The South Carolina State football team went to the home of the defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions and announced itself as the conference’s new frontrunner.
The Bulldogs defeated Howard 38-14 Saturday to improve to 7-2 on the season and 3-0 in MEAC play. Howard fell to 4-6 and 1-2 in conference play.
Here are the keys to the Bulldogs standing alone as the last unbeaten team in the MEAC.
The ‘Dogs have a defense
Sure, the S.C. State offense ranks in the top quarter of FCS in a ton of categories, but the Bulldogs have playmakers on the defensive side of the ball.
South Carolina State recorded six sacks and intercepted four Howard passes, two by Kwantre Harry and one a 47-yard return for a touchdown by Jarod Washington.
KD with his 2nd INTERCEPTION of the Day!!!!!@SCSTATE1896 @SCStateAthletic @MEACSports @coachberry77 #PayTheFEE#DigDEEP#FearTheBITE
🔴🔵🐶🏈 pic.twitter.com/Kw1sjFSh3W— South Carolina State Football (@SCState_Fb) November 9, 2024
Six different pash rushers got to Ja’Shawn Scroggins – Josh Barker, Ashaad Hall, John Hannibal, Ka’Von Chisolm, Jamaal McKinney, and Jordan Dollard all contributed to the sack exchange.
When South Carolina State’s defense is playing as well as their offense, that makes them nearly impossible to stop.
Bulldogs speed too much for Howard
South Carolina State’s team speed on the offensive end was on display as quarterback Eric Phoenix danced away from Bison defenders to rush for 27 yards in addition to a 16-of-26, 272-yard, three-touchdown passing day.
The big play was a 63-yard strike to Einaj Carter, who outran the coverage and had clear sailing into the end zone to give SCSU the lead for good at 13-7 with less than three minutes to go in the first half.
Caden High also got loose late for a 28-yard touchdown catch after Howard concentrated on bottling him in all game.
The Bison were grounded
Howard’s rushing offense, ranked tops in the MEAC coming into the game, could only produce 55 total yards thanks to a swarming Bulldog defense. That put the pressure on Ja’Shawn Scroggins to throw more than the Bison would like to, and that played right into S.C. State’s hands. As a result, Howard will likely have to wait until 2025 for another shot at the Celebration Bowl.
1-0 next week could mean championship hardware for South Carolina State
S.C. State head coach Chennis Berry says his only concern is that his team goes 1-0 in whatever they do, be it practice or game day.
A 1-0 week at Morgan State next weekend would assure the Bulldogs the MEAC title, thanks to tiebreaking wins over Howard and North Carolina Central. Every other team in the conference (Howard, Norfolk State, and Delaware State) is already at two MEAC losses with two games to play.
It would be a remarkable, but not completely surprising, championship for the school with the most MEAC titles and a new coach who was a proven winner at Benedict the previous three seasons.
