TUSKEGEE, Ala. —
Jhaydon Sullivan completed 12 of 19 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns to lead
Savannah State to their first win of the season, a 20-16 victory over
Tuskegee on Sept. 21, 2024.
It was Savannah State's first win over the Golden Tigers since a 20-12 victory in 1996 when Wendall Avery was the SSU head football coach.
The victory, which took place at Abbott Memorial Stadium before a crowd of 4,125 fans, gives SSU a 1-2 overall record and a 1-1 mark in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Savannah State, who trailed Tuskegee 16-6 after three quarters of play, scored twice in the fourth quarter to earn the win.
A pair of bad punts by Tuskegee played a factor in the SSU scoring drives.
An 11-yard punt by Tuskegee's Lorcan Ryans gave Savannah State a first and ten at the TU 45.
From there, SSU launched a seven-play drive that took 3:54 off the clock, which resulted in a two-yard touchdown run by
Shamarcus Poole, with 8:44 left in the game that pulled Savannah State within 16-13. During the drive, Sullivan completed three of four passes, including a 26-yard completion to
Khiry Wallace that gave the Tigers a first and goal at the Tuskegee nine-yard line.
After the SSU defense stopped Tuskegee on their next drive, Ryans had a nine-yard punt that gave Savannah State a first and ten from the Golden Tigers' 20-yard line.
It took Savannah State just one play to score as Sullivan threw a strike to
Da'Shun Mitchell to give SSU a 20-16 advantage with 7:18 remaining in the contest.
Tuskegee started their final possession from their own 27 and marched to the SSU 30 but could get no further. Faced with a fourth and nine, quarterback Chris Robinson threw a pass intended for Quavon Beckford at the SSU ten, but it fell incomplete, and Savannah State took over on downs.
The Golden Tigers took a 7-0 lead with 8:40 left in the first quarter.
Savannah State drove to the Tuskegee 20 on their second possession of the game, but a 30-yard field goal attempt by
Jimmy Mal was no good.
Tuskegee (0-3, 0-1 SIAC) took over and drove to the Savannah State 11 before stalling and had to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Ryans with 14:58 remaining in the second quarter.
On their second drive of the second quarter, SSU had the ball at their own 49, thanks to a 20-yard punt return by
Brent Carr. That set up a drive that took just three plays as Sullivan, a graduate transfer from Albany State, threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell to cut Tuskegee's lead to 10-6 with 9:53 showing on the clock with Mal missing the extra point attempt.
Savannah State took the opening possession of the third quarter and drove from their own 34 to the Golden Tigers one before reserve quarterback
Christian Burks fumbled in the end zone. The ball was recovered by Tuskegee.
SSU produced 297 yards of offense, with 274 coming via air. Burks completed four of six passing attempts for 96 yards, which included a 41-yarder to Carr.
Mitchell, who has made a reception in 23 consecutive games, had five catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns, while Carr had three receptions for 51 yards.
The Tuskegee defense hampered the Tigers' ground attack, which was limited to 23 yards. Poole had 15 carries for 19 yards for SSU.
Lexington Matthews had five punts for the Tigers, averaging 45.4 yards per punt.
Gary Davis, Jr. had ten tackles to lead the Tiger defense, while
Darrian Bell had nine tackles.
Savannah State was penalized eight times for 98 yards, while Tuskegee drew 11 penalties for 89 yards.
SSU will return home on Sept. 28 to face Fort Valley State at 6 p.m. at T.A. Wright Stadium.
FOLLOW THE SIAC
Stay connected by following the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on
Facebook,
Instagram and
X @TheSIAC.
SIAC NEWS
Sign up for
SIAC News to be among the first to receive media releases, updates and more!
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors seven men's and six women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.