COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough had just finished his standard pre-game speech last week before the Bulldogs played Morgan State. A win would give them a share of the league title and a playoff berth. The seniors in front of him had suffered two heartbreaking seasons of just missing the playoffs and the joy of finally making the postseason a year later. Now, they had a chance to make history with a record winning streak and second Mid-Eastern Athletic Division crown. Pough's soft-spoken voice cut through the quiet, defensive lineman Markus James said. "He told us he loves us. That just pumped up all the players in the locker room. That was a special moment right there," he said. And the Bulldogs and almost all of Orangeburg love their native son back. Pough, in his eighth year at his alma mater, is creating a powerhouse at South Carolina's biggest historically black university. South Carolina State is 9-1 this year, its only loss coming to South Carolina in a game where Gamecocks coach Steve Spumier lavished praise on the Bulldogs. South Carolina State has trailed for only 2:54 against Football Championship Subdivision teams this year, when Florida A&M took a 3-0 lead in what would end up a 35-20 loss for the Rattlers. Only one FCS team has been within 11 points of the Bulldogs -- a 34-31 win against Grambling State in the season opener. The win over Morgan State was the Bulldogs' 18 straight MEAC win -- a new conference record. It's a sweet season for Pough, whose teams suffered a string of heartbreaking seasons after he arrived in 2002. finishing in second or tying for the MEAC title, but losing the tiebreaker for five years in a row. The Bulldogs finally broke through last season, losing to Appalachian State 37-21 in the opening round of the FCS playoffs. Pough's goal is to do better this time. "It's just kind of a hollow feeling of sorts too because what we're really looking for is more. We'd like to get into the playoffs and make some real hay there," Pough said. South Carolina State is bidding to host a first round playoff game on Nov. 28, and Pough thinks if his team can beat North Carolina A&T this weekend, they should get it because of their No. 7 national ranking, won-loss record and record attendance, which is fifth in the FCS at better than 18,000 fans a game. "There's a certain sense of comfort when you play in your own surroundings," Pough said. Pough is a local boy doing well. He graduated high school in Orangeburg, stayed at home to be a lineman for the Bulldogs. He was a South Carolina State assistant before coaching high school football for several years in his home state. He became running backs coach at South Carolina for five years before returning to his alma mater to take over as head coach. Known for his running attack, Pough has flipped the script this season with South Carolina State's passing accounting for 219 yards a game, almost 70 yards more than the running game. The defense leads the MEAC, allowing just 258 yards a game. And the Bulldogs have shored up special teams, which have lost some games for them in the past. "I think we've have as well rounded a team as we've had here in my time," Pough said. And they are a tight-knit team. Running back Will Ford, already the school's all-time leading rusher and just 155 yards away from owning the MEAC record, said Pough is the best coach he's ever had, always challenging the team to become better players on the field and men when they head home at night. "Coach Pough, he'll lay it all on the line for you," Ford said. "And you don't have the same problem doing it for him."
11/18/2009 10:58:50 PM
