S.C. State bringing big dogs to Tech

South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough and his football team have been in this situation before, looked upon as lambs about to be led in for slaughter. The Bulldogs, however, do not look the part.

Georgia Tech’s season-opening opponent may be a Football Championship Series program, but the Bulldogs have a chip on their collective shoulders. Those are big, veteran shoulders.

Senior quarterback Malcolm Long  is 6 feet 1 and weighs 262 pounds. His offensive line goes 310, 330, 280, 290 and 310. Just as importantly, that line includes two fifth-year seniors, a senior and two fourth-year juniors.

The Bulldogs have won 19 straight conference games and back-to-back titles in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, were named black college champions last season and again rest atop that poll. They have big plans for Saturday in Bobby Dodd Stadium.

“A whole lot of our fans go wherever we go,” Long said. “A lot of them were going to be in Atlanta anyway for Labor Day weekend, so we expect a very big group.”

Long is a Bulldog because, he said, “A lot of schools wanted me to play a position other than QB, like tight end or safety. But South Carolina State told me I could play quarterback.” All he did was win MEAC offensive player of the year in 2009 while passing for 2,502 yards and 20 touchdowns as S.C. State went 10-2 with losses at South Carolina and Appalachian State.

The big fella is blessed with blue-collar laborers up front, but is looking for skilled help.

Former running back Will Ford (4,660 career rushing yards) and backup Travil Jamison are gone. Wide receiver Tre Young (134 career receptions) is no longer a Bulldog either, having signed a free agent contract with the Carolina Panthers. Plus, defensive back Phillip Adams was drafted in the seventh round by San Francisco and fellow defensive back Rafael Bush signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Falcons.

“I don’t know if there’s a lot more to know about us,” Pough said. “We had the leading rusher in the history of the conference who’s no longer with us and the leading receiver, so those are some big holes to fill. Malcolm throws the ball pretty well. He’s a prototypical style quarterback of old.

“He doesn’t run great. He’s more of a fullback in the quarterback position than the athletic guy you see more often today ... but he can push the pile a little bit. He can run the ball inside.”

College football is a big deal in Orangeburg, S.C., where S.C. State is located in the middle of the state.

The program has sent up one more player than Tech to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Bulldogs can boast about Los Angeles defensive lineman Deacon Jones, New York Giants linebacker Harry Carson and Cleveland running back-linebacker Marion Motley. (The Yellow Jackets can claim Joe Guyon and Billy Shaw).

Several dozen players have gone from S.C. State to the NFL, including defensive linemen Barney Chavous (Denver Broncos) and Robert Porcher (Detroit Lions), and defensive backs Donnie Shell (Pittsburgh Steelers), Barney Bussey (Cincinnati Bengals) and Dextor Clinkscale (Dallas Cowboys).

Tech coach Paul Johnson has studied up.

“They’re a good team,” he said. “They lost two games last year. At South Carolina -- and they were definitely in the game -- it was like a three-point game at half. And they lost in Boone [N.C., to Appalachian State] in the FCS playoffs. I know enough about going to Boone to know how hard it is to play up there.”

S.C. State trailed just 10-7 at halftime at South Carolina before falling 38-14.

“We learned that we can play with those guys,” Long said, “but we have to play four quarters, not two.”

At Appalachian State, the Bulldogs were attempting a tie-breaking field goal in the fourth quarter only to have a snap go awry. Appalachian State scooped up the ball and returned it a 20-13 win.

Pough is 67-26 entering his ninth season at his alma mater. The Orangeburg native and former South Carolina assistant is concerned that Tech might hold some of the same advantages over his team that the Gamecocks held last season: depth and a head coach with some savvy.

“South Carolina got after us in the second half. Coach [Steve] Spurrier took advantage of some matchups,” Pough said. “I see the same kinds of things with Spurrier with coach Johnson. They might be two of the best adjustment coaches there are. They can see it all and make adjustments so fast.

“If anyone does anything to [Johnson], he can surmise, because he’s done it so long, what must going on. I think he kind of feels what’s going on as much as he sees it. It’s like playing with a great chess champion ... he knows all the possibilities.”

The Bulldogs are experienced on defense, where tackle Leon Smith is the only starter with less than two seasons experience. who is anything less than a third-year collegian. Linebackers David Erby, a fifth-year senior, graduate student Marshall McFadden (a sixth-year student-athlete) and fifth-year senior Julius Williams lead the way.