Savannah State’s offense needed a playmaker after scoring a total of 18 points in losses to Howard, Morgan State and Florida A&M.
Junior wide receiver Simon Heyward came through Saturday.
The former-Beach High star caught six passes for 160 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a 42-35 victory over Edward Waters College.
On Monday, Heyward earned the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week award — a first for an SSU football player.
“It’s well-deserved,” Tigers coach Steve Davenport said. “We kind of realized his potential last year, and we’ve been doing things to get him opportunities and get him in space.”
Heyward answered each of the first two Edward Waters touchdowns with receptions of 50 and 14 yards to keep SSU even at 14-14 in the first quarter.
His 52-yard score with two minutes and eight seconds left in the third quarter put the Tigers ahead for good, 35-28.
Despite the team’s 1-6 record, Heyward is having a good season individually. He caught seven passes for a school record 225 yards and a touchdown in a loss to North Carolina Central on Sept. 22.
Two weeks ago, he had four catches for 103 yards at Florida A&M.
After seven games, he has 27 receptions for 540 yards and five touchdowns.
He almost didn’t get a chance to line up for a snap this season. Heyward had offseason surgery for a torn labrum (shoulder joint) and did not participate in contact drills during the preseason.
But Heyward was in the lineup for the opener against Oklahoma State and hasn’t missed a game.
He had starred at Beach High and was recruited by Georgia Southern, Alabama State, South Carolina State and Tuskegee, but eventually chose the Tigers, who had a scholarship available when he made his SAT scores.
As a freshman, Heyward caught 56 passes for 423 yards. Last year, he had 16 catches for 207 yards.
Although his statistics diminished, Heyward’s status remained high, Davenport said.
“Coming into the year, we thought our receiving core was pretty good, and Simon was a big part of that,” Davenport said. “Those guys have worked hard and they’re having a good year.”
Note
SSU’s Terrance Williams was an honorable mention for MEAC Defense Player of the Week after recording nine tackles — four solo, one tackle for a loss, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.