Nick DeRiso wrote a new blog post: At last, the riddle of first-place preseason vote for Savannah State is solved

There was a fascinating footnote that I never got past in the MEACs preseason football polling: Someone had voted Savannah State as No. 1.

Yes, that Savannah State. The former independent just now moving into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The one that just rebuilt its football staff, again. The one that last posted a winning season in 1998.

Savannah, of course, ended up finishing last among the MEACs 11 football schools in a secret ballot voted on by the leagues coaches and sports information directors. But no other team in the MEACs bottom five received even a single first-place nod. So, the intrigue surrounding the programs one true believer remained.

Until, that is, Savannah State held its annual football media day. Turns out, the lone voter was none other than SSUs first-year skipper.

Were playing to win the MEAC championship this year, Steve Davenport boldly predicted on Sunday^[1]. Thats our goal. I didnt place us No. 11 with my vote. I dont know if (Savannah States sports information director) wants me to tell that, but I voted our guys No. 1, public opinion be damned. Were going to try to win the MEAC championship. As a leader of men, I dont see a team on the schedule that beats us until they beat us.

Youve got to love the spirit displayed by Davenport, hired away after four seasons as the running backs coach at Alabama-Birmingham. After all, Savannah State returns 16 of 22 starters from the 2010 squad, including nine on defense and seven on offense.

But that group only managed to win a single game last season, finishing dead last in the nation for pass-efficiency defense, No. 114 out of 117 FCS programs in total defense and No. 113 in total offense. In fact, SSU ranked No. 111 or worse, as The Savannah (Ga.) Morning News Noell Barnidge rightly notes, in 11 of the championship subdivisions 17 principal statistical categories.

They werent bad they were awful. So, you have to wonder: Where does this confidence come from?

I dont want to come across as arrogant; it wasnt an arrogant move, Davenport added. If you dont have confidence in yourself, in your ability and in your team, then how do you lead them? I mean, I dont know what my answer would be if one of my players stood up and said, Coach, why didnt you vote us No. 1? Why didnt you think that we were going to be the best? So it was a natural move from my perspective. Im going to vote them No. 1 next year, too.

It will be interesting to see if that vote makes more sense next season. Davenport certainly has his work cut out for him.

Savannah State begins its new campaign on Sept. 3 against Albany State University in Macon, Ga.

MEAC FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLL (As voted upon by MEAC football coaches and sports information directors; first-place votes in parenthesis):1. South Carolina State (6) 468 points 2. Bethune-Cookman (8) 454 3. Florida A&M (5) 420 4. Hampton (1) 321 5. Norfolk State (1) 274 6. Morgan State 250 7. North Carolina Central 162 8. Delaware State 158 9. North Carolina A&T 128 10. Howard 96 11.



Savannah State (1) 63

Tags: MEAC^[2], MEAC football^[3], Savannah State^[4], Steve Davenport^[5]

Category: On the sidelines^[6]

References

1. ^{^} Steve Davenport boldly predicted on Sunday (savannahnow.com)
2. ^{^} MEAC (thederisoreport.hbcufannation.com)
3. ^{^} MEAC football (thederisoreport.hbcufannation.com)
4. ^{^} Savannah State (thederisoreport.hbcufannation.com)
5. ^{^} Steve Davenport (thederisoreport.hbcufannation.com)
6. ^{^} View all posts in On the sidelines (thederisoreport.hbcufannation.com)