2021 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team

2021 South Carolina State Bulldogs football
2021 South Carolina State Bulldogs football
Black college national champion; MEAC champion; Celebration Bowl champion
Celebration Bowl, W 31–10 vs. Jackson State
Conference	Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Record	7–5 (5–0 MEAC)
Head coach	Oliver Pough (20th season);
Offensive coordinator	Bennett Swygert (5th season)
Defensive coordinator	Jonathan Saxon (3rd as DC, 7th overall season)
Home stadium	Oliver C. Dawson Stadium
	Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

2021 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
South Carolina State $	5	–	0	7	–	5
North Carolina Central	4	–	1	6	–	5
Delaware State	2	–	3	5	–	6
Norfolk State	2	–	3	6	–	5
Howard	1	–	4	3	–	8
Morgan State	1	–	4	2	–	9

$ – Conference champion

The 2021 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team represented South Carolina State University as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bulldogs, led by 20th-year head coach Oliver Pough, played their home games at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.

On November 13, the Bulldogs clinched a berth in the Celebration Bowl;^[1] the team completed their season with a 7–5 record and a 5–0 record in conference play. The Bulldogs upset the SWAC champions No. 15 Jackson State 31–10 in the Celebration Bowl, their first postseason win since the December 1994 Heritage Bowl.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	6:00 p.m.	at Alabama A&M*	Louis Crews Stadium Normal, AL	YouTube	L 41–42	11,500
September 11	5:00 p.m.	at No. 6 (FBS) Clemson*	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	ACCN	L 3–49	78,609
September 18	8:00 p.m.	at New Mexico State*	Aggie Memorial Stadium Las Cruces, NM		L 35–43	11,823
October 2	1:30 p.m.	Bethune–Cookman*	Oliver C. Dawson Stadium Orangeburg, SC	ESPN+	W 42–35	6,153
October 9	6:00 p.m.	at Florida A&M*	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	Facebook	L 7–30	14,892
October 16	1:30 p.m.	Morgan State	Oliver C. Dawson Stadium Orangeburg, SC	ESPN3	W 37–14	11,000
October 23	2:00 p.m.	at Delaware State	Alumni Stadium Dover, DE	ESPN3	W 13–7	3,227
October 30	2:00 p.m.	at North Carolina Central	O'Kelly–Riddick Stadium Durham, NC	ESPN+	W 27–24	6,828
November 6	2:00 p.m.	Howard	Oliver C. Dawson Stadium Orangeburg, SC	ESPN+	W 15–12	6,500
November 13	1:30 p.m.	North Carolina A&T*	Oliver C. Dawson Stadium Orangeburg, SC (Rivalry)	ESPN+	L 17–27	9,169
November 20	2:00 p.m.	at Norfolk State	William "Dick" Price Stadium Norfolk, VA	ESPN3	W 31–21	3,021
December 18	12:00 p.m.	vs. No. 15 Jackson State	Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA (Celebration Bowl)	ABC	W 31–10	48,653
*Non-conference game Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time