S.C. STATE FOOTBALL: The 2017 defensive line is a strength

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- Defense has been synonymous with South Carolina State football through the years.

It takes only a quick examination of the All-Conference teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), which the Bulldogs joined in 1970, as well as the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) – a league S.C. State participated in earlier – to bear this fact out.

Bulldogs have earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in the MEAC the past four years and the 2017 preseason pick for the accolade is, yes, from S.C. State (OLB Darius Leonard, the 2016 winner).

Overall, Bulldog players have been named DPOTY in the MEAC 14 times. Two of them – Harry Carson, 1974 & 1975) and Javon Hargrave (2014 & 2015) – have received the accolade in consecutive seasons.

The Bulldog defense is expected to play a significant role in the team’s success during the 2017 season.

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