2018_Savannah_State_Tigers_football_team
2018 Savannah State Tigers football team
American college football season
The 2018 Savannah State Tigers football team represented Savannah State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Tigers were members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). They were led by third-year head coach Erik Raeburn and played their home games at Ted Wright Stadium. They finished the season 2–8, 1–6 in MEAC play to finish in last place.
| 2018 Savannah State Tigers football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference |
| Record | 2–8 (1–6 MEAC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Bill Rychel (3rd season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Chad Williams (3rd season) |
| Home stadium | Ted Wright Stadium |
Seasons 2019 → | |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 North Carolina A&T $ | 6 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bethune–Cookman | 5 | – | 2 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida A&M | 5 | – | 2 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina State | 4 | – | 3 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Howard | 4 | – | 3 | 4 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Carolina Central | 3 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Morgan State | 3 | – | 4 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Norfolk State | 2 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Delaware State | 2 | – | 5 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Savannah State | 1 | – | 6 | 2 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This season marked the Tigers' final season playing in Division I as they rejoined Division II after the season.[1]
On December 9, head coach Erik Raeburn was fired.[2] He finished as Savannah State with a three-year record of 8–23.
MEAC preseason poll
In a vote of the MEAC head coaches and sports information directors, the Tigers were picked to finish in eighth place.[3]
| Predicted finish | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina A&T |
| 2 | Howard |
| 3 | North Carolina Central |
| 4 | Bethune–Cookman |
| 5 | Florida A&M |
| 6 | Norfolk State |
| 7 | South Carolina State |
| 8 | Savannah State |
| 9 | Morgan State |
| 10 | Delaware State |
Preseason All-MEAC Teams
The Tigers had five players selected to the preseason all-MEAC teams.[4]
|
Offense 3rd team Paris Baker – TE |
Defense 1st team Stefen Banks – DL 3rd team Brandon Carswell – DL |
Special teams 2nd team Giovanni Lugo – K 3rd team JaMichael Baldwin – RS |
Coaching staff
Shawn Quinn - Defensive Coordinator/Linebacker Coach
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 30 | 8:00 p.m. | at UAB* | ESPN+ | L 0–52 | 27,124 | |
| September 8 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 22 (FBS) Miami (FL)* | ESPN3 | L 0–77 | 60,307 | |
| at | Cancelled[lower-alpha 1] | |||||
| September 22 | 4:00 p.m. | at Florida A&M | ESPN3 | L 13–31 | 16,644 | |
| September 29 | 6:00 p.m. | Bethune–Cookman | ESPN3 | L 20–35 | 5,018 | |
| October 6 | 6:00 p.m. | Charleston Southern* |
| ESPN3 | W 23–3 | 2,970 |
| October 13 | 6:00 p.m. | Morgan State |
| ESPN3 | L 11–18 | 2,655 |
| October 27 | 3:00 p.m. | Norfolk State |
| ESPN3 | W 32–3 | 7,812 |
| November 3 | 2:00 p.m. | at Delaware State | ESPN+ | L 6–25 | 1,563 | |
| November 10 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 14 North Carolina A&T |
| ESPN3 | L 12–28 | 4,788 |
| November 17 | 1:30 p.m. | at South Carolina State | ESPN3 | L 17–21 | 7,365 | |
| ||||||
Despite also being a member of the MEAC, the game vs Howard will be considered a non-conference game and will have no effect on the MEAC standings.[8]
- This game was originally postponed in anticipation of Hurricane Florence, until being cancelled on November 16, 2018.[5][6]
At UAB
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Blazers | 7 | 21 | 10 | 14 | 52 |
At Miami (FL)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 22 (FBS) Hurricanes | 7 | 21 | 21 | 28 | 77 |
At Florida A&M
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| Rattlers | 0 | 3 | 14 | 14 | 31 |
Bethune–Cookman
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcats | 7 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 35 |
| Tigers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
Charleston Southern
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buccaneers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Tigers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 23 |
Morgan State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 3 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 18 |
| Tigers | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 11 |
Norfolk State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spartans | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Tigers | 7 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 32 |
At Delaware State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Hornets | 3 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 25 |
North Carolina A&T
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 14 Aggies | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
| Tigers | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 12 |
At South Carolina State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigers | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
- "SSU moves to Division II Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference". Savannah State University. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
- "Savannah State fires Erik Raeburn as head football coach". www.hbcusports.com. HBCU Sports. December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
- "Hurricane Florence Forces Postponement Of Howard/Savannah State Football Game". www.ssuathletics.com. Savannah State Athletics. September 12, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
- "SSU versus Howard Football Game Canceled". www.ssuathletics.com. Savannah State Athletics. November 16, 2018. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
- "SSU Releases 2018 Football Schedule". www.ssuathletics.com. Savannah State Athletics. April 11, 2018.