Suspended reserve wide receiver Angelo Cauley returned to Savannah State football practice Tuesday afternoon. Seven others who were also suspended a week ago did not.
Tigers coach Steve Davenport said he met Monday with the eight who missed SSU’s homecoming game with Edward Waters College on Saturday.
Cauley was the only player who “did all the things necessary” from his perspective to return, Davenport said.
Starting offensive tackle Chris Jones, starting linebacker Jamani Chavis and five reserves are still out. Davenport said there were a variety of reasons for the suspensions, ranging from being late to study halls and workouts to academic issues.
“Some are taking (the suspensions) to heed, and some are not,” Davenport said. “Angelo took care of his business, and we’re welcoming him back. I hope that we’ll welcome the rest back.”
Injury report
Safety Vaughn Cornelia returned to practice after being out with an injury. Cornelia recorded eight tackles in the Tigers’ first four games.
Offensive linemen Epafara Moananu and Elijah Watson suffered concussions and are out for the Hampton game.
Injured defensive lineman Charles Green and defensive back Jovante Miller are also out for the Hampton game.
“We’ll have enough to put 11 on the field and that’s all that matters,” Davenport said.
About Hampton
The Pirates (1-5, 1-3 MEAC) are struggling this year with their only win coming against Norfolk State, which is winless in the conference.
Turnovers have been problematic. Hampton has 10 interceptions and nine lost fumbles, while creating just eight turnovers (minus 1.83).
Senior running back Jeremi Schwartz, a transfer from Iowa State, has run for 606 yards and seven touchdowns. He had 201 yards in a loss to Bethune-Cookman.
The Pirates played two quarterbacks in their last outing against North Carolina Central — sophomore Travis Champion and freshman Jaylian Williamson. Champion has taken the majority of the snaps throughout the season and has thrown for 1,093 yards and five touchdowns.
Defensively, senior linebacker Lyndell Gibson has a team-leading 51 tackles with 6.5 tackles for losses and two interceptions.
This and that
SSU relinquished the FCS’s longest losing streak (it had reached 13) by defeating Edward Waters on Saturday. Austin Peay and Rhode Island now have the longest streaks with nine setbacks in a row.
Western Carolina of the Southern Conference has the longest conference losing streak at 20, and Idaho State has the longest road losing streak at 37. … Junior wide receiver Simon Heyward is second in the MEAC with 77.14 receiving yards a game and third in the league with 26.0-yard kickoff return average. … Cornerback John Wilson is tied for second in the league with .43 interceptions a game (three in seven games). …
SSU is last in scoring defense in the FCS, allowing 52 points a game.
SAVANNAH STATE AT HAMPTON
Records: Savannah State (1-6, 0-4 MEAC); Hampton (1-5, 1-3 MEAC)
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: Armstrong Stadium, Hampton, Va.
TV/radio: No TV/WHCJ 90.3 FM