South Carolina State football entered Saturday’s in-state showdown with Furman carrying the title of defending HBCU national champion.
The Bulldogs left Greenville looking like a team prepared to defend it.
No. 18 South Carolina State jumped out to a two-touchdown lead, survived a furious fourth-quarter rally and leaned on its defense to secure a 20-17 road win at Paladin Stadium. The victory moved the Bulldogs to 4-0 and gave one of HBCU football’s hottest programs another significant result against the wider FCS field.
It was also SC State’s first victory at Furman since the series began with a 21-0 Bulldogs win in the 1982 NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.
Forty-four years later, South Carolina State returned as a nationally ranked program and reigning Celebration Bowl champion. Furman also carried Top 25 recognition in the FCS coaches poll, turning the renewal of an 11-year dormant series into a measuring-stick game for both programs.
SC State did not dominate the way it had during the first three weeks. It did something more revealing.
It won when the game got tight.
SC State strikes first—and immediately
The Bulldogs needed only one offensive snap to take control.
Quarterback Keely Watson connected with DJ Maultsby for a 65-yard touchdown just nine seconds into the game. On SC State’s next possession, the Bulldogs moved 80 yards in 12 plays before Josh Shaw scored from nine yards out.
The opening quarter ended with South Carolina State ahead 14-0 and a crowd of 9,217 staring at the possibility of another runaway Bulldogs performance.
That had become familiar in 2026.
SC State entered the game having outscored Savannah State, Florida A&M and Virginia State by a combined 184-13. The Bulldogs had generated 1,635 yards of offense while allowing only 392. They had scored 153 unanswered points in shutout wins over Savannah State and Virginia State alone.
Furman, however, made the Bulldogs earn everything after the opening burst.
Nathan Chapman put the Paladins on the board with a 27-yard field goal in the second quarter. Jett Jackson answered from 42 yards, sending SC State into halftime with a 17-3 lead.
The second half became a test of patience. Furman added field goals from 49 and 44 yards, cutting the lead to 17-9 early in the fourth quarter while keeping the Bulldogs’ offense out of the end zone.
South Carolina State responded with the kind of possession championship teams need on the road. The Bulldogs drove 45 yards in eight plays, drained 4:23 from the clock and received a 28-yard field goal from Jackson to stretch the margin to 20-9 with 3:03 remaining.
Those three points proved decisive.
An HBCU defense closes the door
Furman needed only 16 seconds to make the game uncomfortable again.
Connor Ackerley hit Luke Shields for a 67-yard touchdown, then connected with Daniel Haughton on the two-point conversion. A comfortable two-score advantage had suddenly become a 20-17 game with 2:47 left.
After an SC State punt, Furman regained possession at its own 28 with 2:20 remaining and an opportunity to tie or win the game.
The Bulldogs’ defense never let the Paladins cross their own 36.
Furman gained eight yards before turning the ball over on downs, allowing South Carolina State to take a knee and finish its fourth consecutive victory.
That final stand completed a defensive performance that traveled well beyond the scoreboard. SC State held Furman to 53 rushing yards on 34 attempts—just 1.6 yards per carry—and limited the Paladins to three conversions on 17 third downs.
The Bulldogs produced nine tackles for loss and three sacks. Jordan Dollard, Ka’Von Chisolm and Jayden Fuller each reached the quarterback, while Mike Evans forced a fumble recovered by Tyler Jones. Marquis Lane-Owens led SC State with seven tackles, followed by Jadin Jones and Jabin Ford with six apiece.
Furman’s 67-yard touchdown made the final score close. The other 58 offensive plays produced 212 yards.
That is how South Carolina State won the game.
Chennis Berry’s HBCU powerhouse keeps climbing
Watson completed 12 of 25 passes for 186 yards and the opening touchdown. Maultsby supplied the game’s biggest explosive plays, catching four passes for 118 yards. Shaw led the ground game with 55 yards and a score on nine carries, while Mason Pickett-Hicks added 52 yards on 15 attempts.
SC State finished with 332 yards of offense and controlled possession for 31:57. Jackson converted both of his field-goal attempts and both extra points, while MaxCeon Cobb averaged 44.4 yards across seven punts.
Those numbers were far removed from the 61.3 points and 545 yards per game the Bulldogs averaged through their first three contests. Against Furman, the explosiveness appeared only in flashes.
The defense, special teams and late-game composure filled the gap.
That balance has become a defining feature of the program under Chennis Berry.
Berry inherited South Carolina State from Buddy Pough in December 2023 and immediately extended the standard established by the winningest coach in school history. His first team went 9-3, won the MEAC and finished the regular season on an eight-game winning streak.
His second went 10-3, repeated as conference champion and defeated Prairie View A&M 40-38 in four overtimes to win the 2025 Celebration Bowl and HBCU national championship.
Looking Ahead
Saturday’s win moved Berry to 23-6 at SC State. He remains 10-0 in MEAC competition with two conference championships, two MEAC Coach of the Year awards and a national title in less than three full seasons.
The Bulldogs have built that run around Berry’s mandate to “go 1-0 every day.” In Greenville, that process mattered more than style points.
SC State was ranked No. 18 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 entering the weekend and No. 16 in the coaches poll. The Bulldogs now own a 4-0 record, a road victory over an in-state FCS opponent with its own Top 25 standing and another piece of evidence that their success is not confined to HBCU competition.
The history added weight. Furman still leads the all-time series 12-6 and owns an 8-2 advantage at Paladin Stadium, but South Carolina State has now won in Greenville twice. The first came in the postseason in 1982. The second came Saturday with the Bulldogs defending their place among the best teams in the subdivision.
SC State will travel to Bethune-Cookman next Saturday before turning its attention toward another MEAC championship chase.
The national champions remain unbeaten. More importantly, when their first real fourth-quarter test arrived, they looked comfortable carrying the title.
