College football fans usually get to know their favorite student-athletes strictly based on their jersey number and on-the-field performance.

This weekend, I had the unique opportunity to meet a group of student-athletes based on their individual personalities away from football.

Thanks to South Carolina State head football coach Buddy Pough, I was allowed full-access to live blog and videotape the team for 24 straight hours leading to Saturday afternoon's homecoming game versus Norfolk State.

I was with the team every step of the way, from Friday's journey to nearby Columbia to the after-game celebration Saturday afternoon. No closed doors. I was part of the team. It was an amazing opportunity to see how a Division I football program is run in the hours leading up to kickoff.

I learned a ton from this experience. It was amazing how organized the coaching staff was in every activity throughout the weekend. Everything began exactly on time, and I was impressed with the discipline of the student-athletes. It is evident that the coaching staff has its team well-prepared both on and off the field, which certainly has been a key factor in the team's 4-2 overall record heading into Saturday's game.

The aspect I enjoyed most during the weekend was interacting with the student-athletes. As an HBCU school, the vast majority of the student-athletes don't look like me, although that didn't seem to matter to anyone. I felt completely welcomed at all times, which is a reflection of the coaching staff and the student-athletes.

The best thing about my interactions with the student-athletes was that I had no knowledge of anybody's role on the team. I could have been talking with the star quarterback or the backup punter at any given time. It was cool to be able to intermingle with the student-athletes as people and not as football players.

I greatly appreciate Coach Pough, his staff and the student-athletes for allowing me into their football family for 24 hours. I hope you enjoy the following live blogs and videos from my remarkable experience.

Friday, October 10, 2008

5:00 p.m.
The football team, cheerleaders, band, and fans gather at South Carolina State's stadium for a short pep rally. You get a small taste of what the atmosphere will be like tomorrow afternoon, as the parking lot and grass fields around the stadium begin to fill out with tailgaters.

5:30 p.m.
With the pep rally winding down, the football team heads out of the stadium for the two buses that will take them on the 40-mile trip to the state capital of Columbia. The offense and defensive squads are each on their own bus.

5:35 p.m.
We're on the way out of town. I'm on the defensive team's bus, and everybody seems loose and relaxed. From my first impression, it appears that this is a confident football team.

6:30 p.m.
We arrive at the hotel in Columbia, and immediately go into the ballroom for a buffet dinner. The student-athletes go through the food line by seniority. There's plenty of food for everyone - a salad bar, chicken parmigiana, prime rib, mashed potatoes, broccoli with cheese, chocolate cake and Powerade.

7:15 p.m.
The offensive and defensive units break off into separate ballrooms, and each coach goes through the gameplan. Mike Adams, the defensive coordinator, is thorough - he goes through each of Norfolk State's key offensive student-athletes, formations and plays on video. He also refreshes his squad about each of its own defensive sets.

You might be asking why I decided to go with the defensive team. I was advised by some of the student-athletes that it would an entertaining session. And let me tell you, this session lived up to the hype. It was not only entertaining, but I learned a lot about football strategy. I'm convinced this defensive squad is well prepared to play tomorrow.

8:25 p.m.
Defensive captain Terrance Allen addresses his fellow defense teammates. Allen explains what it means to be a Bulldog and how important this game is for everybody, especially considering the double overtime loss last year at Norfolk State. Allen's speech ends and the defensive team huddles together.

8:35 p.m.
Minister RV Brown, a former South Carolina State football student-athlete, shares some inspirational words with the team.

9:10 p.m.
The captains' video is shown on the television screen. According to many of the student-athletes, this is the highlight of the evening. Video clips from the team's top plays are arranged with background music, and the team sings along. Everybody strives to get their play on the captains' video each week.

9:20 p.m.
The video is over, and the student-athletes are on their own for the next few minutes. Several of the student-athletes go to one of the ballrooms, which has been transformed into a training room.

9:30 p.m.
I'm chatting with some of the student-athletes in the training room, and I can't believe what I'm seeing - about 30 pizzas are being delivered. Seriously, guys? We just ate a feast exactly three hours ago! I'm told that it's two people per pizza. I'll tell you one thing, these guys can sure put away some food.

9:45 p.m.
Most of the student-athletes are heading to their hotel rooms. Time to get a good night rest before a big Homecoming game tomorrow afternoon. We'll chat with you again tomorrow morning.

Here is a video from the evening's activities:

Saturday, October 11, 2008

9:00 a.m.
The team gathers in the hotel ballroom in Columbia, South Carolina. The special teams coach goes through each kicking scenario. The backups for each position stand up one at a time. One of the backups forgets to stand up at one point, and the coaches make the team start over with the exercise.

9:10 a.m.
The offensive and defensive squads break up to talk. I go with the offensive team, which walks outside into the parking lot and walks through various formations and plays.

9:30 a.m.
Coach Pough addresses the team, and his speech leads into breakfast.

9:35 a.m.
The student-athletes go through the breakfast buffet by seniority once again. Just as last night, there's a ton of food - no one will be going hungry. The buffet includes scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, grits, fruit and bread.

9:50 a.m.
Breakfast is winding down. It doesn't seem like some of the student-athletes are eating as much as I would have expected (maybe they are still full from last night). Members of the team begin to leave the ballroom, headed back to their hotel rooms to check out.

10:30 a.m.
The team boards the buses and leaves for the short trip to Orangeburg. One thing I've noticed about this team: everything is done exactly on time. Every student-athlete is punctual to every activity, and you can tell this type of discipline comes from the top.

11:15 a.m.
With police escorts, the buses arrive in Orangeburg. Tens of thousands of people are already gathered in the surrounding parking lots. The student-athletes get excited on the bus as we approach the stadium. Everyone gets off the bus and heads for the locker room to get dressed.

12:20 p.m.
The first South Carolina State football student-athletes take the field for warmups. It's a cloudy day with a steady light sprinkle in the air. The rest of the team and coaching staff come onto the field over the next several minutes.

1:05 p.m.
Warmups are over, and the team heads back for the locker room for last minute preparations.

1:18 p.m.
South Carolina State head coach Buddy Pough addresses his team in the locker room. I'm fired up to go play!

1:25 p.m.
The team rushes out of the locker room and takes the field to the chorus of the energetic SCSU marching band.

1:30 p.m.
And we're underway from Orangeburg!

2:00 p.m.
After an early touchdown by Norfolk State, South Carolina State responds with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Malcolm Long to Oliver Young to tie the game, 7-7.

2:12 p.m.
What a cool atmosphere here in Orangeburg. Despite the poor weather, the stands are mostly full. And both schools' bands are as lively as ever. This is the first HBCU game I've ever been to, and it's definitely living up to the hype.

2:15 p.m.
Early in the second quarter, South Carolina State takes its first lead of the ballgame with a 31-yard field goal by Blake Erickson.

2:22 p.m.
Norfolk State ties it up with a 44-yard field goal by Justin Castellat. It seems like these are two evenly matched teams. The game should be decided in the fourth quarter.

2:48 p.m.
South Carolina State marches down for a touchdown to take a 17-10 lead with 4:35 left in the first half. Norfolk State answers with a late field goal to narrow the halftime gap to 17-13.

2:59 p.m.
The spirits of the South Carolina State student-athletes are upbeat in the locker room. They seem like a confident bunch.

3:08 p.m.
The coaches come into the locker room and the team informally breaks up by position. Coach Pough walks in and addresses the team for a brief speech. I was hoping for a "raw-raw," emotional talk, but he was relatively subdued.

3:17 p.m.
I'm able to catch the very end of the South Carolina State band's halftime performance. The bands are often the biggest attraction at HBCU games, and from the little I just witnessed, they sure didn't disappoint.

3:39 p.m.
Norfolk State comes out of the locker room firing on all cylinders with a quick touchdown to take a 20-17 lead. Then a costly interception in the endzone ends a scoring opportunity for SCSU. Norfolk State drives right back down the field and hits a field goal to open up a 23-17 advantage late in the third quarter. It feels like the game's momentium has completly shifted to Norfolk State.

3:51 p.m.
Big 64-yard touchdown drive by South Carolina State to regain a 24-23 lead. We're heading into the fourth quarter and this is anyone's ballgame - just how it should be.

3:57 p.m.
The rain has stopped, although the clouds still loom over the stadium. Good thing the field is synthetic turf. The grass around the field is muddy from the light rain all day, and would have caused a sloppy game on a grass field.

4:02 p.m.
Norfolk State misses a 45-yard field goal that would have given the Spartans the lead. Norfolk State's kicker had been perfect in his three prior attempts this afternoon. With just under 10 minutes left in the game, this could be a big play in the game.

4:12 p.m.
With under five minutes remaining, a big interception by South Carolina State's Phillip Adams. Time might be running out for Norfolk State.

4:15 p.m.
Huge first down by SCSU. A 13-yard reception from Malcolm Long to Phillip Morris on a third-and-three play. Norfolk State is out of timeouts and is in a lot of trouble.

4:18 p.m.
On a third-and-one play with under a minute remaining in the game, South Carolina State running back William Ford fumbles and Norfolk State recovers near midfield! Ford hasn't made many mistakes today considering he has 189 rushing yards in the game. A sliver of hope for Norfolk State. The SCSU crowd is now really into this game.

4:21 p.m.
One final Hail Mary attempt is intercepted by South Carolina State's Terrance Smith. South Carolina holds on for the hard-fought 24-23 victory.

4:26 p.m.
The SCSU football team gathers in front of the band as it plays what I would assume is the school's alma mater. It's really a nice moment, similar to what Notre Dame does after its home football games.

4:31 p.m.
Back in South Carolina State's locker room, head coach Buddy Pough is proud of his team for staying strong and winning the tough contest. He gives credit to Norfolk State for playing a great football game. The loudest roar occurs when Coach Pough tells the team that it has tomorrow off. Once the team quiets down, he continues by saying there's no practice on Monday either. A well-deserved break for the student-athletes after seven straight weeks of football games.

4:38 p.m.
Coach Pough and some of the student-athletes address the media. Coach Pough mentions how fortunate his team was to win the game, especially considering it had four turnovers (which will be a point of emphasis in the upcoming weeks, according to Coach Pough). The team is sitting pretty right now going into its bye week with a 3-0 MEAC record.

4:52 p.m.
After chatting with a few of the student-athletes and coaches, I'm leaving the locker room. It was an awesome afternoon of football, and even a better experience hanging out with the South Carolina State football team over the last 24 hours.