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SC State again knocking on MEAC title door
Roscoe Nance
BCSP Correspondent
Always the bridesmaid and never the bride has been South Carolina State's plight the past five seasons as the Bulldogs have finished second in the MEAC each year.
However, this could be the year that South Carolina State gets to the altar by winning the MEAC championship and landing the automatic berth in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs that accompanies it.
The Bulldogs lead the MEAC with a 5-0 record. All they have to
do is win their remaining games against
Howard, Morgan State and North Carolina
A&T and they will shed their bridesmaid's mantle.
"We have the best case scenario,'' said seven-year Bulldog Coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough. "Our fate is in our own hands. Let's see if we can keep it going. We've been planning for sometime to have to win out.''
Still, Pough is haunted by the ghosts of the Bulldogs' past second-place finishes.
"It has been extremely frustrating,'' he says. "You don't know how frustrating. It's almost like somebody steals your dog. You don't have the significance in your program. You can't talk about the things you accomplished. You feel defeated. You wonder if you got the stuff it takes to get it done. You second guess the decisions you've made and things you've done.''
Despite the setbacks, the Bulldogs have repeatedly shown their resilience by bouncing back to contend for the title year after year. Their ability to bounce back makes them arguably the most respected and feared team in the MEAC, so much so that they again this year were the preseason picks to win the conference title.
The Bulldogs have lived up to expectations, thanks in large part to the play of sophomore quarterback Malcolm Long and senior running back Will Ford, the preseason choice for MEAC Offensive Player of the Year. Ford is second in the conference in rushing with 1,038 yards, giving him back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He has also scored nine touchdowns.
"Ford is real special,'' Pough says. "He's a feature style running back. We want the all in his hands.''
Travil Jamison provides the Bulldogs with an excellent change of pace as Ford's backup. He has rushed for 440 yards and scored nine touchdowns while averaging a team-high 6.5 yards a carry.
"Jamison is a good contrasting style,'' Pough says.
Long is the No. 3 passer in the MEAC with 1,628 yards. He has thrown 10 touchdown passes.
"To be basically a freshman, for him to be as far along as he is is phenomenal,'' Pough says. "He can see defenses. He does a nice job running the team and a nice job of running the ball. He has a chance to be special here.''
Long suffered a shoulder injury in the Bulldogs' 23-17 victory against Delaware State Saturday, and it is unclear how serious it is.
Tight end Octavius Darby is the Bulldogs' secret weapon on offense because of his versatility. Pough uses the 6-2, 256-pound senior at fullback in some situations and splits him out in others in addition to lining him up at his normal position. He has the size and strength to be an effective blocker, and he is an inviting target in short-yardage passing situations. He also has enough speed to get deep, which his 17.5 yards per catch on 23 receptions indicates.
"You have to credit the coaching staff for being able to maintain a high level of efficiency year-in and year-out even though they haven't won it all,'' says ESPNU play-by-play announcer Charlie Neal, who will call Thursday night's Howard-South Carolina State contest. "The thing that has helped them is their passing game. They've been traditionally a running team. They have excellent receivers. They have a good offensive line and veterans on defense. I really think this is their year.''
Pough says the key to South Carolina State's success has been its unity. "Our team has been a together team, an unselfish team,'' he says. "A lot of people have contributed, and they have all pulled together.''
Pough also says nonconference losses to a pair of Football Bowl Subdivision opponents, 17-0 to the University of Central Florida and 54-0 to Clemson, helped the Bulldogs' confidence immensely.
"The competition is where we measure ourselves,'' he says. "We didn't feel overmatched. We weren't the blowout bait or the Tiger meat that we looked to be going in, even in the Clemson game despite the score.''
Even though the Bulldogs got past defending MEAC champion Delaware State 23-17 last weekend, Pough wasn't pleased with their performance. They led 23-3 late in the third quarter, but turnovers allowed Delaware State to make a run at them.
"Our mental focus was off a little bit (against Delaware State)'' Pough says. "Go from there to the fact that we made more mistakes than we would have liked. We weren't impressive. If we play like we played, we will be runners-up again. I hope this was a wakeup message.''
© 2008 Azeez Communications, Inc.