It's Homecoming Saturday at Clark Atlanta University and the homestanding Panthers are hosting new Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference member Savannah State at CAU Panther Stadium at 2 p.m.

The biggest crowd of the season is expected to fill the seat when the SIAC's second-best passing offense hits the field for Clark Atlanta (0-6, 0-2 SIAC).

Panther quarterback Charles Stafford has been on a hot streak the past two games, throwing for more than 340 yards and tossing three TDs in close losses to Miles and Kentucky State. 
Stafford is second in passing with 267 yards a game and has thrown the second most touchdown passes (14) this season.

His main targets have been Drakar Jerry, who is seventh in the SIAC in receptions per game with 3.8, and Kendall Wimberly, who has emerged the past couple of weeks with a 13-catch, 187-yard, three-touchdown day at Miles and six catches for 112 yards last week at Kentucky State.

Savannah State counters with the SIAC's second-best rushing offense, led by D'Angelo Durham and quarterback D'Vonn Gibbons.  Durham is third in the SIAC in rushing with 477 yards per game, while dual-threat Gibbons is tenth among conference players in rushing with 55.7 yards rushing per game, 334 yards total.

It's a big game for the Panthers because despite an 0-6 record (the Panthers have actually gone into the fourth quarter in four of their six games with either a lead or trailing by four points or less), there is still an outside chance of an SIAC East Division championship for CAU.

The Panthers have two SIAC losses, but only one – to Albany State – is an SIAC East loss. Along with Savannah State today, CAU still has to play East Division foes in first-place Fort Valley State on Oct. 26^th, Benedict on Nov. 2, and Morehouse on Nov. 9.  

PANTHER NOTES: Savannah State joins the conference after being a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in the Football Championship Series from 2010 to 2018.  But the move to the Division II SIAC isn't unfamiliar to SSU.  They were a member of the SIAC from 1969 to 2000… The last time Savannah State played Clark Atlanta was here in Atlanta in 2008.  SSU won 17-14 on a field goal with just over a minute remaining….Two of Savannah State's three losses are to FCS teams: they lost 24-19 to Charleston Southern of the Big South Conference and 42-17 last week to Alcorn State of the SWAC… Clark Atlanta linebacker Terrance Harris continues to rank among the top tacklers in the SIAC.  Harris, a sophomore, has 50 tackles so far this season, just one behind Tuskegee's Ricky Norris who has 50. Harris also leads the conference with three fumble recoveries…. Cornerback Johnny Sharp leads the SIAC with three interceptions…. 

CLARK ATLANTA PANTHERS (0-6, 0-2 SIAC)
Head Coach – Tim Bowens
 
LEADERS
 
Offense
Passing – Charles Stafford (136-of-239 for 1603 yards, 14 touchdowns, nine interceptions)
                
Rushing – Martin Fleming (23 rushes, 67 yards, long of 30 yards)
                 Darius Blackmon (26 rushes, 64 yards, long of 17 yards)
Receiving – Drakar Jerry (23 receptions, 291 yards, two touchdowns, long of 64 yards)
                    Kendall Wimberly (21 receptions, 314 yards, three touchdowns, long of 64 yards)
                    Darrell Nichols (14 receptions, 227 yards, long of 24 yards)         
Kickoff Returns – Darius Blackmon (nine returns, 168 yards, long of 27)
   Darrell Nichols (nine returns, 237 yards, long of 67 yards
Punt Returns – Drakar Jerry (five returns, 45 yards, long of 15 yards) 
                 
Defense
Tackles – Terrance Harris (50 tackles, 34 solo, 16 assisted, three tackles for loss)
                Kenneth Morgan (35 tackles, 19 solo, 16 assisted)
                Tyler Wimberly (34 tackles, 20 solo, 14 assisted, five tackles for loss)
Sacks – Tyler Wimberly (two sacks for 14 yards)
              Breante Glover, Rodney Lewis, Lorenzo Fields (each with one sack)
Interceptions – Johnny Sharp (three interceptions)
                         Kenneth Morgan, Kevin Williams, Tyrese Ross (one interception each)

SAVANNAH STATE TIGERS (3-3, 2-0 SIAC)
Head Coach – Erik Raeburn
 
LEADERS
 
Offense
Passing – D'Vonn Gibbons (22-of-54 for 350 yards, five touchdowns, three interceptions, long of 78 yards)
Rushing – D'Angelo Durham (102 rushes, 477 yards, four touchdowns, long of 26 yards)
                 D'Vonn Gibbons (73 rushes, 334 yards, three touchdowns, long of 49 yards)
Receiving – Cameron White (eight receptions, 83 yards, three touchdowns, long of 21 yards)
                    Rayvion Hayden (five receptions, 88 yards, long of 30 yards)
Kickoff Returns – Einaj Carter (six returns, 91 yards, long of 31 yards)
Punt Returns – Dorian Metts (nine returns, 86 yards, long of 25 yards)
                        

Defense
Tackles – Walter Yares (38 tackles, 28 solo, 10 assisted, 6.5 tackles for loss)
                D'Armani Ridley (30 tackles, 23 solo, 7 assisted, one tackle for loss)
Sacks –  Bernard Brown (2.5 sacks for 18 yards)
               Fred Raynes, Kenneth Singleton, Dameien Rodgers (two sacks each)
Interceptions – Ny'Em Bozeman, Walter Yates (two interceptions each)
                        Adorian Beach, Christopher Smith, Kiwon Harris (one interception each)
 
For more information about Clark Atlanta football, go to https://clarkatlantasports.com/index.aspx?path=football.