BY JOHN DEVLIN, Special to The Post and Courier
Mic Smith, The Post and Courier
S.C. State offensive linemen Derrell Pringle (left), a former Stratford star, and Nathaniel Richardson, a former Wando standout, use their 300-plus-pound frames to attack opposing defenders.
ORANGEBURG — The heart and soul of the South Carolina State football team is the offensive line, which has made the Bulldogs one of the most productive running teams in the Football Championship Subdivision ranks.
Since the arrival of Joe Blackwell as offensive line coach in 2004, the Bulldogs have led the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in rushing three times, finishing among the national leaders, as well.
S.C. State was 12th in the nation in rushing offense in both 2004 and 2005 before jumping to third last season with a 242.1 yards-per-game average.
Two of the key members of the so-called "Fab Five" on the offensive line are former Lowcountry high school stars Nate Richardson (Wando) and Derrell Pringle (Stratford).
Richardson has started 33 games since coming off a redshirt year in 2003, while Pringle has been a starter in 23 of his 30 college games since being thrust into the starting lineup in the middle of the 2004 season when an injury gave him an opportunity to step in at left guard as a true freshman.
"Both of them are very physical, and very intelligent football players," said Blackwell.
"They both came out of good high school programs, and were ahead of the curve fundamentally. Neither of them makes the same mistake twice."
Ironically, Richardson, who is a year older than Pringle, never played offense at Wando, and thought he was going to be a defensive end at S.C. State.
"But one day in my first camp I went to the defensive meeting and everybody got a (play) book but me," he said. "That's when I first found out that I was going over to the offense. It was hard at first, but now I wouldn't want to play anywhere else. I've really learned to appreciate how important an offensive line is to a team's success."
Richardson had the benefit of sitting out a year, which gave him a chance to learn the right tackle position without worrying about competing for playing time.
"I was a little disappointed at first, but sitting out that year made a tremendous difference for me," he said. "I practiced every day with the team, and learned how to block and got down the technique. After that year, I was ready to go."
Dubbed "Nasty Nate" by teammates, Richardson is not a finesse blocker.
"Nate wants to get out on you fast, and drive you into the ground," said Blackwell. "His strength is blocking in the running game, but he's really improved in pass blocking, too."
Pringle, who moves to right guard this season next to Richardson, is another physical blocker.
"Having those two guys together on the same side will be interesting," said Blackwell. "Derrell probably would have benefited from having a redshirt year, but that injury came when we were fighting for a conference championship and he stepped in and did a very good job."
Unlike Richardson, Pringle came to college as an offensive lineman after a stellar career at Stratford.
"The biggest difference for me in college was the speed of the game, and the size of the players, but I was taught well in high school and my fundamentals were pretty solid," he said.
"I'm looking forward to playing next to Nate because we're similar. We like to get out after people and give out as much punishment as we receive."
Mic Smith, The Post and Courier
S.C. State offensive linemen Derrell Pringle (left), a former Stratford star, and Nathaniel Richardson, a former Wando standout, use their 300-plus-pound frames to attack opposing defenders.
ORANGEBURG — The heart and soul of the South Carolina State football team is the offensive line, which has made the Bulldogs one of the most productive running teams in the Football Championship Subdivision ranks.
Since the arrival of Joe Blackwell as offensive line coach in 2004, the Bulldogs have led the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in rushing three times, finishing among the national leaders, as well.
S.C. State was 12th in the nation in rushing offense in both 2004 and 2005 before jumping to third last season with a 242.1 yards-per-game average.
Two of the key members of the so-called "Fab Five" on the offensive line are former Lowcountry high school stars Nate Richardson (Wando) and Derrell Pringle (Stratford).
Richardson has started 33 games since coming off a redshirt year in 2003, while Pringle has been a starter in 23 of his 30 college games since being thrust into the starting lineup in the middle of the 2004 season when an injury gave him an opportunity to step in at left guard as a true freshman.
"Both of them are very physical, and very intelligent football players," said Blackwell.
"They both came out of good high school programs, and were ahead of the curve fundamentally. Neither of them makes the same mistake twice."
Ironically, Richardson, who is a year older than Pringle, never played offense at Wando, and thought he was going to be a defensive end at S.C. State.
"But one day in my first camp I went to the defensive meeting and everybody got a (play) book but me," he said. "That's when I first found out that I was going over to the offense. It was hard at first, but now I wouldn't want to play anywhere else. I've really learned to appreciate how important an offensive line is to a team's success."
Richardson had the benefit of sitting out a year, which gave him a chance to learn the right tackle position without worrying about competing for playing time.
"I was a little disappointed at first, but sitting out that year made a tremendous difference for me," he said. "I practiced every day with the team, and learned how to block and got down the technique. After that year, I was ready to go."
Dubbed "Nasty Nate" by teammates, Richardson is not a finesse blocker.
"Nate wants to get out on you fast, and drive you into the ground," said Blackwell. "His strength is blocking in the running game, but he's really improved in pass blocking, too."
Pringle, who moves to right guard this season next to Richardson, is another physical blocker.
"Having those two guys together on the same side will be interesting," said Blackwell. "Derrell probably would have benefited from having a redshirt year, but that injury came when we were fighting for a conference championship and he stepped in and did a very good job."
Unlike Richardson, Pringle came to college as an offensive lineman after a stellar career at Stratford.
"The biggest difference for me in college was the speed of the game, and the size of the players, but I was taught well in high school and my fundamentals were pretty solid," he said.
"I'm looking forward to playing next to Nate because we're similar. We like to get out after people and give out as much punishment as we receive."
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