SCSU stressing special teams skills

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  -- The offense was not the only phase of the game South Carolina State has looked to shore up for the new season.

Entering last season, special teams was considered a team strength with a pair of All-American kick returners in Darius Drummond and Stephen Murphy and the duo of placekicker/punter Nick Belcher and Will Roper providing a seamless transition from school record-holder Blake Erickson.

While Belcher apparently accomplished enough in the eyes of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference observers to earn second-team preseason honors, the Bulldogs’ overall effort on special teams was a factor in the team’s losing record. Subpar performances in losses to Bethune-Cookman and North Carolina A&T exposed the team’s weaknesses on special teams, where it finished in the middle of the pack statistically among conference teams.

Wide receivers coach Steve Bird, who will now coach special ...

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