After a frustrating 31–24 loss to Charleston Southern, South Carolina State head football coach Chennis Berry is looking ahead to this weekend’s homecoming matchup against Savannah State as a chance to reset and refocus his Bulldogs.
Despite outgaining Charleston Southern in total offense and winning the time of possession battle, S.C. State was undone by a slow start and three turnovers—errors Berry called uncharacteristic of his program.
“We shot ourselves in the foot,” Berry said in a media call Monday. “We started slow—three-and-outs on our first two drives—and that turned into touchdowns for them. That’s not typical of our teams. We usually start fast.”
The Bulldogs’ offense eventually found its rhythm, but the early miscues proved costly. Still, Berry remained optimistic about his team’s mindset heading into Week 5.
“Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond,” Berry said. “Our young men are already responding the right way. We’re a championship-level program. We believe that.”
South Carolina State (2–3) now prepares to host Savannah State (2–3) on Saturday at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff, broadcast on ESPN+. The game also marks the university’s homecoming, which Berry says adds even more excitement—and more pressure.
“It’s homecoming, man. We’ll have 50,000 Bulldog fans all across Orangeburg,” Berry said. “But at the end of the day, it’s not about the crowd—it’s about locking in. It’s about fixing us.”
Berry, a Savannah State alumnus, praised the Tigers and head coach Aaron Kelton for their competitiveness, noting that they’ve been in every game this season.
“They’re doing some good things. But I always tell our guys, don’t worry about records. Just study the 11 men lined up across from you,” Berry said. “For us, it’s about details, discipline, and accountability.”
Berry emphasized that while the Bulldogs are talented, they need to clean up the fundamentals if they want to achieve their goals.
“When talent meets talent, something else has to take over,” he said. “And that something for us is discipline. We’re going to get it cleaned up—no question about it.”
As for the ever-popular homecoming ticket requests?
“I’m not in the ticket business,” Berry said, laughing. “I give my little allotment to my wife and let her handle that. But if you haven’t called me in a while and now you’re calling for tickets—I tell folks, just spend the $50 and support HBCUs.”
