3-GAME GRIND ENDS: Pough says team played hard, will be ready for MEAC

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

CLEMSON, South Carolina – South Carolina State head football coach Buddy Pough was aware Clemson, despite a 2-0 start and a No. 5 national ranking, had not reached its stride, especially on offense.

The Bulldog mentor and S.C. State graduate was hoping Dabo Swinney’s Tigers would have another un-Tiger-like outing against his team on Saturday. That was not to be.

Clemson quickly shook off what was ailing it, scoring a school-record 31 first-quarter points on its way to a 45-0 halftime lead and an eventual 59-0 triumph over Pough’s team.

“We knew what could happen when you are facing one of the top teams in the nation,” Pough said. “But we were hoping it would not. They had not been playing well and I thought maybe they would struggle a bit for one more week. But you knew it was just a matter of time (before) they would get untracked and start executing well.

“Things didn’t go well for us from the start and we certainly would have liked to have played better. But I appreciate our players battling hard right to the end,” Pough said.

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