SSU’s Handler to start at QB against Akron

SAVANNAH, Georgia – Freshman David Handler will start at quarterback for Savannah State University against Akron on Saturday, SSU head coach Earnest Wilson III said.

It will be the first collegiate start for Handler, who replaces sophomore Tino Smith, who will be out with a broken hand for Saturday's game.

"Tino is going to be out for four weeks," Wilson said of the 6-foot-2, 215-pound sophomore from Carmel, Ind. "Handler can throw well. He is very intelligent. He's just inexperienced. Handler played last week so it's not like we're going in with someone without any experience."

The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Handler replaced Smith against Colorado State and finished 3-of-8 passing for 18 yards. Handler, a native of Culver City, Calif., ran six times for minus-17 yards.

"I think what (Handler) has to do is learn to control the game," Wilson said. "He has to slow the game down in his head. He has to go through his reads. He has to go through his checks. If he does that, I think he'll be just fine."

SSU (0-1) will play Akron (0-2) at noon Saturday at InfoCision Stadium in Akron, Ohio. This is the first meeting between the teams. The game will be webcast on ESPN3.com and radio-broadcast on WHCJ 90.3 FM.

Wilson said Handler has an opportunity to earn the starting job permanently. Senior Ker-Sean Wilson, who played at quarterback last season before moving to wide receiver, will remain at receiver, Wilson said. Junior Leon Prunty, who has seen action at quarterback during his career, is not eligible for SSU's first four games, Wilson said.

"We haven't had consistency at quarterback in three years," said Wilson, who is in his third season at the helm. "That's been a really big disappointment. In order to be a good football team, we've got to find that quarterback. Some people thought I was substituting quarterbacks, which I wasn't. They were always injured. We're not a program that will advertise that. We feel like we've been snake-bit a little bit at quarterback. I hope we can overcome all of this."

SSU AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
Among Football Championship Subdivision teams, SSU leads the nation in red zone offense (1.000). The Tigers are No. 3 in turnover margin (3.00) and fumbles recovered (4.0). SSU is No. 22 in fourth-down conversions (0.667).

Junior kicker John Barron leads the nation in field goal percentage (1.000). He is No. 2 in field goals per game (2.00).

SOLID DEFENSIVE LINE
Wilson praised the performance of SSU's defensive line against Colorado State. He said right defensive end Edward Goubadia, nose tackle Jovanta Mobley and left defensive end Connor Christian were exceptional.

"I think we've got a good defensive line," Wilson said. "They showed the most production that we've had in two years. I thought the young DBs played somewhat well. I think the linebackers, if they would just step up more, make more tackles and get more aggressive, it would really help everyone."

IMPROVING OFFENSIVE LINE
Wilson said he was encouraged by the performance of SSU's offensive line against Colorado State. Left guard Jerome Maddox (freshman), left tackle Afolabi Ayangbayi (junior), center James Livingston (freshman), right guard Devon Stainrod (senior) and right tackle Sean Fogarty (freshman) are becoming a cohesive unit.

"We thought that we played decent up front, considering that we had three freshmen, one senior and one junior on the offensive line," Wilson said. "We played with a host of freshmen on the defensive line but we held our own. Our problem is that we've got to get the skill positions to step up. We've got to get the quarterback position to have better leadership and learning how to control a football game. When we do that, Savannah State will win a lot of football games."
SSU, which plays in the Football Championship Subdivision as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, 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.

WANTED: PLAYMAKERS AT RECEIVER
SSU had seven players combine for 10 catches and 100 yards against Colorado State. Nicholas Carrera, Derek Kirkland and Ker-Sean Wilson each had two catches apiece.

"We have young guys there," Earnest Wilson said. "They need to learn to sit down in the zone. I think they need to be more consistent. We've got to get some playmakers out there. Right now, we don't have any playmakers at receiver."

SSU LINEBACKERS
Last season, SSU's linebackers were widely considered to be the team's greatest strength. This season, following a 65-13 loss to Colorado State on Sept. 5 and then a bye week last week to think about it, Wilson called out his linebacker corps this week.

"I wasn't very happy with the linebackers," he said. "That's a group I thought would do well. Right now, they're underachievers. They were cut (blocked) a lot. They were not very aggressive. They gave up 6.6 yards per carry. I told my defense that I'm tired of them just being a defense. We have too many skilled players who are not stepping up. If we really wanted to be, we could be a great defense."

AKRON OUTLOOK
Akron, which competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Mid-American Conference, is coming off a 24-7 loss to Pittsburgh last Saturday. The Zips fell, 41-3, to Oklahoma in their Sept. 5 season opener.

"They're 0-2 right now," Wilson said. "They played Oklahoma and they played Pitt. They played Pitt pretty tough last week. They have a two-quarterback system. One can run it, the other one can throw it."

The Zips are coached by Terry Bowden, who is in his fourth season at the helm. The former Auburn head coach guided Akron to a 5-7 record last season.

The Zips have 14 transfers: senior running back Donnell Alexander (Colorado State), senior offensive lineman Tommy Brown (Ohio State), sophomore quarterback Tra'Von Chapman (Pittsburgh), redshirt junior cornerback Wedley Charles (Hiram), redshirt senior defensive lineman Rodney Coe (Iowa State), redshirt sophomore wide receiver A.J. Coney (Weber State), junior defensive back Larry Hope (Miami, Fla.), redshirt senior defensive back Bryce Jones (Boston College), sophomore offensive lineman Josh Krok (Kentucky), redshirt junior defensive lineman Jamal Marcus (Ohio State), senior linebacker Darryl Monroe (Washington State), junior defensive lineman Se'Von Pittman (Ohio State), junior offensive lineman Xavier Quigley (Western Iowa) and sophomore athlete Anthony Young (Indiana).
Akron will be without backup quarterback Kyle Pohl, who suffered a head-to-head hit against Pittsburgh and was sidelined. Chapman, a sophomore, is the starting quarterback.

"We don't know how (serious) it is, but it's a head injury and we have to be very, very cautious," Bowden told reporters during his news conference Tuesday. "In today's game, we're very cautious of head injuries to make sure at least for a week (that he's OK). We re-evaluate after."
Pohl, a senior, will be replaced by sophomore Thomas Woodson as the backup.

"Woodson's getting a lot of reps," Bowden said. "There's a lot of things when you're dealing with Woodson. He's had a lot more at-bats with things we do than Tra'Von Chapman, but it gives us two guys who are at least probably more similar in the way they do things."
Chapman was 0-of-8 passing against Oklahoma but he was the Zips' leading rusher with 48 yards on 14 carries. Chapman was 4-of-14 passing for 29 yards against Pittsburgh.

Woodson ran three times for 30 yards against Oklahoma.

COURTESY SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION