Saturday afternoon the 2021 South Carolina State football team emerged from its locker room in white jerseys and garnet pants and hit the field at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.

And while we're still three weeks away from the Bulldogs' opener Sept. 4 in Huntsville against Alabama A&M, it was hard not to think about football.

Players and coaches smiled and joked as each position group and individual player had pictures taken during the team's annual media day. Earlier Saturday morning, those same players and coaches were flying around the field as the Bulldogs took part in their first intrasquad scrimmage of the season.

"We're not a rush-through-the-preparation kind of outfit," SCSU head coach Buddy Pough said Saturday. "We like to take our time and build slowly. We like the idea of giving our guys an opportunity to fit into all the different types of roles and responsibilities they have in front of them."

Pough said Saturday's scrimmage was fairly generic with both the offense and defense showing straightforward formations. Pough said he hopes to start ramping up the education process over the next two weeks.

"On the other hand, we want to create a sense of urgency, knowing how much we have to install," Pough said. "We have a lot of plays left to install over this time of the year. We will start to look at some of the teams we will be playing and develop a game plan."

Senior defensive back Decobie Durant was excited about taking the field Saturday.

"It was great coming out for the first scrimmage and getting some reps with the offense," Durant said. "I was really excited to watch the freshmen come in for their first scrimmage. They made plays and did what they had to do to show the coaches they can be on the depth chart somewhere."

Quarterback Corey Fields said Saturday's scrimmage was productive for the offensive side of the ball.

"We limited our mistakes," Fields said. "There were some missed assignments, but overall a great day for the offense, seeing guys fly around, catch the ball and make plays."

After a week of practices Pough said he is impressed with the overall depth of the team.

"We don't necessarily have a bunch of big-time guys, but we have a lot of good football players, and that gives you the indication that it should be a solid team," Pough said. "If we can keep the effort high, the talent part can take care of itself.

In a media poll released Thursday, South Carolina State was ranked seventh among HBCU teams. It's first opponent, Alabama A&M came in at No. 1. Pough said he doesn't put much stock in polls, especially in the preseason.

"It's fine for this point in the season," Pough said of the ranking. "We don't pay much attention to rankings, it just lets you know that you have a decent enough program that people feel like you're doing some things right and should be respected. You just have to go out and play every week. We know we can get a clear-cut champion."

Pough said winning games gives his team the opportunity to reach its ultimate goal of playing in the Celebration Bowl.

"We don't have to worry about if there's a vote, if we win, it gives us a chance."