The battle of the Carolina's will feature host SC State Bulldogs (5-4, 4-0 MEAC) and the visiting Aggies of North Carolina A&T (4-5, 3-3 Big South). Although the two teams no longer compete in the same conference, today's game continues a fierce rivalry between the two schools as bragging rights in the Carolinas is on the line. Coach Buddy Pough's team has won four in a row -- all MEAC contests -- after a 1-4 start. SC State earned a hard-fought 15-12 win over Howard last week. The 5-4 Bulldogs would love to run their winning streak to five with a win today over NC A&T, which has triumphed over SC State in the two team's last five meetings. The Aggies snapped a three-game losing slide last week with a 21-18 win at Charleston Southern.
RADIO: SC State Bulldog Football Radio Network with play-by-play announcer Ernest Robinson and analyst William "Bill" Hamilton
Orangeburg: 92.9 FM / 1580 AM (ESPN Orangeburg)
Columbia: 105.1 FM
Camden: 99.5 FM / 1130 AM
Florence: 98.7 FM
Florence/Sumter/Myrtle Beach: 1080 AM
Internet: https://espnorangeburg.com/
Phone: 641-552-5120
The Attraction
SC State will be celebrating Senior/High School Band/Greek Day. 20 senior members of the football squad will be honored in a pre-game ceremony. The university will also host several high school bands and the school's undergraduate fraternities and sororities will perform during selected timeouts.
The Polls
Although neither SC State nor NC A&T is having the kind of season they had hoped for, they have earned a spot in Box-to-Row HBCU polls. The Bulldogs are fifth in the Coaches poll, climbing three spots after the Howard victory, while the Aggies are ninth. Coach Pough's team is ranked eighth in the Media poll, while NC A&T is not ranked.
The Series
The Bulldogs and Aggies are meeting for the 57
th time in a series that began in 1924. The rivalry is among the oldest in HBCU football. The host Bulldogs lead the rivalry 31-23-2, however, the Aggies have won the last five meetings, including a 22-20 triumph at Orangeburg in 2019. The Bulldogs' last win in the series came in Atlanta, 13-0, during the 2014 campaign.
Players to Watch
SC State Offense:
#2 QB Corey Fields, 6-0, 188 r-So., (142-280-11, 50.7 Pct., 1841 yds., 11TDs); #26 RB
Kendrell Flowers, 6-0, 207 r-Fr. (111 rushes, 479 yds., 8TDs; 15 rcpts, 87 yds., 1TD); #9 WR
Will Vereen, 5-11, 200 r-Jr. (38 recpts., 521 yds., 3TDs); #1 WR
Shaquan Davis, 6-5, 180 r-So., (24 rcpts., 532 yds., 2TDs); #72 RG
Tison Gray, 6-4, 300 r-Jr; #76 C
Eric Brown, 6-3, 336 Fr.; #78 LG
Nick Taiste, 6-2, 295 Fr.
SC State Defense:
#11 LB
Chad Gilchrist, 6-2, 220 r-Sr. (32T, 25A, 6TFL, 1 Sack); #5 LB
BJ Davis, 6-2, 190 r-So. (39T, 9A, 8TFL, 2 Sacks, 5PBUs); #9 SS
Jalen Barr, 6-0, 180 So. (26T, 9A, 3TFL); #43 DL
Patrick Godbolt, 6-3, 235 So. (28T, 7A, 19TFL, 3 Sacks); #34 DL
Jeblonski Green, 6-3, 265 r-So. (25T, 4A, 17TFL 3Sacks)
North Carolina A&T State Offense:
#1 QB Jalen Fowler, 6-4, 235 r-Jr. (120-212-8, 1714 yds., 10TDs); #30 RB Jah-Maine Martin, 5-10, 220 r-Sr. (106 rushes, 412 yds., 3TDs); #25 RB Kashon Baker, 5-6, 170 r-Sr. (64 rushes, 357 yds., 4TDs); #81 WR Ron Hunt, 6-3, 190 r-Sr. (18 rcpts., 322 yds., 2TDs); #2 WR Korey Banks, 6-0, 195 r-Sr. (25 rcpts., 291 yds., 0TDs); #71 RT Tariq Stewart, 6-5, 318 r-So.; #74 LG De'Jour Simpson, 6-3, 290 r-Sr.);
North Carolina A&T State Defense:
#13 LB Jacob Roberts, 6-0, 235 So. (30T, 39A, 12 TFL, 5 Sacks); #8 LB Joseph Stuckey, 6-0, 215 Jr. (25T, 30A, 5TFL); #5 ROV Richie Kitties, 6-0, 205 r-Sr. (22T, 25A, 5 Sacks); #20 DB Najee Reams, 6-2, 195 r-Sr. (22T, 17A, 2TFL)
The Coaches
SC State's Buddy Pough (SC State '75) is in his 20
th season as head coach at his alma mater and owns a 141-79 overall mark and a 108-38 MEAC worksheet. He is 12-6 against NC A&T and 0-2 against Coach Sam Washington
Sam Washington (Mississippi Valley '82) is in his third season as head coach at North Carolina A&T. He is 19-9 as Aggie head coach and is 2-0 against SC State, 2-0 against Coach Pough
