SC State 87-0 Savannah State is the final score that will headline South Carolina State’s record book for years to come. The defending HBCU national champions opened their 2026 campaign Saturday night by demolishing Savannah State in front of 12,000 fans at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium on Willie E. Jeffries Field, and the Bulldogs never let up.
By the time the clock hit zero, SC State had piled up 627 total yards, shredded the Tigers for 423 yards on the ground, and posted the highest scoring output in program history. It’s a statement no other MEAC program will want to hear before conference play even begins.
A Fast Start That Never Slowed Down
SC State jumped out to a 21-0 lead after one quarter and didn’t blink from there. Quarterback Keely Watson opened the scoring with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Malaqhi Jones just under three minutes into the game, then found Mason Pickett-Hicks for a 9-yard score before Ronnie Robinson capped the opening period with a 30-yard touchdown run. Watson finished 8-of-12 passing for 95 yards and three touchdowns, while Robinson added 96 yards through the air on 9-of-11 passing. Between them, SC State completed 18 of 24 attempts and threw zero interceptions.
Then came the second quarter, and the game essentially decided itself. SC State erupted for 31 points, getting touchdowns from Pickett-Hicks, Josh Shaw and Tyler Smith before a late field goal sent the Bulldogs to the locker room up 52-0. Nobody in the building was under any illusion about how the rest of the night would go.
Shaw and the Ground Game Take Over
If the passing game lit the fuse in the first half, the rushing attack finished the job. Four different Bulldogs cleared 70 rushing yards, an absurd level of balance for a single game. Pickett-Hicks led the way with 95 yards and a touchdown on nine carries, averaging better than 10 yards a pop. Shaw was the story of the second half specifically, ripping off touchdown runs of 4 and 10 yards after intermission on his way to three total scores. Ricorian Brown chipped in 75 yards and a touchdown on just seven attempts, and Smith averaged over 14 yards per carry on five totes.
By the fourth quarter, SC State was simply running out the clock on style points. Javion Martin scored on a 10-yard run, Brown broke off a 16-yard touchdown to make it 80-0, and the Bulldogs tacked on one final score with 1:50 left to reach 87.
Defense Made Sure It Stayed a Shutout
None of the offensive numbers happen in a vacuum without the defense doing its part, and SC State’s unit was suffocating all night. Savannah State managed only 75 rushing yards and 42 passing yards, was held to six first downs, and converted just 3 of 15 third-down attempts. The Tigers never sniffed the red zone. On top of that, the Bulldogs forced three fumbles, recovered two of them, and added an interception for good measure. It was, in short, a complete effort on both sides of the ball.
Breaking a Record That Stood for Decades
The 87 points broke SC State’s previous single-game scoring record, which had stood since a 1981 win over Johnson C. Smith under former head coach Bill Davis. More than four decades later, this year’s Bulldogs erased that mark in a single night, and they did it against a fellow HBCU opponent, which only adds to the significance for a program built on that rivalry history. According to ESPN’s recap, the win marked the largest FCS margin of victory since Idaho State beat Lincoln (Calif.) 90-0 during the 2025 season, putting SC State’s night in some rare national company.
It’s also worth noting the shutout came against a Savannah State team that isn’t unaccustomed to playing tough — the Tigers went 4-6 last season and had beaten quality SIAC opponents. That context makes the final margin even more jarring for a program with SC State’s pedigree.
A Statement Start for Berry’s Third Season
The rout gives head coach Chennis Berry a resounding start to his third season leading the program, one that comes on the heels of a Celebration Bowl championship run last year. Berry’s Bulldogs aren’t just trying to defend their MEAC and HBCU national titles; they’re trying to prove last season wasn’t a fluke, and blowing a 2025 SIAC contender off their own field is one way to send that message early. As one AP report on the game noted, the Bulldogs won last season’s HBCU National Championship and enter this year ranked No. 24 in the FCS, giving Saturday’s rout added weight beyond just the scoreboard.
SC State will get a considerably tougher test next Sunday when Florida A&M comes to Orangeburg, but for one night, the Bulldogs made sure everyone around the MEAC took notice. A record-setting 87-0 win to open the season is about as loud a statement as a program can make, and SC State delivered it in every phase of the game.
