[Sly Fox]

Posted Sunday, August 6 at 7:44 AM

Savannah State starting over again with new coach
by The Associated Press

Theo Lemon had two simple messages for his new Savannah State team: ``No excuses'' and ``Don't look back.''

Well, that's a start. Now comes the tough part.

Lemon is taking over a troubled program coming off an 0-11 season and recently hit with a three-year NCAA probation. The Tigers have only three wins in four seasons since moving to I-AA from Division II.

As the NCAA penalties were handed down, Lemon called off spring practice but vowed to make major changes.

``We're starting fresh,'' he said. ``It's a whole new beginning, a new opportunity for the guys who didn't get a chance to play last year for whatever reason. It's an opportunity for everybody.''

Following an investigation that began in 2004, the NCAA ruled in May that Savannah State was guilty of recruiting violations, improper financial aid and a lack of institutional control, among other violations. The football program also was cited for a lack of institutional control in 1998.

``Savannah State has been through a lot. I don't like to dwell on the past and what happened,'' Lemon said. ``I tell them 'Don't look back unless you plan on going that way.' Don't bring up things as a reason this happened or that happened because it really doesn't matter. No excuses. Let's just get it done.''

The 49-year-old Lemon coached Central State of Ohio for four seasons before moving to Savannah State. From 1996-2000, he was the assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator at Wake Forest.

The new coach plans to build the Tigers' offense around sophomore quarterback Garrett Williams, who completed nearly 55 percent of his passes for 2,203 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

``Obviously, Garrett has a lot of talent,'' Lemon said. ``I feel comfortable that the things we do will give him a chance to really, really showcase his talent. He really has talent.''

Williams may be one of the few Savannah State players who is assured of a starting job.

``It's a good start, a fresh start,'' Williams said. ``It gives all the players an opportunity to start over again, to get a second chance.''

Savannah State played much of last season with a freshmen-dominated offensive line, which gave up 22 sacks.

Chad Cone is the team's top returning rusher. He gained 814 yards and scored six touchdowns, besides making 25 receptions for 249 yards.

Michael Hicks and Anthony Huntley, who combined for 39 receptions last season, are the top receivers from last season.

The Tigers must improve on defense after giving up 43.6 points per game. Sophomore linebacker Trent Newton was one of the few bright spots with 100 tackles, including three sacks and eight other stops behind the line.

Junior Dominique Clark is one of the most experienced players on the defensive line.

``It's going to be a competition and that's how it should be,'' Clark said. ``We've been through some things in the past. We have a new coach and a fresh beginning and everybody is looking forward to the future. We're just going to work hard to get success.''

Lemon brought along three assistants from his Central State staff. He didn't get any resistance from his new school to making a major overhaul.

``The reaction was, and this is just my guess, they were looking for change and they were happy there was a change,'' Lemon said. ``They're looking forward to brighter things, and hopefully we're in a position to bring that for them, the alumni base and the city of Savannah.''

http://www.accessnorthga.com/sports/new ... ?ID=105821

[PAmedic]

be interesting to see if there is any substantive change when we play them this fall- of course, with no spring practice and a very young team, I don't expect much from them

[bigsmooth]

i agree. it's gonna take a lot for this team to be competitive. my best to their new coach.

[PAmedic]

kinda makes me wonder why we are playing at their place. Possibly a fill-in game for us after we dumped Rutgers and the other "Bowl Subdivision" team game?

[Libertine]

kinda makes me wonder why we are playing at their place. Possibly a fill-in game for us after we dumped Rutgers and the other "Bowl Subdivision" team game?

Yes. We dumped Rutgers and another school dumped us. Sav St. comes here in either '07 or '08. As far as it being a road game for us, at this stage in the program, I'd be thrilled with an early road win. Those have been few and far between the last few years.

[Libertine]

I've always felt a lot of pity for that program between the poor facilities, the nearly non-existent budget, the lack of stability in the athletic department and the completely unrealistic expectations of their administration. Theo Lemon has quite a reputation in the coaching world as being very good at what he does and I really hope that he can turn things around down there...after September 23rd, of course.