ORANGEBURG, SC— The South Carolina State Bulldogs (0-3, 0-0 MEAC) look to get back on the winning track with an intrastate rival with the visiting Bulldogs of The Citadel (0-3, 0-1 SoCon) Saturday (Sept. 23rd) at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium/Willie Jeffries Field.
 
It is the 2023 home opener for SC State, playing its first game in the month of September in three seasons. Both teams enter tonight's contest winless in three outings and are seeking answers to their dismal 0-3 start. Coach Buddy Pough's team lost 48-13 at Georgia Tech in its last outing Sept. 9 to dip to 0-3. The SCSU Bulldogs were idle last week.
 
The Citadel, with first-year head coach Maurice Drayton at the helm, will be playing its third road game in four outings this season. Drayton's team fell 48-3 at Chattanooga last week in falling to 0-3.
 
One of tonight's squads will get its first win of the 2023 campaign. It will be a Bulldog squad for sure, but will it be the homestanding SC State Bulldogs or the visiting Bulldogs of The Citadel.
 
The Attraction
South Carolina State will be celebrating SCSU Faculty Staff/ Educators/ Agriculture Land Grant/Garnet Day
 
SC State Faculty & Staff will be saluted. Each person wishing to attend the contest was presented two free tickets to the contest. Also, to be recognized are area educators and persons from the Agriculture and Land Grant community.
 
Bulldog-Bulldog Connection
The contest will reunite Coach Pough and his staff with several former SC State Bulldog assistants, now on the Citadel staff. They include Citadel head coach Maurice Drayton, former secondary and special teams coach at SCSU; and Citadel assistants Keith Jones (SCSU secondary coach) and Danny Lewis (SCSU running backs coach)
 
SC State Offense:
#2 Gr. QB Corey Fields (16-35-2, 151 yds., 1TDs); #7 r-Fr. QB Andre Washington (7-22-1, 90 yds., 1TD, 25 rushes, 90 yds., 1TD); #22 Fr. RB Jawarn Howell (32 rushes, 145 yds.,)  RB Jacory #10 r-Fr. RB Tyler Smith; #5 Gr. TE Keshawn Toney (8 rcpts., 80 yds., 1TD); #13 r-So. WR Jordan Smith (6 rcpts., 69 yds.); #78 r-Jr. LG); #76 r-Jr. Guard/Center Eric Brown, Jr.); #73 r-So. RT Cam Johnson
 
SC State Defense:
#11 r-Jr. LB Aaron Smith (12T, 6A, 3TFL, 1Sack); #1 Gr. DB Jaylen Evans (11T, 4A, 1PBU, 1RF); #43 Gr. DE Patrick Godbolt (10T, 1A, 4TFL 2Sacks, 2PB); #8 r-Jr. LB Aiden Webber (6T, 5A, 2TFL)
 
The Citadel Offense:
#27 Sr. RB Cooper Wallace (33 rushes, 163 yds., 5 rcpts., 27 yds.); #40 So. RB Johnny Crawford (25 rushes, 78 yds.); #1 So. QB Dustin Fletcher (20-29-1, 201 yds., 1TD); #88 Jr. WR Tyler Cherry (3 rcpts, 31 yds.); #19 r-So. WR Jay Graves-Billips (3 rcpts, 43 yds.); #70 Jr. OL Zach Blanchard); #71 Jr. OL Cameron Moewe)
 
The Citadel Defense
#31 So. DB Cale Williams (9 T, 4A); #17 Gr. DB Carson Walter (18 T, 5A,); #2 r-So. LB Thomas Wyatt (10T, 8A, 3TFL); #6 Gr. LB Hasan Black (7T, 11A, 2TFL
 
The Series
The SCSU Bulldogs and the visiting The Citadel Bulldogs are meeting for the fourth (4^th) time in a rivalry that began in 1999. The Citadel State has a 3-0 edge in the series, including a 31-8 triumph in 2001, the last meeting of the intrastate rivals. The SCSU Bulldogs are looking for their first win in the series.
 
The Coaches
SC State's Buddy Pough (SC State '75) is in his 22^nd season as head coach at his
alma mater and owns a 146-90 overall mark (112-42 MEAC).
Norfolk State
 
The Citadel's Maurice Drayton (The Citadel '98) is in his first season at The Citadel and his first campaign as a college head coach. Drayton brings an 0-3 record to Orangeburg.
 
 2023 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Standings (thru 09-16-23)