South Carolina State is looking to replace its top three leading rushers and leading receiver from an offense that ranked 106th in the FCS last season.
“With the kind of year we had last year, we can’t afford to waste any practices,” head coach Buddy Pough said.
The Bulldogs finished 3-8 last season, and were last in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
Pough said his goal this spring has been to develop the individual talent in hopes of finding enough pieces to build a competitive team when the Bulldogs travel to Atlanta Aug. 26 to face Jackson State.
“It gets to be a bit of a disconnect, because we have a mixture of abilities,” Pough said. “We want to make sure to give our young guys plenty of opportunity. (Spring) is the time they have the chance to be the focus of the overall process.”
SC State will conclude its spring practice with the annual Garnet and Blue spring game Saturday at 1 p.m. at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium and Willie Jeffries Field.
“Getting toward the end of spring practice, you get concerned with the fact that some (players) may begin to lose focus,” Pough said. “At the beginning, everyone is excited but it’s not like we have an opponent to work toward.”
SC State will conclude its spring practice with the annual Garnet and Blue spring game Saturday at 1 p.m. at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium and Willie
“Getting toward the end of spring practice, you get concerned with the fact that some (players) may begin to lose focus,” Pough said. “At the beginning, everyone is excited but it’s not like we have an opponent to work toward.”
SC State struggled running the football last season, finishing with just over 100 yards per game. Dhani Dixon returns as the Bulldogs leading rusher after finishing last season with 61 total yards.
“South Carolina State is known for running the football,” offensive coordinator Kevin Magouirk said. “I want to establish the run, and make it a focus. I thought both groups ran the ball well during our first scrimmage. The guys played hard and executed well with a minimal amount of missed assignments.”
Magouirk previously worked for Pough at SC State from 2008-12.
“It’s been fun, fun to be back with (Coach) Pough,” Magouirk said. “The guys have had a great attitude, and are working their tails off. We have to get better at throwing the football. We’re using a little bit different footwork, and different routes. The biggest things is guys getting in and out of breaks and getting out on time. A lot of what we’re doing is based on timing.”
South Carolina State lost top receiver Shaquan Davis, but return Jordan Smith and Rakim White who combined to catch 28 passes for 394 yards and four touchdowns last season.
“We got a good many young guys, we’re just trying to give them opportunities to show what they can do heading into the fall,” Pough said of his receivers.
Magouirk said he’s been impressed with quarterback Corey Fields, the first-team offensive line and running backs Tyler Smith and Josh Shaw. He said the receivers have shown flashes but need to be more consistent.
“The guys up front have been working really hard, there have been a lot of good surprises,” Magouirk said. “We just need to continue to work on little details like alignment and steps, right now it’s all about technique and fundamentals.”