SCSU facing the "Dog Days of Summer" head on

Photo: The South Carolina State football team wraps up practice Friday afternoon. LARRY HARDY/T&D

By Thomas Grant Jr., T&D Senior Sports Writer

Practicing in record-setting, triple-digit temperatures has had the South Carolina State football team literally experiencing the "Dog Days of Summer.

"Yet even in the face of unrelenting heat and the start of two-a-day practices on Friday, the Bulldog players pressed on in their preparation with a 2-1/2-hour morning session and an abbreviated 70-minute evening session.

“It’s hot, but our guys are showing some toughness,” S.C. State head coach Buddy Pough said.

“I’m really proud of the fact that our guys continue to fight through it. Now, we’re not as sharp as we need to be and we still depth-wise struggle a little bit. But, by and large, the majority of them are doing OK and I’m happy for the fact that our guys seem really into it.”

Pough credited the summer workouts coordinated by strength and conditioning coach Thomas Stallworth for helping the Bulldogs report to training camp in the best condition he’s seen since his arrival in 2002.

“The summer workouts is what gives us the ability to continue to work under these conditions,” Pough said. “I’ve got to thank our administration for making it possible for us to have the availability of our guys being able to be here over the summer because otherwise, we would be in a world of trouble right now.”

Friday marked the fifth consecutive day of 100 degree-plus temperatures in Orangeburg. Despite the unprecedented torrid weather, it’s no sweat for 6-2, 295-pound defensive tackle Matt Key.

"It’s worth it,” he said. “It’s making us better. It’s making us better and tougher, so that’s not so bad."Larger linemen like 6-3, 350-pound senior offensive lineman Derrell Pringle also seem to handle the hot conditions as well as the smaller skilled players. He said the summer workouts have helped drastically reduce the number of heat casualties from seasons past.

“It’s hard, but everybody is out here working,” Pringle said. “We’ve been working out here during the summer. Our conditioning coach has us right. It’s hard but we’ll get through it.”

The Bulldogs have not been totally immune from ailments caused by the hot temperatures.

Running back and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year Will Ford was still favoring his sore hamstring after a long run late in practice.

Wide receiver Phillip Morris was out of action as he stood on the sidelines holding a crutch, and defensive backs Markee Hamlin and Laquinn Ellerbee are also dealing with hamstring problems, while freshman defensive back Devonne Quattlebaum was nursing a pulled groin.

“You get some weakness of the muscle tissue when you’re putting them through these kinds of situations, but they’re doing OK,” Pough said.

In staying proactive in preventing heat injuries, SCSU has a large tented area set up on the practice field sidelines filled with plenty of water bottles and cooling fans. Pough has also increased the length of the break periods in practice while shortening the practice time. Regardless of the conditions, Pringle believes the hard work the Bulldogs put in will pay off during the regular season.

“You don’t ever want to come out there (in hot temperatures), but it’s going to pay off in the long run,” he said. “We’ve got to do it. To be where we want to get at, we’ve got to come out here and do it. That way, we’ll have the mindset that we’re going to do it. So we come out and work through it.”

SCSU will hold its first scrimmage Saturday at 2 p.m. after conducting media day starting at 9 a.m. The scrimmage will be open to the public. However, all subsequent scrimmages will be closed, according to Pough.