South Carolina State coach Chennis Berry has done a remarkable job in his first season with the Bulldogs. Berry had the tough task of following legendary head coach Buddy Pough, who retired after 22 seasons at the helm. Pough won eight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles and produced numerous players who went onto the NFL, more recently Javon Hargrave, Shaq Leonard and Cobe Durant.
Success this early for Berry shouldn't be a surprise; he's been outstanding everywhere he's been. From his playing career at Savannah State, to coaching and developing some of the best offensive lines and linemen in HBCU football. He instantly made Benedict winners over his three seasons there, compiling a 27-7 record with two Division II playoff appearances.
Last Thursday night in a national spotlight game vs. ranked North Carolina Central, the Bulldogs not only showed up, but showed out and dominated. QB Eric Phoenix, who was Coach Berry's QB at Benedict, threw for over 300 yards and finished as the leading rusher with 60 yards, including a breathtaking 19-yard scamper on third-and-20 and a fourth-and-short run play to ice the game and kill the comeback attempt by the Eagles.
Berry is looking to continue to build on the foundation built by Pough, and he is off to an impressive start. That has landed them firmly in our Week 11 FCS Top 25 Power Rankings
Get the full rundown of Week 11's top games with Fanatics. On to the rankings ...
| Team | Rank | Record | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Montana State | 9-0 | Eastern Washington proved to be tougher than expected, but thanks to QB Tommy Mellott's 76-yard TD run, the Bobcats were able to pull away late to remain undefeated. | |
| 2. North Dakota State | 9-1 | Winners of nine straight, the Bison are off this weekend and get an early start on Missouri State prep in two weeks. | |
| 3. South Dakota State | 7-2 | Important three-game stretch on deck for the Jackrabbits, starting with North Dakota. With the way they've played the last two games, they're more than ready for the challenge. | |
| 4. South Dakota | 6-2 | Coming off of their bye week, the Coyotes have a huge game now against a surprising Indiana State squad, who is fresh off of an upset of North Dakota. | |
| 5. UC Davis | 8-1 | The Aggies travel to Montana this weekend in a big spotlight game on national television. They're also putting their eight-game winning streak on the line against the Griz. | |
| 6. Southeast Missouri State | 8-1 | It's hard to see where the next potential loss for the Redhawks will come from in the regular season. Expect them to continue to rack up Ws. | |
| 7. Incarnate Word | 7-2 | WR Jalen Walthall is much more than just a viral touchdown celebration sensation. He's the leading receiver for the Cardinals with more than 800 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season. | |
| 8. Central Arkansas | 7-2 | The Wildcats defense has been stout all season long. At what point do we start to worry about their offense as the regular season winds down? | |
| 9. Rhode Island | 8-1 | Big-time statement game coming up this weekend for the Rams as they face FBS-bound Delaware. | |
| 10. Mercer | 8-1 | Ever since their loss to Samford three weeks ago, the Bears' defense hasn't been the same. That needs to get corrected ASAP. | |
| 11. Tarleton State | 7-2 | Poor run defense for the Texans caused the upset last weekend vs. Eastern Kentucky. They're looking to bounce back this week vs. West Georgia | |
| 12. Idaho | 6-3 | Stacking back-to-back wins is a good thing for the Vandals. However, they haven't had a truly dominant performance in two months. Can they get one this weekend on the road at Portland State? | |
| 13. Richmond | 7-2 | QB Camden Coleman went for 230 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-24 win over Towson to keep the Spiders undefeated in conference play. | |
| 14. Montana | 7-2 | Junior Bergen set the Big Sky Conference record with his sixth punt return score in last weekend's win over Cal Poly. The Griz are getting it done in all three phases. | |
| 15. Central Arkansas | 6-3 | A four-interception game from QB Will McElvain helped Utah Tech upset the Bears, which makes this upcoming game against Eastern Kentucky a big one; it could derail any hopes of making the postseason. | |
| 16. South Carolina State | 6-2 | Coach Chennis Berry's debut with the Bulldogs is off to an excellent start. They upset previously ranked North Carolina Central last Thursday night in an impressive fashion. | |
| 17. Chattanooga | 7-2 | The Seawolves needed that close call last week vs. Bryant to help them refocus the rest of the way. Last week also showed the resolve of this year's team. | |
| 18. Abilene Christian | 6-3 | Two other ranked teams teams from the UAC stubbed their toe, so ACU's victory over Southern Utah puts it in the driver's seat within the conference. | |
| 19. William & Mary | 6-3 | Complete domination on both sides of the ball in the Tribe's 45-7 win over North Carolina A&T. | |
| 20. UT Martin | 6-3 | The Skyhawks needed a fourth-down pass breakup in the end zone to knock off Tennessee State, keeping them one game behind Southeast Missouri State in the Big South-OVC Association. | |
| 21. Jackson State | 7-2 | JSU is undefeated in the SWAC and armed with the best offense and defense in the conference as well. Coach T.C. Taylor has things rolling in the state capital. | |
| 22. Illinois State | 6-3 | Big game for the Redbirds this weekend as they go on the road to take on Northern Iowa. | |
| 23. Western Carolina | 5-4 | Thanks to last week's win over Chattanooga, the Catamounts have put themselves in position to snag an at-large bid if they can run the table. With a little bit of help, they could even finish atop the SoCon. | |
| 24. Harvard | 6-2 | Big win over previously undefeated Dartmouth last weekend. The Crimson offense is really tough to defend and gives them a puncher's chance each weekend. | |
| 25. North Carolina Central | 6-2 | The Eagles fought valiantly against South Carolina State but dug themselves too big of a hole early to overcome. The defense has to be much better moving forward. |