SC State Bulldogs happy to get a chance

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Preparing for another FCS playoff appearance was something South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough did not envision six weeks ago.

He acknowledged that a 14-0 loss to Bethune-Cookman on Oct. 16 more than snapped the Bulldogs’ MEAC-record 21-game winning streak. Pough referred to it as one of the lowest points in his tenure, and how S.C. State rebounded to win an at-large berth to face Georgia Southern in today’s opening round as one of the highest.

“I had no idea we had a shot,” Pough said. “The fact that we hadn’t had very good luck in getting an at-large berth up until now, and I was so down in the dumps. I felt like I had done a poor job of creating a sense of urgency in preparation for Bethune. They came in and had outplayed us and shut us out.

No secrets for GSU, South Carolina State

STATESBORO - Football Championship Subdivision first-round playoff opponents Georgia Southern and South Carolina State are neighbors without many secrets.

Video technicians for both schools split the 98-mile trek down Route 301 from Statesboro to Orangeburg, S.C., on Sunday to exchange tapes of the teams' four most recent games. Usually, teams download their tapes and send them over the Internet, but it proved easier and faster just to drive the DVDs to a designated spot.

'Mighty Mouse' leading SCSU

David Erby could see it coming. Sitting in his stance, pre-play, the diminutive linebacker (he claims 5-10, 225) sniffed the play out, and on the snap, sprinted toward a Norfolk State receiver. He got there when the ball did, dropping the Spartan with a whack that drew an audible reaction from the home stands at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium not once, but twice, the second time coming when the play was shown on the stadium's video board.  "I love it," Erby said. "You have to give the fans something to watch."

Erby, the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, has given Bulldogs fans plenty to watch this season, recording 92 tackles and 5.5 sacks. A former safety and tailback at Rock Hill High School, Erby doesn't exactly match up physically next to fellow Bulldogs linebackers Marshall McFadden (6-2, 235) and Julius Wilkerson (6-4, 225). But Erby makes up for his non-prototypical size with a "Mighty Mouse" style of play, taking on whatever comes his way.

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