South Carolina State head coach Chennis Berry walked away from Saturday’s matchup against in-state powerhouse South Carolina with a loss on the scoreboard but a win in belief — for his players, his staff and the direction of the Bulldogs program.
Facing a top-10 FBS opponent in a sold-out Williams-Brice Stadium, Berry’s FCS squad not only opened the scoring but held its own in a physical contest against the SEC’s Gamecocks — despite a 2-hour, 17-minute rain delay before kickoff.
“What an unbelievable experience,” Berry said during his weekly press conference. “Our guys showed resilience even before the ball was kicked off. I was super proud of how they played — really inspired football.”
Although the Bulldogs ultimately fell short, Berry said the performance gave his team confidence and reinforced their season-long mission.
“The mission doesn’t change,” he said. “It’s to go 1-0 each week. That’s our philosophy, that’s what we’re all about.”
While Berry praised the team’s effort and execution across both offense and defense, he acknowledged that special teams errors proved pivotal.
“The game changed when we had a couple blunders on special teams,” Berry said. “It wasn’t about the scheme — we had fixed that — it was about execution. But they’ve got guys on scholarship too. We just didn’t make our play when we had a chance.”
Still, Berry said the experience will serve as a teaching moment.
“I tell our coaches, we’re teachers more than anything,” he said. “We use film, we use visual aids, we try to help our guys believe. That’s half the battle — getting them to believe.”
Berry highlighted solid play from quarterbacks Billy Atkins and Ryan Stubblefield, who split time under center.
“They both did some really good things,” Berry said. “They moved the offense and spread the ball to 10 different receivers. When Ryan comes in, he provides a spark. We’re going to stick with the formula early in the season and let the cream rise to the top.”
Despite being outmatched in size and resources, Berry said his players earned praise from Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer.
“After the game, Coach Beamer said, ‘You have a really good football team — and very physical,’” Berry recalled. “That meant a lot. For an SEC coach to say that about us shows we’re putting out a product we can be proud of.”
With the Gamecocks game in the rearview mirror, S.C. State (1-1) now prepares to host longtime rival Bethune-Cookman at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium Saturday Sept. 13.
“Old MEAC foe,” Berry said. “Coach Woodie will have his guys ready. But we’re focusing on us. There are things I’m pleased with and things we need to clean up. The goal is to go 1-0 this week — that’s it.”
Bethune-Cookman enters the game following losses to FIU and the University of Miami, and Berry expects the Wildcats to be hungry.
“They’re a tough team. But we’re going to focus on the Bulldogs, continue to build on what we do well and get better in the areas we need to improve.”
In the current college football landscape of NIL and the transfer portal, Berry acknowledged the challenges of retaining talent.
“It is what it is,” he said. “If guys get opportunities elsewhere, there’s not much we can do. But my job is to put the best product on the field and give our guys the best experience while we have them.”
One former Bulldog now plays for South Carolina, a reminder of the constant pull from higher divisions.
“But we’re trying to win football games,” Berry said. “I love my players, and I’m going to do my best to keep them. But I also want the opposing coach to shake my hand and say we’re physical, disciplined, and well-coached. That’s what matters.”
This story was drafted using an AI tool based on the transcript of the MEAC weekly coaches’ conference and was then reviewed and edited by a journalist before publishing.
