South Carolina State 27, Alabama State 14

September 3, 2005

South Carolina State quarterback Cleveland McCoy did not look like someone making only his second collegiate start during the MEAC/SWAC Challenge at Legion Field.

The Bulldogs’ sophomore signal caller looked like the real McCoy in taking most valuable player as he racked up over 240 yards in total offense while the Alabama State offense looked extremely sluggish in a 27-14 win in front of an announced crowd of 18,452.

While quarterback Tarvaris Jackson threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns to take most valuable player honors for the Hornets, ASU (0-1) never led and had significant problems moving the football for most of the afternoon.

“I thought we would at least make some plays out there,” said ASU head coach Charles Coe, who lost his first season-opener with the Hornets in three tries. “I thought we were ready to play and I thought at times we did play, but we didn’t make the plays when we needed to.”

South Carolina State (1-0) came out smoking and it had nothing to do with a heat index in the mid-90s at game time.

McCoy finished off a 5-play, 70-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown run to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 advantage on their first series. Their next series ended with a 28-yard field goal by Stephen Grantham and when DeShawn Baker scored from 1-yard out 41 seconds into the second quarter, SCSU had built a 17-0 advantage.

The Bulldogs were basically moving the ball at will, especially on the ground. SCSU racked up 416 yards in total offense, 154 in the first quarter, as Alabama State had trouble stopping the quarterback option.

“We just took what they were giving us,” South Carolina State head coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough said. “Not because it’s what we called from the sidelines, but from what (McCoy) saw on the field. We’re not an option team, we just checked into it.”

On the other hand, the first quarter could not have been any worse for the Hornets. They went three-and-out on their first two offensive series; on the third, Jackson threw a pass that hit receiver Alvance Robinson in the shoulder pads and was intercepted.

To add injury to insult, senior defensive end Ian Kinsey had to be helped from the field with a knee injury after making a tackle and did not return. Also, starting full back Lee Carter missed the first two series after taking intravenous fluids right before kickoff.

By halftime, the Bulldogs led 17-7 and it could have been worse. After Jackson and Robinson connected on a 30-yard touchdown pass at the 11:11 mark in the second quarter, Rondriekas Darby returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for what appeared to be a backbreaking touchdown. But a block in the back by Dontae Powell negated the score and the Bulldogs were forced to punt. Stephen Grantham also missed a 32-yard field goal with 56 seconds left before halftime.

The Hornets looked as if they had scored a touchdown with two seconds left in the first half. But Lorenzo Hoffman was ruled to have dropped a pass after landing both feet in the end zone with possession of the ball. Once he fell to the ground, the ball jarred loose and it was ruled incomplete.

The Bulldogs looked as if they were going to break the game open early in the second half. On their opening drive, thanks to a 41-yard run by Baker, South Carolina State was at the ASU 9 and saw Troy McFadden get into the end zone on the next play.

But a holding penalty erased the score and on the next play, sophomore cornerback Brandon Averett picked off McCoy’s pass and ended the scoring threat.

Unfortunately, Alabama State couldn’t hold off the Bulldogs’ bite for long. After a roughing the kicker penalty erased a 22-yard field goal by Grantham, South Carolina State’s Jonathan Woods marched in from the 4 to put the Hornets into a 24-7 hole with five seconds left in the third quarter.

A 22-yard field goal by Grantham with 10 minutes to go expanded the SCSU lead to 27-7 but Jackson and Hoffman hooked up on a 79-yard touchdown pass on the Hornets’ next play from scrimmage to close out the scoring.