South Carolina State head coach Chennis Berry knows something about streaks.
Over the final two full seasons at Division II Benedict, Berry led the Tigers to 15 consecutive SIAC wins, including 11 straight victories in regular season home games.
It is ironic that Berry, in his first game as a Division I coach, will face a Florida A&M team that has not lost a home game in seven seasons.
Berry and the Bulldogs will face that task on Saturday against the defending HBCU national champion Rattlers at Bragg Memorial Stadium as they begin a new era in Orangeburg post-Buddy Pough.
“It’s an unbelievable challenge for us as we get ready to go down to Tallahassee, Florida, for our young men to see where we are as a program,” said Berry on Monday. “And our young men are excited about the opportunity.”
#GoDogs
🚨GAME WEEK🚨Your SC STATE FOOTBALL BULLDOGS are on the road to face off against @FAMU_FB Florida A&M this Saturday at 6pm ET! It can be seen on ESPN PLUS
LETS GOOOO‼️@SCStateAthletic @SCSTATE1896 @MEACSports @coachberry77 #PayTheFEE#DigDEEP#FearTheBITE
🔴🔵🐶🏈 pic.twitter.com/7KKpjhQA6W— South Carolina State Football (@SCState_Fb) August 26, 2024
And Florida A&M, which began its regular season with a thrilling 24-23 win over Norfolk State in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge last Saturday, will try to protect its cherished home field without a loss for the 21st consecutive time, the second-longest in the FCS. The last time the Rattlers lost at Bragg was a 44-21 defeat by South Carolina State in 2018.
“We got to make sure we take care of that streak. That’s a very important streak ― not only for our players but all our alumni and supporters,” first-year FAMU head coach James Colzie III told the Tallahassee Democrat.
“South Carolina State will come in here and try to beat us. And if we don’t realize that, we could be in trouble. But I know the leadership guys on this football team will ensure we’re ready to go. If we do what we need to do, we should be in good shape.”
