Chances are high that a pass will be intercepted if Savannah State plays in Frankfurt, Kentucky State on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Frankfurt.
Not that this defense didn’t pick up passes at high speed. SSU (3-1) has seven interceptions in four games while Kentucky State (2-2) has five.
It’s just that these offenses don’t throw the ball very often. The visiting Tigers are 22 of 49 in the season for 476 yards (119 per game) and two picks.
The host’s thorobreds are 17 of 32 for 234 yards (58.5 per game) and a selection. In its final game, a 34-28 win over Benedict, Kentucky State played 65 games and played the ball once. Nobody got it.
What these teams love to do most is play the ball. The Tigers rushed a total of 864 yards, an average of 216 yards. The Thorobreds have 957 net rushing yards and one 239.3 clip per game.
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“They’re a good football team,” said SSU head coach Shawn Quinn. “They put Benedict, who is a good football team, up over 400 yards (450). They play a unique style. They are more like an army or the citadel. They play really well.”
Kentucky State has a one-sided loss (41-7 to Tennessee State) and a narrow loss (26-25 to Kentucky Wesleyan) with wins over Central State (20-6) and Benedict. The Thorobreds were 14: 7 after a quarter against Benedict, then 28:17 back at half time, before taking the second half 17: 0 for the comeback victory.
Quinn and his staff studied their opponents during the offseason and came to the conclusion that the state of Kentucky would be among the top teams in the West Division of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference this year.
“It definitely is,” said Quinn. “They play super hard. They are well trained. They play a really good defense, really good special teams. Their offense is very good and unique. As much as we let the ball run, they run it a lot more. So a big challenge for US.”
Thorobred running back Brett Sylve lives up to the team’s nickname as he was All-SIAC in his second and junior season. The 5-foot-8, 210-pound senior had 18 carries against Benedict for 178 yards (an average of 9.9) and two touchdowns.
“He’s a super good running back,” said Quinn. “I’ve always been very impressed with him. I think he’s running extremely hard.”
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Kentucky State College quarterback Jonathan Jerry (5-9, 162) had 14 carries for 127 net yards and no yards on one try.
Another running back on the roster may be familiar to high school football fans at Coastal Empire. Lamonee “Toot” Johnson is a former Effingham County High School star who moved to Kentucky State from Carson-Newman, Tennessee.
“I know he’s a good football player in the movie and he’s very quick,” said Quinn, who never saw 5-11, 200-pound juniors play in his prep career. “He’s doing a good job up there and he’s a good player.”
Georgia in mind
Johnson is one of 16 players from Georgia in the Kentucky state roster.
“There are a lot of good players on a lot of people in Georgia,” said Quinn. “We’re in a state with a lot of talent. We can’t get them all, as much as we’d like to get every single one of them. There are a lot of really good football players across the state. For us, that’s obviously an advantage here too You’re in your back yard and there are lots of good prospects and people who can help you win football games and who are good people too. “
SSU hit the road this week after sweeping a home stand of three games, including two wins over SIAC enemies Benedict (41-34) and Morehouse (29-10). Quinn sees the challenge in winning on the streets, especially against the state of Kentucky. He also challenged his squad to learn how to finish games after seeing Benedict and Morehouse being more productive in the second half of those games.
“This is a part of us that matures with a lot of young players and a new group just finishes games and plays hard for 60 minutes and is locked up and locked for 60 minutes,” said Quinn.
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He said it would be “an unrelenting effort of 60 minutes, not just physically but mentally” against teams like Kentucky State. The Tigers have to master swings in swing and not only take the lead, but build on it.
The coach noted the team’s fumbles (13, lost seven in four games), penalties and other avoidable mistakes.
“We still have a long way to go,” said Quinn. “We are far from there. We have enough talent to win every week, but also to be beaten every week. We have to play team football.”
Chad Lunsford fires at Georgia Southern
Sunday night’s news that Georgia Southern fired head coach Chad Lunsford reverberated across the college football world in Statesboro and beyond. Quinn didn’t train at Lunsford, knows him and many of his assistant coaches.
“It’s tough business,” Quinn said on Wednesday. “It’s a crazy job. There’s not a lot of longevity in this business. Chad has always been top notch to me. I know a lot of people on the team. I wish them the best.”
Quinn spent two seasons with Georgia Southern in 2010-11 as linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator under head coach Jeff Monken before becoming defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Charleston Southern in 2012.
“Georgia Southern is a special place,” said Quinn. “They’ll do a good job. They’ll win there. You’ll find out. Everyone there, from president down, is determined to win. They are unique in their focus. They understand the importance of great football.” Program is; there is a university veranda there. We want to become a porch for our university and a center of attraction to help increase enrollments, donations and fundraising, and also to be a positive force for us in the community and create that excitement here (in Savannah). “
Quinn trained on the Eagles team, who made it 10-5 to the FCS playoff semifinals in 2010 and reached 11-3, won the Southern Conference title and made it to the semifinals season at GS in 2011, Quinn said he was pleased on being the head coach of Savannah State and focused on beating Kentucky State.
Nathan Dominitz is the sports content editor for Savannah Morning News and savannahnow.com. Send him an email at ndominitz@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @NathanDominitz
