The 2009 Savannah State Tigers football team represented Savannah State University in American football. The Tigers were members of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision as an independent. This was the second season under the guidance of head coach Robby Wells.
The Tigers entered the 2009 season seeking its first winning season since joining Division I-AA in 2000, but ended the season with a 2–8 record. The team compiled a 5–7 record in 2008, the most wins since 1999, when the Tigers finished with a 5–6 as a member of the NCAA Division II. The Tigers last winning season was in 1998.
Season summary
Preseason Former offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Alan Hall left the Savannah State staff to join the football program at Winston-Salem State University – Savannah State announced the signing of National Letters of Intent by 21 players. NamePositionSchoolCity, StateBlair AustinWR6–2, 190Brookwood HSThomasville, GACedric BrownOL6–2, 275Thomasville HSThomasville, GATavarus ButlerDT6–4, 270Putnam County HSEatonton, GAJonathan ClowersOL6–6, 280Perry HSPerry, GAJustin CooperCB6–2, 185Cartersville HSCartersville, GAKevin DavenportWR6–3, 210Glenn Hills HSAugusta, GABrian FordeDT6–4, 295Newton County HSConyers, GAPhillip GainesLB5–10, 195Gainesville HSGainesville, GAFranklin GreenRB5–10, 205Jenkins HSSavannah, GAKenneth JamesOL6–4, 306Millcreek HSHoschton, GAAntonio MartinCB5–9, 170Jefferson HSJefferson, GAWarren MasonOL6–5, 310Cedar Grove HSAtlanta, GAQuenton PoolerLB6–2, 210Newton County HSCovington, GADaShawn PrintupS6–1, 190Calhoun HSCalhoun, GATerrick RansomOL6- 1, 300Cedar Grove HSAtlanta, GARicky RiveraWR6–1, 170Long County HSLudowici, GADustin RussellLB6–1, 205Newnan HSNewnan, GALeland RussellLB5–9, 210Newnan HSNewnan, GACalvert SmithDB5- 10, 180Memorial Day HSSavannah, GAAnthony ThomasLB6–1, 205Dublin HSDublin, GAChanning WelchDL6–3, 270Furman Univ. / Fayette County HSAtlanta, GA Spring practice was held between March 24, 2009, and April 16, 2009. The annual spring game was held on April 18, 2009. During the game, the Orange beat the Blue, 23–0. The game between Savannah State and North Greenville, originally scheduled for October 10 at Ted Wright Stadium in Savannah, was canceled because of a scheduling conflict. The Tigers announced the addition of CJ Frye (running backs coach) and Hans Batichon (wide receivers coach) on July 29, 2009. Frye replaced Trevin Smith who left the Tigers' staff, while Batichon replaced Eddie Johnson who was promoted to offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach. Frye was the offensive coordinator at McCormick High School in McCormick, South Carolina last season and played offensive line at the University of South Carolina. Batichon, a graduate of Appalachian State University (where he played wide receiver), came to SSU from Watauga High School in Boone, North Carolina. Eighty-five players reported to campus on August 4, 2009, for Football Camp. The Tigers returned 56 lettermen, including 16 starters and 29 newcomers. The first practice was also held on August 5. Coach Wells announced on August 28 that senior wide receiver Deleon Hollinger, senior linebacker Antwan Allen, senior defensive lineman Brandon Miller and senior offensive lineman Derrick Dorsey were selected as team captains for the 2009 season. Barry Casterlin is hired as running backs coach to replace Curtis Frye who left SSU to become tight ends coach at Tennessee State University.
Regular season The Tigers win over Livingstone College on September 5 was the team's first season opening win in five years. The Tigers loss to McNeese State on September 19, was the team's worst loss since losing to Gardner-Webb University, 66–0, on November 3, 2007, and the first shutout loss for Coach Wells. Center Donnell Collins sustained a season-ending ankle injury in the Tigers' 47–10 loss to Charleston Southern on October 3, 2009. Former Savannah State player Shannon Sharpe's #2 jersey, was officially retired by the university and presented to Sharpe during the pre-game ceremony before the Bethune-Cookman University game on October 17.
Schedule
Coaches and support staff Name Type CollegeGraduating year Robert "Robby" Wells Head coach Furman 1990 John W. Montgomery, II Asst. head coachOffensive line coach Oklahoma State 1976 Eddie Johnson Offensive coordinatorQuarterbacks coach Georgetown College 1993 Julius Dixon Defensive coordinator Defensive backs coach Furman 1990 Allen Edwards Defensive line coachRecruiting coordinator Furman 1993 Jose Gonzalez Inside linebackers coach Southern Mississippi 2000 Barry Casterlin Running backs coach South Carolina 2001 Hans Batichon Wide receivers coach Appalachian State 2008 Melanie Dalpias Graduate Assistant / Athletic Trainer Graceland 2007 Renee Mickey Graduate Assistant / Athletic Trainer UNC-Pembroke 2009
Roster 2009 Savannah State Tigers by position Quarterbacks 1 Kurvin Curry – Sophomore 13 Antonio Bostic – Freshman 14 A.J. Defilippis – Freshman
Running backs 20 Justin Babb – Junior 21 Rashard Russell – Freshman 29 Rashad Curry – Junior 31 Tim Williams – Sophomore 34 Daniel Heslop – Freshman 47 Jared Pollard – Freshman
Wide receivers 4 Deron Talley – Sophomore 5 Ricky Rivera – Freshman 6 Byron Leggett – Junior 9 Deleon Hollinger – Senior 16 Zach Mayfield – Freshman 19 Javares Taylor – Senior 24 Antonio Proctor – Freshman 80 B.J. Longley – Sophomore 81 Armond Denson – Junior 82 Stefon Taylor – Junior 83 Nathan Robinson – Sophomore 84 Alakan Thomas – Sophomore 85 Demetrius Holmes – Freshman
Tight ends 17 Steven Veasy – Senior
Kickers / punters 89 Vance Tarver – Freshman 99 Derek Williams – Sophomore Fullbacks 48 Michael Johnson – Sophomore
Offensive line 59 Derrick Dorsey – Senior 60 Josh Davis – Freshman 61 Brian Lamarr – Freshman 62 Jared Brunson – Sophomore 68 Thelmore Jackson – Sophomore 69 Keith Turner – Freshman 70 Demetrius Edwards – Junior 71 Lenworth McKenzie – Sophomore 73 Cedric Brown – Freshman 74 Jonathan Clowers – Freshman 75 Warren Mason – Freshman 76 Dan Johnson – Junior 77 Donnell Collins – Sophomore 78 Terrick Ransom – Freshman 79 Jerome Miller – Freshman
Defensive line 40 Cordero Campbell – Junior 42 Juvaro Goodman – Sophomore 50 LaDarien Redfield – Junior 57 Johnny Howard – Sophomore 86 James Briscoe – Sophomore 90 Travis Alston – Sophomore 91 Chris Reed – Senior 92 Stephen Myers – Freshman 93 Brandon Miller – Senior 94 Channing Welch – Junior 95 Tavarus Butler – Freshman 96 Tim Wright – Freshman 97 Tametric Hunt – Sophomore Linebackers 12 Leland Russell – Freshman 26 Antwan Allen – Senior 32 Anthony Thomas – Freshman 35 Sadrak JeanBaptiste – Sophomore 43 Jeffrey Robertson – Junior 44 Phillip Gaines – Freshman 45 J. Vince Cochran – Junior 46 Henry Jackson – Sophomore 49 Michael Kuku – Sophomore 52 Edwin Stevenson – Sophomore 53 Nate Clay – Sophomore 54 Coy Allen – Freshman 55 Xavier Lewis – Sophomore
Defensive backs 3 Cedric Chambers – Freshman 7 Darren Hunter – Junior 8 Patrick Thomas – Sophomore 10 Justin Cooper – Freshman 11 Antonio Martin – Freshman 15 Deshawn Printup – Freshman 18 CJ Smith – Freshman 22 Richie Rucker – Sophomore 25 Edward Ndem – Junior 27 Mathew Smith – Sophomore 28 Jevontae Jefferson – Freshman 30 Chris Asbury – Sophomore 33 Khelvin Sullivan – Freshman 37 Toriano Holt – Freshman 38 Brent McCall – Sophomore 39 Mickolas Dudley – Sophomore 41 Emory Williams – Senior
72 Michael Mitchell – Freshman
Game summaries
Livingstone
HBCU Classic Justin Babb rushed for 229 yards, including an 81-yard touchdown as the Tigers defeated Division II Livingstone College, 34–12, in the fifth annual HBCU Classic. A crowd of 2,100 fans saw the Tigers take a 25–0 lead in the first half.
The Blue Bears (0–2) had just 28 rushing yards on 26 carries in the game while the Tigers had 391 rushing yards on 49 carries. The Tigers gained 483 yards of offense while the defense sacked the Livingstone quarterback six times. The win gives Savannah State a 7–1 lead in the all-time series against Livingstone.
Alabama State
Joe Turner Classic Sophomore kicker Dereck Williams missed two field goals (36 and 42 yards) late in the fourth quarter as the Alabama State Hornets held on to defeat Savannah State, 20–17, at T.A. Wright Stadium. Quarterback Kurvin Curry completed 13 of 20 passes (159 yards) and Justin Babb rushed for 78 yards on 18 carries. The Tigers lead for much of the game, but fell behind when Devin Dominguez caught a 20-yard pass from Chris Mitchell late in the fourth quarter.
McNeese State
The eighth ranked Cowboys of McNeese State University racked up 489 yards on offense, including a season-high 288 rushing yards, in a 56–0 rout of Savannah State in the first ever meeting between the two schools. The Tigers offense were held to nine first downs during the game and only crossed mid-field three times. The McNeese State defense scored twice including a score on the game's fourth play when the Cowboys' defense sacked SSU quarterback Kurvin Curry and Desmund Lighten recovered his fumble in the end zone. Freshman quarterback A.J. DeFilippis replaced an injured Curry in the first half and completed 9 of 12 passes for 65 yards and one interception in the game. Junior defensive back Edward Ndem led the Tigers' defense with eight tackles while Chris Reed and Jeff Robertson had seven tackles each.
Concordia (AL)
Concordia's Harrison Ellison kicked a 35-yard field goal as time expired to give Concordia a 23–21 win over the Tigers in the 2009 Southern Georgia Heritage Classic in front of 1,333 in attendance. Savannah State led 21–14 with just over nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, but the Hornets, an NAIA-level team, scored nine points in the final five minutes, fourteen seconds to earn the win.
SSU gained 259 yards of total offense compared to Concordia's 376 yards. SSU quarterback A.J. DeFilippis came off the bench and was 9-of-11 passing for 95 yards with two touchdowns, ran five times for 41 yards, and threw an interception. Starting quarterback Kurvin Curry was 5-of-10, passing for 61 yards but was sacked twice. Justin Babb ran for a game-high 74 yards and a touchdown.
Charleston Southern Charleston Southern piled up 528 total yards in a 47–10 win over Savannah State. The Tigers only touchdown was a 16-yard run by Justin Babb. Babb finished the game with seven carries for 81 yards. Senior wide receiver Deleon Hollinger surpassed the 100-catch mark in his career in the game. Starting quarterback A.J. Defilippis completed 12 of 28 passes for 124 yards, but threw 2 interceptions. Kurvin Curry completed 4 of 7 passes during the game. The Tigers mustered 266 yards of total offense. The Tigers defense was led by Chris Asbury who achieved a career-high 11 tackles in the game. The Tigers fell to 1–4 on the season and Charleston Southern improved to 2–3.
Bethune–Cookman
The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats stopped Savannah State's Kurvin Curry on fourth-and-goal run from the 1-yard line late in the fourth quarter to preserve a 34–24 win. With 4:19 remaining in the game and trailing 27–24, the Tigers went on offense at the Wildcats' 8-yard line when linebacker Michael Kuku forced B-CU quarterback Matthew Johnson to fumble the football and defensive end Chris Reed recovered the ball. The Tigers offense attempted four plays, including two from inside B-CU's 1-yard line, but were unable to score. The Tigers were able to get the ball back at their own 34 yard line with 1:56 remaining in the game, but Curry's pass was intercepted by Michael Williams and returned 52 yards for a touchdown with 42 seconds left. Curry was intercepted again with 40 seconds left in the game by Tavaris Bell on the Tigers final offensive play of the game.
Curry, who relieved starter A.J. Defilippis in the game, was 11 of 23 for 174 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Defilippis was 4 of 11 for 49 yards. Savannah State moved to 1–5 and the Wildcats improved to 2–4.
Old Dominion