South Carolina State coach respects B-CU

DAYTONA BEACH -- South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough has tried to play down the magnitude of today's 4 p.m. matchup with Bethune-Cookman.

"I think we've got to look at it as a regular-season conference game and let things play out as they will," Pough said of the teams' Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener at Municipal Stadium. "There are good enough teams in the conference that probably neither one of us will get through unscathed."

But B-CU coach Brian Jenkins describes the contest as a heavyweight fight, "like Ali-Frazier."

Neither coach's comments should be taken at face value, however. To Jenkins, all the games are heavyweight fights.

"Every game is a big game," he said. "Our first game (a 63-14 rout of Prairie View A&M on Sunday) was a big game. To us, all our opponents are the same. We prepare for them the same."

That may not be true of S.C. State, however. The Wildcats ended the Bulldogs' 21-game conference winning streak last season with a 14-0 triumph. It was the first time S.C. State had been shut out at home in 32 years.

While the Bulldogs still wound up winning a share of the MEAC title with B-CU and Florida A&M and advanced to the playoffs for the third straight season, Pough knows the quick-striking 'Cats are capable of rolling through the conference unscathed. So he is likely feeling the pressure to pull out a victory today.

"They were very impressive (vs. Prairie View)," Pough said. "They played about as good as I've seen a team play in this league in quite some time. They're hot."

With Maryland transfer Jamarr Robinson taking over at quarterback, the Wildcats (1-0, 0-0 MEAC) amassed 500 yards of offense and jumped out to a 42-0 lead with 5 minutes left in the first half. Defensively, they forced six turnovers and held the Panthers to 262 yards.

"Offensively they give you a lot of different aspects to be concerned about," Pough said. "They throw very, very well and have a great run approach. On defense, they're very aggressive. They put a lot of eyes on the ball."

But Jenkins said the Wildcats have much room for improvement.

"Jamarr has a long way to go," Jenkins said. "And even though the numbers show we're supposed to be this powerhouse, we are a work in progress."

Two days before B-CU rolled to the most lopsided victory in the seven-year history of the MEAC-SWAC Challenge, S.C. State (0-1, 0-0) lost 21-6 to Central Michigan, a Football Bowl Subdivision team.

Taking a page out of B-CU's play book, the Bulldogs have added some spread looks to take advantage of quarterback Derrick Wiley's athleticism. But the Chippewas held the redshirt junior in check (78 yards passing, 8 yards rushing).

S.C. State had more success on defense -- intercepting two passes and holding Central Michigan to 256 yards.

"They're very athletic, very fast, very physical," Jenkins said. "That's South Carolina State. That's what they're known for. We'll have to have our 'A' game just to be able to compete with those guys."

But Pough said the Wildcats might be ahead of his squad at this point in the season.

"We played a lot of young guys (last week)," Pough said. "I'm excited about our freshman class and the help they seem to be giving us right off the bat, but I don't know if we can match up with (B-CU's) kind of aggression right off the bat. Eventually we'll be that kind of football team. Right now we've got our work cut out for us."