S.C. State hopes big change will lead to major success

Brad Nettles
The Post and Courier

S.C. State QB Malcolm Long is a former South Carolina 'Mr. Football.'

ORANGEBURG — In keeping with the dominant theme of the current political season, 2008 figures to be a season of change for the South Carolina State football program.

Change is everywhere, from the playing field to the coaching staff, as Buddy Pough continues to shuffle the cards hoping to come up a big winner in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

"Yeah, there's a good bit of change and we'll see how it all works out," said Pough, who is 47-21 overall and 35-13 in conference play in his six seasons in Orangeburg but has yet to guide the Bulldogs to an outright MEAC title and the automatic NCAA playoff spot that goes with it.

Four new assistant coaches are on board, including Moncks Corner native Maurice Drayton who spent 12 seasons at The Citadel as a player, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. There are new offensive and defensive coordinators.

"I think we finally have a coaching staff that is on the same page with how I want to do things for the first time since my first season. And we have a good bit of experience coming back, but we've moved some guys around to new positions that I think will make us better."

Pough has also come up with a new team motto: Just shut up and play. That is in response to the boastful, talkative nature of past players when it came to making preseason predictions.

"I'm sure a lot of these guys have problems with that, and I'm sure somebody will say we're going to win the Rose Bowl or something like that," said Pough. "But it's time for us to stop talking about what we're going to do, and go out and do it. We want to be all business, pay attention to detail."

On the field, there are three major changes. Former Gaffney star Malcolm Long takes over at quarterback for three-year starter Cleveland McCoy with the hope of infusing life into a dormant passing game. Marshall McFadden, who is coming off a major injury that cost him nine games last season, has been moved to middle linebacker even though he weighs just 195 pounds. Receiver Terrance Smith has been shifted to cornerback.

Long, the prize of the 2006 recruiting class, played in seven games in relief of McCoy as a freshman, and is ready to take command of the offense. At 6-3, 235, the former South Carolina Mr. Football has the kind of arm and passing-game savvy that McCoy lacked.

"The thing I like most about him is he wants to run the show," said Pough. "He wants to call the plays, set the formations and generally take charge of the offense. He wants to be the field general. He doesn't run like Cleve to the outside, but he is almost like a fullback when he runs inside the tackles."

With Long, Pough has a quarterback that potentially can give him the passing game he has lacked.

"We've run the ball pretty good and had a lot of success doing it, but I didn't much like watching us play," he said. "I don't like boring football. We have a chance to open things up, throw the ball down the field more."

McFadden's lack of classic middle linebacker size does not concern Pough at the moment.

"Marshall's just a great football player with a nose for the ball," said the Bulldogs coach. "He doesn't look imposing, because he isn't that big, but he comes up and strikes you. I think he'll be fine (at middle linebacker)."

Smith was moved to fill the most pressing need on defense at cornerback. He was recruited as a defensive back after an outstanding career at Aiken, where he finished as Shrine Bowl cornerback.

The defense is built around linebackers McFadden and Tony White, big-play defensive end Cedric Lloyd and a trio of top safeties — Markee Hamlin, Terrence Allen and Laquinn Ellerbe.