When Chennis Berry was hired as South Carolina State’s new head football coach, several of his key players from Division II Benedict, where they went 22-2 in the previous two seasons, joined him in Orangeburg.
After a stellar showing in a 22-18 loss at HBCU national champion Florida A&M on on Saturday night, Berry believes that any questions about his guys’ talent were answered in full.
“It’s football, man. I told the guys this morning ‘You belong,”’ Berry said during Monday’s MEAC coaches conference. “Our leading rusher [Deondra Duehart], leading tackler [Diego Addison], our quarterback [Eric Phoenix] played well, our receiver [Caden High] our right guard, Big Baby, Roger Smith, our defensive end Jayden Broughton played well. The last time I checked, Cover 2 is Cover 2, Borders is Borders, 2 Read is 2 Read, Inside Zone is Inside Zone, and Power is Power. You have to go out and execute.”
#GoDogs@Kzadams17 with his first touchdown of the season!@SCStateAthletic @SCSTATE1896 @MEACSports @coachberry77 #PayTheFEE#DigDEEP#FearTheBITE
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— South Carolina State Football (@SCState_Fb) September 3, 2024
The Bulldogs executed well for the most part, leading 18-7 in the fourth quarter before the Rattlers rallied in the final minutes to pull out the win. Duehart ran for 74 yards on 10 carries, Phoenix completed 12 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown, while High caught 3 passes for 49 yards. Addison collected six tackles, and Broughton added five, including a quarterback sack, for the SCSU defense.
While it wasn’t the result he or his players wanted, Berry was confident and content with his team’s performance as they head into the program’s annual showdown at the Citadel this coming Saturday. He hopes that the pressure is now off of his transfer guys since they have that first game of FCS experience under their belts.
“I was proud of our guys,” Berry said. “I said to each of them, ‘Are you ok now, man? You’re a Division I football player. That’s why you’re here.’ The guys understand they belong, and most of them did a really good job this week.”
