Tenacious defense and a strong running game have long been the calling card of South Carolina State football. Saturday, the Bulldogs used those two staples to defeat MEAC rival North Carolina A&T 13-0 in the Atlanta Football Classic at the Georgia Dome and continue their mastery of the Aggies under Coach Buddy Pough.
The Bulldogs are now 12-1 against North Carolina A&T with Pough at the helm, including 3-0 at the Georgia Dome. More importantly, the victory enabled the Bulldogs (4-2, 2-0 MEAC) to remain unbeaten in the conference and keep pace with reigning champion Bethune-Cookman.
The loss was the first in the conference for North Carolina A&T (4-2, 1-1 MEAC). North Carolina A&T hangs its hat on defense and running the ball as well. With that in mind, Pough had anticipated a tight, low-scoring contest.
“I knew it would be a defensive battle and I didn’t think we could shut them out,” Pough said. “But the fact that we shut them out was awfully gratifying. Those guys did a fantastic job.”
North Carolina A&T is the highest scoring team in the MEAC, averaging 31.8 points a game. However, South Carolina State’s defense didn’t allow the Aggies to untracked. The Bulldogs held North Carolina A&T to just 156 total yards and forced the Aggies to commit three turnovers.
North Carolina A&T’s longest play from scrimmage was a 17-yard pass from quarterback Hassan Plugh to Desmond Lawrence. The Bulldogs did a masterful job of containing North Carolina A&T’s running game. The Aggies average 210 yards a game on the ground. But they only mustered 43 against the Bulldogs and averaged 1.2 yards on 35 attempts.
Tarik Cohen, the Aggies’ star running back that led the MEAC in rushing last season with 1,148, had 49 yards on 21 carries. South Carolina State, which rushed for 197 yards, was efficient on offense, particularly on third down. The Bulldogs were 9-for-18 on third down and 1-for-1 on fourth down conversions.
Running back Jalen Simmons was the offensive star for the Bulldogs. Simmons rushed for 95 yards, and he scored the only touchdown South Carolina State really needed on a two-yard run with 14:56 remaining in the first half. Quarterback Adrian Kollock, who rushed for 75 yards, scored the Bulldogs’ other touchdown on a one-yard run at the 2:30 mark of the fourth quarter to ice the game.
Cohen entered the game averaging 149.8 yards a game this season, No. 8 in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
“We got our butts kicked on the offensive and defensive lines,” N.C. A&T coach Rod Broadway said. “When you let them rush for 197 yards and then we rush for 43 on our4 end, this is the result you get.”
Other Key Games:
Alcorn 33, Alabama State 7 – The Braves established themselves as the team to beat in the SWAC East with a resounding home victory Thursday night in a nationally televised contest. Alcorn (5-1, 3-0) dominated Alabama State from start to finish, piling up 608 total yards while handing the Hornets (4-2, 3-1 SWAC) their first loss.
The Hornets could do nothing with either phase of Alcorn’s offense. The Braves rushed for 391 yards with Darryl Ragsdale racking up a career-high 173 yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback John Gibbs Jr. added 106 yards and a touchdown.
Gibbs also completed 20 of 33 passes for 217 yards. Alcorn led 17-0 after the first quarter after scoring on its first three possessions and was never seriously threatened. Alcorn did more to stop itself than Alabama State’s defense did, committing three turnovers. The Braves only punted once in the game. That came in the final minute of the third quarter. Alabama State scored its only touchdown on its first possession of the second half on Malcolm Cyrus’ one-yard run that made the score 20-7.
The Braves held Cyrus, the leading rusher in the SWAC with 787 yards and 131.2 yards a game, to just 65 yards. Alcorn held Alabama State to 154 total yards in the first half. Wide receiver DeMario Bell accounted for 100 of the Hornets’ first-half yards on two catches.
Grambling State 38, Alabama A&M 28 – The G-Men won their third straight game, remaining unbeaten in the SWAC while ruining the Bulldogs’ Homecoming. Quarterback Jonathan Williams passed for 291 yards and two touchdowns for Grambling (3-3, 3-0 SWAC). Alabama A&M (2-4, 1-2) was unable to establish any offensive consistency.
The Bulldogs only converted three of 18 third down opportunities, and they hurt themselves by committing three turnovers. Grambling won despite being penalized 11 times for 118 yards. The G-Men victimized Alabama A&M with their big-play offense. They had five plays from scrimmage that covered 20 yards or more and a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Martez Carter with 12 minutes remaining in the game. Carter’s score came after Alabama A&M had narrowed the G-Men’s lead to 24-22.
Tuskegee 35, Fort Valley State 28 – The Golden Tigers survived a rash of turnovers to emerge with a home SIAC victory. Tuskegee (3-2, 2-0 SIAC) committed five turnovers, and the Wildcats (3-2, 2-1 SIAC) converted the miscues into 21 points. The Golden Tigers were able to escape with the win thanks to big plays. Sophomore running back Hoderick Lowe scored on a 36-yard run; Devozea Gaines returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown, and linebacker Jawell Ratcliffe had a 42-yard return of an interception for a touchdown.
Winston-Salem State 77, Chowan 30 – The Rams had the second-highest point total in school history and extended their CIAA winning streak to 26 consecutive games with a road victory. The Rams, ranked 14th in Division II and No. 7 in the Black College rankings, scored a school record 80 points in 1989 against Johnson C. Smith.
Winston-Salem (4-1, 2-0 CIAA) had 587 yards total offense and averaged 9.2 yards a play. The Rams’ defense forced Chowan (1-4, 0-2 CIAA) to commit six turnovers. Winston-Salem’s two-quarterback system was highly effective. Phillip Sims completed five of nine attempts for 12 8yards and two touchdowns; Rudy Johnson was 7-for-7 with 186 yards and two touchdowns.
Other Results:
MEAC:
Bethune-Cookman 27, Delaware State 7
Morgan State 24, Florida A&M 9
North Carolina Central 27, Howard 22
Norfolk State 14, Savannah State 7
SWAC:
Southern 51, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 36
Prairie View A&M 48, Jackson State 30
Texas Southern 20, Mississippi Valley State 16
CIAA:
Bloomsburg 41, Cheyney State 7
Bowie State 24, Johnson C. Smith 0
Elizabeth City State 59, Livingstone 21
Fayetteville State 34, Lincoln (Pa.) 13
Virginia State 42, Saint Augustine’s 35
Virginia Union 31, Shaw 9
SIAC:
Albany State 17, Paine 0
Kentucky State 31, Central State 24
Miles 23, Benedict 13
Morehouse 20, Clark Atlanta 13
Stillman 55, Lane 16
Others:
Ave Maria 16, Concordia-Selma 12
Jewel 20, Lincoln (Mo.) 13
Langston 61, Texas College 0
SE Missouri 28, Tennessee State 21
Southeastern University 51, Edward Waters 27
West Virginia State 18, Urbana (Ohio) 12
(Photo: South Carolina State)
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