S.C. State edges Florida A&M 25-21

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  -- Saturday turned into a “special” homecoming at Willie Jeffries Field for the once-again Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference co-leaders South Carolina State.

Before a season-high 20,022 fans at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium, the Bulldogs used two second-half field goals by Nick Belcher, a pair of blocked punts and a fumble recovery late in the fourth quarter by safety Kimario McFadden, one of 15 players recognized on “Seniors Day,” to take a 25-21 victory over Florida A&M.

This was the 10th win in the last 11 meetings over the Rattlers by S.C. State (7-3, 5-1), who fell behind by as many as eight points before rallying for just their ninth win in 44 games when trailing at halftime under Pough. The victory, coupled with Norfolk State’s 27-24 win over Bethune-Cookman later in the day, also moved the Bulldogs back into a first-place tie with the Wildcats with two games remaining.

“It was a tough win for us and I knew Florida A&M would give us a hard time because they had started to play respectable last week,” S.C. State head coach Buddy Pough said. “So I’m forward to seeing how this goes.”

PHOTO GALLERY: Homecoming 2013: S.C. State vs. FAMU


CONTINUE READING