South Carolina State head coach Buddy Pough paid a high compliment to T.C. Taylor and Jackson State before their matchup in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge. In an interview posted on Black Enterprise's YouTube, Pough said that T.C. Taylor's Jackson State team is better than the 2021 edition of the team led by then-head coach Deion Sanders.

“We went into the game in I guess [the] 2021 year thinking that we might not be able to match up with Jackson State and [was] a little bit afraid of the of the outcome,” Pough said in the joint interview with Taylor that was hosted by Black Enterprises's Ashley Stevens. “You know [the] TC Taylor team right now will be a better football team than that football team…[they] will be a much better team.”

The 2021 Jackson State team that faced off against South Carolina State in that season's Celebration Bowl was dominant in the SWAC. They finished the season undefeated in conference and had won their first SWAC championship since 2007. The 2021 Jackson State Tigers had the first-ranked defense in the SWAC, holding teams to 14 points per game and only 7 rushing touchdowns. The team also featured sophomore Detroit Lions linebacker James Houston IV and rookie Miami Dolphins linebacker Aubrey Miller II.

Pough's South Carolina State Bulldogs won in convincing fashion over Jackson State 31-10 in the 2021 Celebration Bowl. South Carolina State found a way to contain Jackson State's offense, limiting the team to only 19 yards rushing. They also successfully defended Shedeur Sanders, holding him to 175 yards passing and 1 touchdown while also intercepting two of his passes and sacking him three times.

South Carolina State looks to duplicate its success against Jackson State in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge on Saturday, August 26th at 7:30 PM. The game will be broadcasted on ABC.