Well, when I invoked the spirit of Rocky IV in my Cricket Celebration Bowl preview last week, who knew that head coach Buddy Pough and the South Carolina State Bulldogs would pull off their best Italian Stallion impersonation in their 31-10 win over No. 14 Jackson State?
Entering the game as 10-point favorites, no one expected not only for the Tigers to lose but for South Carolina State to win in such a lopsided fashion.
For years, analysts have eluded that the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference plays more of a physical style of football in contrast to the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Because of it, the MEAC now holds a 5-1 edge over the SWAC in the bowl game.
While discussing the game’s outcome, JSU head coach Deion Sanders said, “South Carolina State kicked our butts. In every way, in every fashion, they out-physicaled [sic] us. They out-threw us. [They were] much more disciplined than us. And I feel that we were overconfident and overlooked them as if they were going to just hand them the game.”
And the Bulldogs knew they had to play with more aggression. SC State wide receiver and Celebration Bowl Offensive MVP Shaq Davis would go on to say “I just had to play more physical,” when asked about matching up against the Jackson State defense.
What could’ve been the inspiration for their style of play on Saturday? Maybe it was the fact that they felt disrespected coming into Saturday’s contest.
“At first, [Coach Sanders] said that we wouldn’t score 21 points offensively,” said SC State quarterback Corey Fields, Jr. “We just had to come out, play our game and prove them wrong.”
“We had a lot of free time to go around Atlanta,” SC State defensive back Decobie Durant added. “I was in a mall and people would ask ‘Y’all are the team Jackson State is playing?,’ as if they never heard of South Carolina State.”
“Well, we already knew that we were the underdogs,” continued Durant, the game’s Defensive MVP. “That was something big on us, especially the guys in the secondary.”
Along with the physical play, there would be notable moments in Saturday’s game, just like previous Celebration Bowls.
Jackson State would face its largest point differential enter the fourth quarter this season (14), Davis would set a new game record with three receiving touchdowns, and SC State would win by the largest point margin in the game’s history, 21. Yes, that is also the number Sanders wore for the majority of his pro career. The irony.
Yes, I predicted that Jackson State would win the game, making my picks record for the season 81-51, but I did highlight a few things that SC State should do if they were to secure the upset. Most of which happened.
Here are my keys to how the Bulldogs were able to shock the world in Atlanta.
“To stay competitive, SC State will have to force turnovers.”
In the four games this season where Jackson State lost the turnover battle, three were extremely competitive with a point differential of -1. Well, SC State won the turnover battle 3-to-2. All three of the Tigers’ miscues would lead to 21 Bulldog points.
“Don’t kick the ball to All-SWAC selection Isaiah Bolden.”
JSU entered the game ranked in the top five nationally in punt returns, averaging 14.75 yards per game. That stat changed thanks to SC State punter Dyson Roberts.
Roberts averaged 49.0 yards per punt, including two punts that were downed inside JSU’s 20, leading to Tiger punt returners Warren Newman and Isaiah Bolden compiling 39 yards on four returns. 21 of those yards came on a Newman return in the second quarter that appeared as if it was going to be returned for a lot of yards until he was tackled by, you guessed it, Dyson Roberts.
“SC State should be able to sustain Jackson State’s aerial attack by not giving up a ton of chunk yardage.”
The Bulldogs’ defense held JSU to 194 total yards, their lowest output of the season. 101 of those yards came from what is considered to be “big plays” – a passing play that resulted in a gain of 15+ yards or a rushing play that developed 10+ yards – none of which led to a score. The Tigers were held to 19 total rush yards on 29 carries, 18 of which came on a Marshall Santee carry halfway in through the first quarter.
“Hopefully this game doesn’t come down to a field goal or extra point.”
On their first possession in the game’s second stanza, thanks to Fields’ lone interception, the Tigers would start this drive on the SCSU 48-yard line two minutes and twenty seconds into the quarter. Six plays later, it’s fourth-and-1 on SCSU’s 15 and Coach Sanders has a decision to make. Attempt the field goal and potentially go up 10-0 or go for it, get a fresh set of downs and potentially score a touchdown, putting SC State in a 14-point hole. JSU chose the latter.
Yes, we know what hindsight is but if you have confidence in your kicker, you probably attempt a field goal. Remember that stat about JSU kickers being a combined 3-for-11 this season on field-goal attempts? Well, Coach Sanders did.
Buddy Pough Gambles, and wins BIG!
SC State has the ball on JSU’s 28 early in the third quarter with 10:03 remaining. It’s fourth down with 19 yards needed to convert the first down. Pough could attempt the 43-yard field goal but he elects to go for it instead. Barring a catastrophic event, the Tigers would get the ball on downs in their territory if the Bulldogs failed to convert the first down.
Well, Fields would complete a 20-yard pass to SC State wide receiver Will Vereen, giving the Bulldogs a fresh set of downs. Two plays later, Fields would complete a 15-yard pass to wide receiver Richard Bailey, extending SC State’s lead to 24-7. The 17-point advantage would become JSU’s largest point deficit of the season, becoming the play that would subsequently seal the victory for the Bulldogs.
