S.C. State Opens Up First Day of Preseason Drills

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- South Carolina State conducted its first day of preseason practice Thursday (Aug. 3rd) morning in a two-hour workout session, with approximately over 110 players in attendance at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium/Willie Jeffries Field.

Bulldog head coach Buddy Pough who is entering his 17th season at the helm, was very optimistic and excited about opening drills on day one for his team.

"It's that time of year where I always get the feeling and excitement when players return for fall camp," said Pough. "We have a lot of new faces in players and coaches but you can feel the enthusiasm and high energy from both which makes practices run more smoothly."

Pough stated, "We have about 50 players on roster that are freshman and sophomores and will more likely get a chance to play early on to see if they can help this team. Our new coaches are adapting well but I knew they would most of these guys been around football their entire life."

Pough added five new additions to the coaching staff including offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Bennett Swygert, offensive line coach Na'Shan Goddard, tight ends and fullback coach Corey Jenkins, wide receivers coach Fred Farrier and secondary coach veteran Keith Jones.

When asked about the preseason predictions Pough said, "I don't get involved in preseason predictions never have during my career. I am more concerned about winning one game at a time and the end result after the season."

Six (6) players received All-MEAC Preseason honors, while the Bulldogs were picked to finish 7th in the MEAC conference race.

The Bulldogs will conduct most of its practices in the morning and early afternoon session with the second on Saturday (Aug. 4th ), beginning at 2:30 p.m. in helmets, followed by a morning practice on (Aug. 6th) at 9:30 a.m. in helmets and shells and afternoon on Tuesday (Aug. 7th ) at 2:30 p.m.

SC State will hold its Media/Picture Day on Saturday, Aug. 11, beginning at 9 a.m. The annual "Meet the Players Day/Fan Fest," hosted by The S.T.A.T.E Club, is set for Saturday, Aug. 25th from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. School supplies will be given away by Bulldog coaches and players to the first 120 kids. More details will be available on these events at a later date.

South Carolina State opens the 2018 campaign on the road against Georgia Southern in the season-opener in Statesboro, GA on Sept. 1st. Kickoff is 6 p.m. and will be televised live on ESPN+.

Season tickets and single-game tickets for SC State's five home games are on sale now. Tickets may be purchased at the Ticket Office on campus. For more information on how you can purchase your season tickets visit www.scsuathletics.com or call (803) 536-8579.