ORANGEBURG, SC – The South Carolina State football team practiced today in a two-hour afternoon session in scorching temperatures at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium/Willie Jeffries Field.

Pough and the Bulldogs perform staggered practices during the 9:30 a.m., morning session and 2:30 pm., afternoon session to get the Bulldogs ready for the intense heat in their first two contests with Central Florida and Georgia Southern.

"You can tell we had a scrimmage and some of the guys got after each other", said Pough. "We have some minor injuries but we still go about our everyday duties trying to get guys in a position to where they can help us down the road."

"We are halfway through our installation drills on both offense and defense," noted Pough. "Now we are in the task of putting together an official depth chart so we can focus on preparing for our season-opener against Georgia Southern."

Pough also stated, "The enthusiasm is still high for most of these young guys and they are showing plenty effort, but we have to keep in mind we are still very young and skill positions so we just have to keep working hard and keep getting better."

The Bulldogs  return to the field on Wednesday (Aug. 15^th ) at 9:30 a.m., Thursday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. and Friday (Aug. 17^th ) in a 9:30 a.m. morning session, all  in full gear before their second preseason scrimmage on Saturday (Aug. 18^th ) at 10:30 a.m.

The annual "Meet the Players Day/Fan Fest," hosted by The S.T.A.T.E Club, is set for Saturday, Aug. 25, from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. School supplies will be given away by Bulldog coaches and players to the first 120 kids in attendance.

Five (5) former Bulldogs will be inducted into the 2018 South Carolina State Hall of Fame during a special induction Ceremony Friday, Sept. 14^th at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center. Tickets are still available at $50 per person or $450 per table (10). For more information, contact the SC State Ticket Office.

Season tickets for S.C. State's five-game home schedule remain available. Reserved seating is available and may be purchased by contacting the S.C. State Ticket Office by phone at 803-536-8579 or online at www.scsuathletics.com.