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South Carolina State escaped #21 North Carolina Central's comeback efforts en route to securing a major 24-21 conference victory. The Bulldogs win grants them sole possession of first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Additionally, the Bulldogs have won five straight games in their first year of the Chennis Berry era.
Going into the game, the Eagles were 6-2, and the Bulldogs were 5-2.
However, as the game began, the Bulldogs seemed to be the true powerhouse between the two teams.
Despite the final score of 24-21, the Bulldogs jumped on the Eagles quickly, and comfortably controlled the football game through three quarters.
On the first drive of the game, the Bulldogs marched down the football field at will. Eric Phoenix, who finished 26 of 36 with 321 yards and two touchdowns, made back to back explosive plays as he connected with Deyandre Ruffin for a 25 yard pass and Justin Smith-Brown for a 48 yard pass.
However, the Eagles red-zone defense stepped up and forced the Bulldogs to settle for a field goal.
Despite the field goal, South Carolina State continued to roll.
After forcing a quick Eagles three-and-out, the Bulldogs' offense struck once again. This time, the Bulldogs slowly marched down the football field using a combination of hard running and quick passing. Eric Phoenix connected with wide receiver Caden High for an eight-yard touchdown pass to cap an 11-play drive.
The Bulldogs dominated the Eagles for the rest of the first half, jumping out to a 17-0 halftime lead. By the end of the first half, the Eagles only gained 47 total yards while the Bulldogs had 266. The Eagles additionally only possessed the ball for a little over seven minutes in the first half.
The second half looked to be more of the same early on.
The Bulldogs forced a quick three-and-out on the Eagles opening second half drive. However, the Eagles gained momentum after Max U'Ren intercepted Eric Phoenix as the Bulldogs threatened to score.
The Eagles capitalized immediately with a 36-yard touchdown run by Jamari Taylor. Their momentum continued as they forced a turnover-on-downs at the goal line on the very next drive.
However, the Bulldogs were not ready to surrender their lead. After being stopped at the goal line, Michael Brunson intercepted Will Harris a few plays later. The Bulldogs would then capitalize quickly with another touchdown pass from Eric Phoenix to Caden High (42 yards).
The Eagles responded by throwing two absolute haymakers.
After going down 24-7, the Eagles quickly scored 14 unanswered points to get back into the game. Both touchdowns came through the air as Walker Harris threw touchdowns to Chauncey Spikes and Markell Quick.
Despite giving up two quick touchdowns, the Bulldogs defense made the play of the game when it mattered the most. With 6:00 left in the fourth quarter, Bulldogs defensive end Ashaad Hall forced a strip sack on Walker Harris to seal the Eagles fate late in the game.
South Carolina State and North Carolina Central are both set to face Howard University in their next matchup. The Bulldogs play the Bison next week on November 9th, and the Eagles play the Bison following their bye-week on November 15th.
