2018 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team
The 2018 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team represented South Carolina State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by 17th-year head coach Oliver Pough and played their home games at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. They were a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). They finished the season 5–6, 4–3 in MEAC play to finish in a tie for fourth place.
| 2018 South Carolina State Bulldogs football | |
|---|---|
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| Conference | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference |
| Record | 5–6 (4–3 MEAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Daniel Lewis (2nd season) |
| Home stadium | Oliver C. Dawson Stadium (Capacity: 22,000) |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 North Carolina A&T $ | 6 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bethune–Cookman | 5 | – | 2 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida A&M | 5 | – | 2 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina State | 4 | – | 3 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Howard | 4 | – | 3 | 4 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Carolina Central | 3 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Morgan State | 3 | – | 4 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Norfolk State | 2 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Delaware State | 2 | – | 5 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Savannah State | 1 | – | 6 | 2 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason
MEAC preseason poll
In a vote of the MEAC head coaches and sports information directors, the Bulldogs were picked to finish in seventh place.[1]
| Predicted finish | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina A&T |
| 2 | Howard |
| 3 | North Carolina Central |
| 4 | Bethune–Cookman |
| 5 | Florida A&M |
| 6 | Norfolk State |
| 7 | South Carolina State |
| 8 | Savannah State |
| 9 | Morgan State |
| 10 | Delaware State |
Preseason All-MEAC Teams
The Tigers had four players selected to the preseason all-MEAC teams.[2]
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Defense 2nd team Damu Ford – LB 3rd team Kendrick Gathers – DB Alex Brown – DB |
Special teams 3rd team Clifford Benjamin, Jr. – P |
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | 6:00 p.m. | at Georgia Southern* | ESPN+ | L 6–37 | 15,260 | |
| September 8 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 19 (FBS) UCF* | ESPN3 | L 0–38 | 43,269 | |
| September 22 | 6:00 p.m. | Norfolk State* | ESPN3 | L 7–17 | 7,820 | |
| September 27 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 12 North Carolina A&T | ESPNU | L 16–31 | 11,530 | |
| October 6 | 1:00 p.m. | at Morgan State | ESPN3 | W 21–18 | 8,103 | |
| October 13 | 2:00 p.m. | Bethune–Cookman |
| L 26–28 | 12,213 | |
| October 20 | 1:30 p.m. | Delaware State |
| W 30–19 | 14,477 | |
| October 27 | 1:00 p.m. | at Howard | W 27–21 | 7,501 | ||
| November 10 | 4:00 p.m. | at Florida A&M* | W 44–21 | 12,608 | ||
| November 17 | 1:30 p.m. | Savannah State |
| W 21–17 | 7,365 | |
| November 24[lower-alpha 1] | 12:30 p.m. | North Carolina Central |
| L 17–21 | 3,996 | |
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- Source: Schedule
Despite also being members of the MEAC, games against Florida A&M and Norfolk State will be considered non-conference games and will not have an effect on the MEAC standings.[3]
- This game was originally scheduled for September 15, but was moved in anticipation of Hurricane Florence.
Game summaries
At Georgia Southern
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Eagles | 13 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 37 |
At UCF
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Knights | 14 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 38 |
Norfolk State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spartans | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
At North Carolina A&T
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 7 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| No. 12 Aggies | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
At Morgan State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Bears | 11 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 18 |
Bethune–Cookman
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcats | 10 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 28 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 26 |
Delaware State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hornets | 0 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 19 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 7 | 13 | 10 | 30 |
At Howard
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 7 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
| Bison | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
At Florida A&M
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 10 | 14 | 6 | 14 | 44 |
| Rattlers | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
Savannah State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigers | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
North Carolina Central
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
References
- "North Carolina A&T State Picked To Win 2018 MEAC Championship". Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. July 27, 2018.
- "NCAT's Raynard, NCCU's Reynolds Headline 2018 All-MEAC Preseason Football Team". Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. July 25, 2018.
- "SC State Releases 2018 Football Schedule". www.scsuathletics.com. South Carolina State University Athletics. March 3, 2018.
