Chennis Berry in his first year with the program at South Carolina State, had a magical season. Berry has proven himself to be a certified program-builder, as he led Benedict College to prominence in the SIAC and Division II football in only three seasons with the program. After a MEAC championship in his first season and a Celebration Bowl appearance, Berry and his Bulldogs look to replicate that success this year.
Their first test was Wofford College, a team that has proven to be formidable in the past but has had its share of challenges in the past couple of seasons. While they secured a ranked victory over then-No. 14 Richmond 28-19 in Virginia last year, they finished the season five and seven, and only three and five in the SoCon. The early returns on Wofford's offense left little to be desired.
Their run game and their passing game were not connecting at all in their game against South Carolina State. Quarterback Jayden Whitaker only completed six passes on 21 attempts for 56 yards. The Terriers' run game was also anemic. They carried the ball 30 times and only averaged 86 yards rushing and didn't score a single offensive touchdown.
Their first touchdown came on a kick return by Colby Alexander in the fourth quarter. Alexander rattled off an 89-yard return that put Wofford on the board for the first time in the second quarter with two minutes and 17 seconds left. The Terriers led 7-6. The next touchdown came off a blocked punt by Maximus Pulley that led to a recovery in the end zone by Perrin Ketchin, pushing the game to 13-9. A Brandon Maina sack of William Atkins IV turned into a safety, ballooning the lead to 15-9.
But South Carolina State, who didn't find the end zone often but were able to move the ball effectively through the air and on the ground against Wofford, was able to find a way to win. After a missed 43-yard field goal by Conner Deviney to extend the lead and put pressure on South Carolina State, quarterback Ryan Stubblefield capped off a 10-play, 74-yard drive with a 12-yard pass to Shamontae Burgess to put a touchdown on the board and officially take the lead with 1:29 left in the game. A missed field goal kick by Wofford at the end of the game ultimately sealed the win for the Bulldogs.
Wofford's offense just couldn't contend, only generating 10 first downs and 142 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, South Carolina State generated 414 yards of total offense, with 303 yards passing and 111 yards rushing. South Carolina State's passing attack wasn't a one-man show, as the Bulldogs had two quarterbacks who put on a clinic through the air. Atkins finished the game with 175 yards on 17-of-33 passing. Stubblefield threw the only offensive touchdown of the game for the Bulldogs and threw for 128 yards on 10-of-17 passing.
KZ Adams led in the rushing attack for South Carolina State with 50 yards on 15 carries. Meanwhile, Jalen Johnson led the Bulldogs' receiving unit with 93 yards on six receptions. Shamontae Burgess had only one reception for 12 yards, but it was pivotal because it ultimately turned into the game-winning touchdown.
The Bulldogs have successfully pulled off the “1 and 0” mission that Chennis Berry preaches for week one. Now they head to play the 13th-ranked University of South Carolina on September 6 at 7 p.m.
