DURHAM, NC (October 30, 2021) —South Carolina State (3-4 overall, 2-0 MEAC) look to remain perfect in league when they take on a tough and talented NC Central (3-4 overall, 1-0 MEAC) team Saturday (Oct. 30th) at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium (10,000 capacity / Mondoturf) in Durham, N.C.. Kickoff is 2 p.m.
MEDIA COVERAGE: TV:ESPN+
RADIO: SC State Bulldog Football Radio Network with play-by-play announcer Ernest Robinson and analyst William “Bill” Hamilton
Orangeburg: 92.9 FM / 1580 AM (ESPN Orangeburg)
Columbia: 105.1 FM
Camden: 99.5 FM / 1130 AM
Florence: 98.7 FM
Florence/Sumter/Myrtle Beach: 1080 AM
Internet: https://zeno.fm/WPJKAM/
Phone: 641-552-5120
THE SERIES
This will be the 26th football meeting between SC State and NCCU since the two schools first played on Oct. 15, 1927. SC State holds a slim 13-12 advantage in the series. The Bulldogs have won nine of the last 13 match-ups dating back to 1976, while the Eagles have won three of the last four. In 2012, NCCU snapped a seven-game losing skid to the Bulldogs by cruising to a 40-10 victory at the Circle City Classic in Indianapolis. In 2013, S.C. State returned the favor by beating the Eagles 44-3 in Durham.
Nov. 16, 2019 – SCSU 24, NCCU 0 (Durham, N.C.)
Nov. 24, 2018 – NCCU 21, SCSU 17 (Orangeburg, S.C.)
Sept. 21, 2017 – NCCU 33, SCSU 28 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 11, 2014 – NCCU 48, SCSU 35 (Orangeburg, S.C.)
Oct. 10, 2013 – SCSU 44, NCCU 3 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 6, 2012 – NCCU 40, SCSU 10 (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Oct. 8, 2011 – SCSU 49, NCCU 38 (Orangeburg, S.C.)
Oct. 23, 1993 – SCSU 42, NCCU 13 (Orangeburg, S.C.)
Oct. 24, 1992 – SCSU 69, NCCU 0 (Orangeburg, S.C.)
Oct. 27, 1979 – SCSU 26, NCCU 6 (Charleston, S.C.)
Oct. 28, 1978 – SCSU 17, NCCU 15 (Orangeburg, S.C.)
Oct. 29, 1977 – SCSU 45, NCCU 12 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 30, 1976 – SCSU 30, NCCU 0 (Orangeburg, S.C.)
Nov. 1, 1975 – NCCU 6, SCSU 3 (Durham, N.C.)
Nov. 2, 1974 – SCSU 21, NCCU 3 (Orangeburg, S.C.)
Oct. 27, 1973 – SCSU 24, NCCU 3 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 28, 1972 – NCCU 43, SCSU 0 (Orangeburg, S.C.)
Oct. 30, 1971 – NCCU 21, SCSU 12 (Durham, N.C.)
Nov. 3, 1956 – SCSU 26, NCCU 12 (Orangeburg, S.C.)
Nov. 5, 1955 – NCCU 26, SCSU 7 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 1, 1949 – NCCU 7, SCSU 6 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 2, 1948 – NCCU 19, SCSU 0 (Durham, N.C.)
Sept. 26, 1941 – NCCU 19, SCSU 0 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 20, 1928 – NCCU 6, SCSU 0 (Durham, N.C.)
Oct. 15, 1927 – SCSU 10, NCCU 6 (Orangeburg, S.C.)
THE COACHES
NCCU: Trei Oliver (N.C. Central, 1998) is in his second season as a college head coach. With 22 years of college coaching experience that includes five conference championships and three black college football national titles, Oliver returned to his alma mater as North Carolina Central University’s 24th head football coach in December 2018. A native of Yorktown, Virginia, Oliver earned all-conference and all-region honors as a defensive back and punter during his four-year playing career at NCCU from 1994-97. The 1998 graduate later returned to NCCU as an assistant coach from 2003-06, helping the Eagles to back-to-back Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) championships in 2005 and 2006.
South Carolina State: Oliver “Buddy” Pough is in his 20th season as head coach at South Carolina State, his alma mater. Since succeeding head coach emeritus Willie Jeffries as Bulldog head coach in 2002, Pough has built the SC State football program into a perennial power in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and is the winningest coach in school history. During his 20-year tenure at the school, where he earned a bachelor’s and a master’s as well as All-MEAC honors as an offensive lineman, Pough has compiled an enviable 139-79 overall record. His teams have also captured two MEAC titles (2008 & 2009) outright and shared three others (2004, 2010, 2013), and made four trips to the FCS playoffs (2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013).
Players to Watch
SC?STATE?BULLDOGS
RUSHING: Kendrell Flowers 60-247-yards and 6 TD’s, Corey Fields, Jr., 53-142-yards and 1 TD and Donte Anthony 38-146-yards and 3TD’s
PASSING: Corey Fields, Jr. 116-224-11 for 1552-yards and 9 TD’s and Quincy Hill 2-of-5 for 32-yards.
RECEIVING: Will Vereen 30-423-yards for 3 TD’s, Shaquan Davis 19- 477-yards and 2 TD, Richard Bailey 20-212-yards and 2 TD.
DEFENSE:BJ Davis 38 tackles, 5 TFL 1 sack, Chad Gilchrist 39 tackles, 5 TFL, 1 Sack, Jalen Barr 25 tackles ,Jaylen Evans 29 tackles and Decobie Durant 23 tackles, 1 TFL 3 INT, 8 PBU
NCCU EAGLES
Rushing: Davius Richard 49-187-yards and 3 TD’s, Latrell Collier 45-177-yards and 2 TD’s and Isaiah Totten 47-168-yards
PASSING: Davius Richard 113-186-4 for 1268-yards and 9 TD’s and Harris Walker 17-of-31-0 for 138-yards.
RECEIVING: Ryan McDaniel 39-512-yards and 2 TD’s, Tyler Barnes 13-103-yards and Treveyon Pratt 13-90-yards.
DEFENSE: Noah Rainbow-Douglas 53 tackles, 4 TFL, Cole Williams 51 tackles, 4 PBU and 4 PD, JaJuan Hudson 35 tackles, Manny Smith 34 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack and 1 INT.
FIVE BULLDOGS WITH CURRENT TEAMS IN THE NFL
Five former SC State Bulldogs are currently with NFL teams, including linebacker Darius Leonard of the Indianapolis Colts, nose guard Javon Hargrave of the Philadelphia Eagles, linebacker Joe Thomas, Jr of the Houston Texans, cornerback Antonio Hamilton of the Arizona Cardinals and offensive lineman Alex Taylor of the Cleveland Browns.
WHERE LEGENDS ARE BUILT (4 NFL Hall of Famers)
South Carolina State is the only school in the state of South Carolina with four (4) National Football League (NFL) Hall of Famers in Marion Motely (1968), Deacon Jones (1980), Harry Carson(2006) and Donnie Shell (2020).