By Noell Barnidge, Savannah Morning News
Savannah State has not won its football season opener since 2004, when the Tigers beat host Norfolk (Va.) State 41-34 in double overtime.
To win its season opener against Morgan State at 7 tonight in Baltimore, SSU's defense must find a way to stop Chad Simpson, one of the premier running backs in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound senior from Miami, was selected to the preseason All-MEAC first team.
As a junior, Simpson was chosen to the All-MEAC second team. He also was named the Bears' Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for a team-high 795 yards and nine touchdowns on 147 carries, an average of 5.4 yards per carry.
Against Norfolk State last season, Simpson gained a career-high 192 yards on 26 carries and scored two touchdowns. Don't think for a second that he isn't savoring the chance to break his own record against SSU, which was 2-9 last season.
"If they've looked at film of us from last year, they've seen that we had some problems stopping the run," said SSU second-year coach Theo Lemon, whose Tigers gave up 203.7 yards rushing per game. "I think (SSU) is a different team. They need to see and understand that this isn't the same Savannah St. that is coming up to play them. I hope we show them that."
Lemon said he expects Morgan St. to unleash Simpson, who transferred there from Big East school South Florida. Simpson was USF's top kick returner in 2005 and ranked 25th in the nation in NCAA Division I-A, averaging 25.6 yards per return. In an upset win that season against No. 9 Louisville, he returned the opening second-half kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown.
Savannah State has not won its football season opener since 2004, when the Tigers beat host Norfolk (Va.) State 41-34 in double overtime.
To win its season opener against Morgan State at 7 tonight in Baltimore, SSU's defense must find a way to stop Chad Simpson, one of the premier running backs in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound senior from Miami, was selected to the preseason All-MEAC first team.
As a junior, Simpson was chosen to the All-MEAC second team. He also was named the Bears' Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for a team-high 795 yards and nine touchdowns on 147 carries, an average of 5.4 yards per carry.
Against Norfolk State last season, Simpson gained a career-high 192 yards on 26 carries and scored two touchdowns. Don't think for a second that he isn't savoring the chance to break his own record against SSU, which was 2-9 last season.
"If they've looked at film of us from last year, they've seen that we had some problems stopping the run," said SSU second-year coach Theo Lemon, whose Tigers gave up 203.7 yards rushing per game. "I think (SSU) is a different team. They need to see and understand that this isn't the same Savannah St. that is coming up to play them. I hope we show them that."
Lemon said he expects Morgan St. to unleash Simpson, who transferred there from Big East school South Florida. Simpson was USF's top kick returner in 2005 and ranked 25th in the nation in NCAA Division I-A, averaging 25.6 yards per return. In an upset win that season against No. 9 Louisville, he returned the opening second-half kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown.
Photo: SSU wide receiver Deleon Hollinger hauls in a pass.
"They have the same coaches (as last season), and that means they're going to be the same type of team," Lemon said of Morgan St.. "They're a power football team and they're going to try to knock you off the ball. They have a lot of great offensive linemen, some guys who really come after you. What we're going to try to do, defensively, is attack them and show them some different things to keep them off guard."
SSU also faces the task of dealing with Morgan St.'s All-MEAC second-team selections: senior wideout Roderick Wolfe, senior linebacker Kofi Nkrumah, senior defensive back Kendell Jackson, and junior offensive lineman Dakari Grimsley. "Everybody's been talking about (the game)," said SSU junior middle linebacker Calvin Leonard. "Everybody is ready."
SSU will play Morgan St. for the fifth time in the series. The Tigers have never beaten the Bears, and have been outscored 138-46. When the teams last played in 2005, Morgan St. cruised to a 55-26 victory.
Last season, Morgan St. finished 5-6 overall and 4-4 in the MEAC. The Bears are predicted to finish sixth by MEAC coaches and sports information directors. "We've got to go up to Baltimore and show them what we've got," SSU senior defensive end Dominique Clark said. "Everybody is pumped."
Notes
Trent Newton, SSU's leading tackler the past two seasons, has transferred to NCAA Division II Fort Valley State, FVSU quarterback Garrett Williams confirmed Wednesday.
Newton and Williams were roommates at SSU.
Newton, who made 114 tackles last season as a sophomore, was suspended by SSU coach Theo Lemon on March 20 for the remainder of SSU's spring practice for violating unspecified team policy. Newton did not play for FVSU on Saturday.
Williams, SSU's starting quarterback the past two seasons, is FVSU's starting quarterback. The junior led the Wildcats to a 13-10 victory over host Clark Atlanta last Saturday. He threw a 29-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.
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