Spring practice officially has a new focus for the South Carolina State football team.

Instead of securing in-state bragging rights in a season-opener against Benedict College, the defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions will now turn their attention toward another old rival and reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference champion and winning the mythical title of top Football Championship Subdivision team in black college football.

As previously reported in Saturday’s T&D, ESPN officially announced on Monday this year’s fifth annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge will pit the Bulldogs against the Tigers. The matchup will take place Sunday, Sept. 6, in Orlando, Fla. at Citrus Bowl Stadium and will air on ESPN2 (Channel 27 on Time Warner Cable).

“It puts a different kind of preparation into the preseason,” S.C. State head football coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough said. “Any time you play a game of this magnitude, you’ve got a chance to get beat and that kind of creates an unsettling kind of feeling. You really want to work hard in the preseason.”

This is the first pairing between the defending HBCU conference champions since 2006 when Grambling lost to Hampton University in overtime 27-26. S.C. State participated in the inaugural MEAC/SWAC Challenge held in Birmingham, Ala., and won 27-14 over Alabama State and current Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback Tarvaris Jackson.

“Having the best team from each conference represented in this year’s MEAC/SWAC Challenge is the icing on the cake for the fifth anniversary of the event,” said Nikki Godfrey, MEAC/SWAC Challenge executive director. “It will truly be a championship atmosphere for the schools, their fans and the Orlando community to enjoy.”

“We consider it an honor to join ESPN once again in saluting these outstanding student-athletes in a game that delivers a bowl experience while upholding the tradition and pageantry of Black College Football,” said Eugene Campbell, vice president of community relations and minority business development, Walt Disney World Co.. “We look forward to celebrating this momentous battle on the gridiron with South Carolina State and Grambling fans alike.”

This year’s matchup was made possible after both teams managed to free themselves from season-opening commitments against other schools. Grambling was able to drop Alcorn State from its schedule, while S.C. State and Benedict reached an agreement to move this year’s game to 2010 in Columbia.

“We have a good working relationship with S.C. State and we want to keep it that way,” said Benedict College Athletics Director Willie Washington, who referred any questions about a buyout to S.C. State and ESPN. “I think it’s a good game for (S.C. State) to play and I just want them to win.”

Benedict has since added West Virginia State to replace S.C. State for the Sept. 5 home opener. The Tigers open the season a week earlier Aug. 29 at Morehouse College.

This also marks the second straight year the Bulldogs will open the season in Orlando. Last year, S.C. State played Football Bowl Subdivision foe Central Florida to a low-scoring 7-0 game through 3-1/2 quarters before falling 17-0.

S.C. State would win 10 of its next 11 games (the lone loss to in-state FBS school Clemson University) to claim its first outright MEAC title in 14 years and first FCS playoff appearance since 1982.

The Bulldogs would lose in the first-round 37-21 to defending three-time FCS champion Appalachian State, who were upended a week later by eventual champion Richmond. In fact, the three opponents who defeated S.C. State last year lost the following week.

As for Grambling, it was a memorable one for second-year head coach Rod Broadway. The Tigers overcame a 1-2 start to win nine straight games in earning their 22nd SWAC title and 14th Black College National Championship, finishing ahead of second-place S.C. State in the final SBN Sports Poll.

The Bulldogs did finish higher than the Tigers in The Sports Network and FCS Coaches season-ending polls. S.C. State ranked 13th in both polls, compared to 24th for Grambling.

“We’re looking forward to competing against South Carolina State in the MEAC-SWAC Challenge,” Grambling coach Rod Broadway said.

“The opportunity to open the year on national television, in a venue as storied as the Citrus Bowl, will be a memory our players and staff will cherish.”

Grambling leads the all-time series with S.C. State 9-5. The last meeting took place at the 1994 Heritage Bowl at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, with coaching legends Willie Jeffries of S.C. State and the late Eddie Robinson of Grambling on the sidelines.

The Bulldogs rallied from 11 points down thanks to two touchdowns rushing and passing from Marvin Marshall, the latter set up by a blocked punt by Kenny Bynum, which was recovered by current Hunter-Kinard-Tyler head coach Jermaine Derricott at the one-yard line, to take a 31-27 victory. Ironically, the 1994 season was the last time up until this past season the Bulldogs had won 10 games and the MEAC regular-season title outright.

“This year’s MEAC-SWAC Challenge should be another great contest featuring two outstanding football programs,” MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas said. “This game is even more intriguing for fans because both defending conference champions are involved.”

“I would like to commend ESPN for continuing to take the lead in providing diverse programming.” SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp

said. “This year’s game is arguably the most exciting in the five-year history of the MEAC/SWAC Challenge. Both Grambling State and South Carolina State had championship seasons in 2008 and this year’s matchup is an outstanding kickoff for the 2009 campaign.”

S.C. State will now have two games in the span of seven games in the Sunshine State. Following the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, the Bulldogs will face MEAC rival Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 12 in Daytona Beach.

Under Pough, the Bulldogs are a perfect 3-0 in games played on a short week and have outscored those three opponents (Norfolk State, Morgan State and Howard) 156-36. All three games were also nationally televised, with the Bulldogs owning a 16-1 mark in such games, the lone loss coming against Appalachian State.

“It’s a TV game,” Pough said. “It’s a nice game. You get to defend your conference (the MEAC leads the series 3-1). More than anything else, it’s an opportunity to start the season on a fast note.”

For more information about the MEAC-SWAC Challenge and for access to its Facebook page, please visit the event’s newly redesigned Web site at www.meacswacchallenge.com.

n T&D Senior Sports Writer Thomas Grant Jr. can be reached by e-mail at tgrant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5547. Discuss this and other stories on-line at TheTandD.com.

 

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