By Charles Bennett, The Post and Courier
S.C. State coach downplays schools' first meeting
The historical significance of the first-ever football game against South Carolina isn't lost on South Carolina State's players and coaches, but they say they're a little more focused on the game itself than their place in history.
"It means a lot to our university and to our community, and we feel like we're the standard bearers for that," said South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough. "As far as the game is concerned, it's a game. What we'd like to do is go out and relax and play well. Whether that will happen, who knows? I can tell you that it's not a life-or-death thing for us. We'd like to go out and put on a good show and make a good accounting for ourselves."
Saturday's game, which is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff at South Carolina's Williams-Brice Stadium, may mean more to South Carolina State's alumni. The Bulldogs easily sold their allotment of 4,300 tickets.
As one of the few remaining S.C. State alumni still in the NFL, Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Chartric "Chuck" Darby said he was shocked to learn that the Bulldogs and Gamecocks had never played.
"I always figured they'd played a long time ago," said Darby, who grew up in North, S.C.
"It's a game I wish I could have played in when I was at S.C. State. I know we would have loved to have gone up to Columbia and played them. I grew up a South Carolina fan, it's where I wanted to go, so it means a lot to me that they're finally playing."
Darby said he and Seattle linebacker Lance Laury, a former South Carolina standout have been talking trash to each other all week.
"You've got to take up for your school," Darby said laughing. "I'm not going to let Lance talk to me about my school. We've been giving each other a hard time all week. We've got a little lunch bet on the game. The loser has to take the winner out to lunch."
South Carolina has been playing football for 116 years, while the Bulldogs are celebrating their 100th year of football.
Even though the two schools are approximately 40 miles apart, Saturday's game between the Football Championship Subdivision Bulldogs and the 17th-ranked Gamecocks has been a long time coming.
Since South Carolina State is an historically black school, the segregation practices that gripped the country for the better part of the 20th century explains much about why the two schools have never played.
Over the last 40 years, there has been no real reason why the schools shouldn't have played — other than USC really made no effort to schedule the game.
"This game is long overdue. It's something that should have happened a long time ago if you ask me," Darby said. "Why we had to wait until 2007 to play this game is something I don't understand. This is a game they need to play every year."
The Gamecocks have played nearly every other football-playing school in the state, including other subdivision schools like Wofford, The Citadel, and Furman.
Current South Carolina athletic director Eric Hyman finally got the game on the schedule as part of an effort to schedule more in-state schools, a move that coach Steve Spurrier favors.
"They asked me, 'Do you want to play South Carolina State?' and I said, 'Sure, why not?' " Spurrier said. "I didn't realize at the time that they'd never played before. I didn't realize it was that big a deal. If I had been here, 10, 12 years ago, I certainly would have wanted to schedule the game.
"I think it's a good game. Instead of bringing Louisiana-Lafayette or one of those teams in, bring South Carolina State, Wofford, and Furman. If they beat us, they beat us."
Pough, who served as the Gamecocks running backs coach from 1999-2001 under former head coach Lou Holtz, said he has been working on scheduling South Carolina since he left USC to take over the South Carolina State program in 2002.
"There was nothing in writing when I left," Pough said. "We had kind of a gentleman's agreement. We'd tried to do it a couple of years ago, but it didn't work out. This was the first season we were able to get it done."
South Carolina State quarterback Cleve McCoy, who played at Baptist Hill High in Hollywood, says the game likely means more to the Bulldogs than the Gamecocks.
"It means a lot," McCoy said. "It might not be important to the players at South Carolina, but it's almost everything to us. We played ball with these guys, we talk to them all the time. We've always said, 'We wish we could play ya'll. Matter of fact, we're going to beat ya'll.' That's just talk, but it's a great opportunity."
The two teams will meet again in 2011, and Pough would like to see the game eventually contested on a semi-regular basis.
"I'd like to see it every other year, something of that nature," Pough said. "But you do what you can at the beginning and as you do, as the relationship develops, you get more of them. What is probably best is that we get South Carolina one year, we get Clemson one year eventually. We've got Georgia Tech down the road. Just kind of mix it in."
But there can be only one first meeting.
The current Bulldogs are excited to be a part of it — with one reservation.
"Well, it will be something to be proud of, but not if we go in there and lose 66-7," McCoy said. "Then I won't want to talk about it."
S.C. State coach downplays schools' first meeting
The historical significance of the first-ever football game against South Carolina isn't lost on South Carolina State's players and coaches, but they say they're a little more focused on the game itself than their place in history.
"It means a lot to our university and to our community, and we feel like we're the standard bearers for that," said South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough. "As far as the game is concerned, it's a game. What we'd like to do is go out and relax and play well. Whether that will happen, who knows? I can tell you that it's not a life-or-death thing for us. We'd like to go out and put on a good show and make a good accounting for ourselves."
Saturday's game, which is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff at South Carolina's Williams-Brice Stadium, may mean more to South Carolina State's alumni. The Bulldogs easily sold their allotment of 4,300 tickets.
As one of the few remaining S.C. State alumni still in the NFL, Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Chartric "Chuck" Darby said he was shocked to learn that the Bulldogs and Gamecocks had never played.
"I always figured they'd played a long time ago," said Darby, who grew up in North, S.C.
"It's a game I wish I could have played in when I was at S.C. State. I know we would have loved to have gone up to Columbia and played them. I grew up a South Carolina fan, it's where I wanted to go, so it means a lot to me that they're finally playing."
Darby said he and Seattle linebacker Lance Laury, a former South Carolina standout have been talking trash to each other all week.
"You've got to take up for your school," Darby said laughing. "I'm not going to let Lance talk to me about my school. We've been giving each other a hard time all week. We've got a little lunch bet on the game. The loser has to take the winner out to lunch."
South Carolina has been playing football for 116 years, while the Bulldogs are celebrating their 100th year of football.
Even though the two schools are approximately 40 miles apart, Saturday's game between the Football Championship Subdivision Bulldogs and the 17th-ranked Gamecocks has been a long time coming.
Since South Carolina State is an historically black school, the segregation practices that gripped the country for the better part of the 20th century explains much about why the two schools have never played.
Over the last 40 years, there has been no real reason why the schools shouldn't have played — other than USC really made no effort to schedule the game.
"This game is long overdue. It's something that should have happened a long time ago if you ask me," Darby said. "Why we had to wait until 2007 to play this game is something I don't understand. This is a game they need to play every year."
The Gamecocks have played nearly every other football-playing school in the state, including other subdivision schools like Wofford, The Citadel, and Furman.
Current South Carolina athletic director Eric Hyman finally got the game on the schedule as part of an effort to schedule more in-state schools, a move that coach Steve Spurrier favors.
"They asked me, 'Do you want to play South Carolina State?' and I said, 'Sure, why not?' " Spurrier said. "I didn't realize at the time that they'd never played before. I didn't realize it was that big a deal. If I had been here, 10, 12 years ago, I certainly would have wanted to schedule the game.
"I think it's a good game. Instead of bringing Louisiana-Lafayette or one of those teams in, bring South Carolina State, Wofford, and Furman. If they beat us, they beat us."
Pough, who served as the Gamecocks running backs coach from 1999-2001 under former head coach Lou Holtz, said he has been working on scheduling South Carolina since he left USC to take over the South Carolina State program in 2002.
"There was nothing in writing when I left," Pough said. "We had kind of a gentleman's agreement. We'd tried to do it a couple of years ago, but it didn't work out. This was the first season we were able to get it done."
South Carolina State quarterback Cleve McCoy, who played at Baptist Hill High in Hollywood, says the game likely means more to the Bulldogs than the Gamecocks.
"It means a lot," McCoy said. "It might not be important to the players at South Carolina, but it's almost everything to us. We played ball with these guys, we talk to them all the time. We've always said, 'We wish we could play ya'll. Matter of fact, we're going to beat ya'll.' That's just talk, but it's a great opportunity."
The two teams will meet again in 2011, and Pough would like to see the game eventually contested on a semi-regular basis.
"I'd like to see it every other year, something of that nature," Pough said. "But you do what you can at the beginning and as you do, as the relationship develops, you get more of them. What is probably best is that we get South Carolina one year, we get Clemson one year eventually. We've got Georgia Tech down the road. Just kind of mix it in."
But there can be only one first meeting.
The current Bulldogs are excited to be a part of it — with one reservation.
"Well, it will be something to be proud of, but not if we go in there and lose 66-7," McCoy said. "Then I won't want to talk about it."
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