Savannah State still waiting to see hard work pay off with win

SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY TIGERS ATHLETICS

SAVANNAH, Georgia -- The Savannah State football team just isn’t playing well enough to win, head coach Erik Raeburn said earlier this week.

The Tigers are doing what they need to do to be competitive. An incomplete pass in the end zone in the final seconds left them with a six-point loss against Florida A&M. They fell to Bethune-Cookman 24-12 after trailing 17-12 early in the fourth quarter.

But if the Tigers want to beat visiting Hampton University in their homecoming game at 2 p.m. Saturday at T.A. Wright Stadium, they have to cut out the self-inflicted wounds.

“We want to win, obviously,” Raeburn said. “The guys work hard, you want to see it pay off. Unfortunately, we’re just making too many mistakes. When an opponent makes a really good play, you can recover from that and still win. What can’t happen is the freebies where we make a mental error and cut loose a running back for a 70-yard touchdown, where we make a mental error, and we don’t block and we get hit for an 8-yard loss. Those are the things you can’t overcome.”

It’s true the Tigers are young with 10 freshmen either starting or seeing playing time, but four games into the season, and Raeburn said that can no longer be used as an excuse.

CONTINUE READING