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound sophomore from Atlanta, has made 17 catches for a team-high 155 yards without a touchdown.
Running back Devin Bowers, a 6-foot-1, 184-pound freshman from St. Petersburg, Fla., has run 13 times for a team-high 153 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, linebacker Akil Blount, a 6-foot-2, 243-pound senior from Pittsburgh, has made a team-high 34 tackles and intercepted a pass.

"The film shows that they're 50-50 (passing and rushing)," Wilson said. "They run some things that have hurt us in the past, these past three games, like the zone read. We've started to correct that. They do a good job of passing the ball. We've just got to be on our 'A' game."