Over the years, defense has been a staple of South Carolina State football teams. Even in the early years when the Bulldogs played in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), defense was usually the team's strength, but it became a real hallmark when head football coach emeritus Willie Jeffries took over the reins of the program in 1973.

What will the 2021 abbreviated spring season bring for S.C. State and its defense? Looking back on the 2019 campaign, it was usually the defensive front setting the standard for the Bulldogs, harassing opposing quarterbacks and shutting down rushing attacks. The linebacker corps featured talented players quick to the ball, while the secondary would – to use a cliché -- bend but not break while making one big play after another.

The style has continued under Coach Buddy Pough, who is in his 19th season as Bulldog head coach. He played for Jeffries -- albeit on offense -- and succeeded his college mentor in 2002, so he knows the history of S.C. State's usually bruising and punishing defenses.
 
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