A hotly contested Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football rivalry will be played a neutral site for 2023 as Savannah State and Albany State have confirmed their participation in the newly formed Coastal City Classic.
The Golden Rams and Tigers will meet at Glynn County Stadium in Brunswick, Georgia on Sept. 23 and the game will be broadcast live on the NBC streaming service Peacock.
There will be a weekend full of scheduled events including a golf tournament and coaches’ luncheon Friday as well as a game day Greek fest and pep rally leading up to the game, which will count in the SIAC standings.
“They’ve had our number in recent years,” Tigers head coach Aaron Kelton told WJCL22 News at Friday afternoon’s press conference. “But we’re very excited about the team we’re going to put on the field this year.”
“We look forward to having a chance at winning the whole thing,” Golden Rams wide receivers coach Tod DeVoe said.
In the final season of division play, ASU finished 7-3 overall and 5-2 in the SIAC East, including a 31-20 win at SSU October 22. The Tigers finished 5-5 overall and 3-4 in SIAC East play.
Aside from the opportunity to play in a brand-new classic, the location of the Coastal City Classic (Brunswick is in Georgia’s southeast corner) is a plus for both coaching staffs, who are hopeful of catching the attention of potential new players.
“This gives us an opportunity to reach the guys that we couldn’t touch because we’re coming right to their backyard,” DeVoe said.
Kelton added, “I don’t know if it’ll generate a guy next year, but in the years to follow, we’ll definitely use the game as a recruiting tool.”
