S.C. State's MEAC test a showcase

If there are distractions for South Carolina State's football team in playing the Lowcountry Classic in Charleston, Bulldogs coach Buddy Pough isn't aware of them.

"We get on the bus and ride down to Charleston from Orangeburg, stay in a pretty nice hotel, have a nice dinner the night before, get up the next day and go play," Pough said. "It's not a big deal. There are people who have it a lot worse."

Indeed. And helping people who have it a lot worse is the whole point of the event.

Lowcountry Classic III kicks off today at 4 p.m. at Johnson Hagood Stadium with Pough's Bulldogs (1-1), taking on Bethune-Cookman (0-1) in the first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game for both teams.

The weeklong festivities surrounding the game generate money that will help fund scholarships for disadvantaged students at S.C. State.

Meanwhile, Pough gets to showcase his football team in an area where the Bulldogs not only have a strong alumni base but a strong recruiting base.

"Anything we can do to help our student body, to help our university, we're glad to do," Pough said. "You know it's pretty tough times out there right now. So we've got to be proactive and innovative in the ways we market our university and our football program."

Pough hopes his team can avoid tough times today against Bethune-Cookman's Wildcats.

S.C. State opened the season with a 17-0 loss to Central Florida, but followed up with a 42-3 thrashing of Benedict.

"We haven't been consistent enough," Pough said. "We had one game where we didn't do much, pass or run. It was kind of ugly. We were in the rain, but we weren't very good at all. But we're OK. We do some things pretty good. We've got some pretty good parts in place, but they're not all connected."

One part that is functioning just fine is tailback William Ford, selected as the MEAC preseason player of the year. Ford has rushed for 159 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries and caught five passes for 19 yards.

"Ford's a player," Pough said. "He's a tough guy, and for a running back who has had the kind of accolades he has had, he's not a prima donna. We want to try and put it in his hands as many ways as we can."

Pough is also excited about sophomore quarterback Malcolm Long, who has taken the helm of the Bulldogs' offense after serving as Cleve McCoy's understudy last season.

Long has completed 26 of 45 passes (57.8 percent) for 272 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

"Malcolm is coming along," Pough said. "He's a work in progress, but we think he has a chance to be pretty special. At times in practice, he's spectacular. Other times he's not. But he needs work. For all practical purposes, he's almost like a freshman. He only played a little bit last year. Now that he's the full-time guy, we're going through some growing pains."