CHARLESTON (Interstat) — Jared Echols threw three touchdown passes and Charleston Southern rode a fast start and two special-teams scores to a 49-39 victory over South Carolina State on Saturday at Buccaneer Field in a NCAA Football Championship Division game. The Buccaneers improved to 3-3. The Bulldogs dropped to 5-2. Attendance was 334.

Charleston Southern set the tone early. Echols found M. Campfield for a 33-yard touchdown in the first quarter. The Buccaneers then got a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown from H. Watters. South Carolina State answered with Keely Watson’s 7-yard scoring run, but the extra point failed. Charleston Southern added a 1-yard touchdown run by Dwayne Wright. The Bulldogs countered when Mason Pickett-Hicks scored on a 10-yard run. Charleston Southern’s Q. Kindell returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, a momentum swing that helped the Buccaneers maintain control. South Carolina State got a 27-yard field goal from Jett Jackson and later saw Josh Shaw score on runs of 3 yards and 1 yard. Echols connected with Campfield again for a 13-yard touchdown and later hit Maxwell Warren for a 15-yard score. South Carolina State’s Ronnie Robinson threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Martavious Collins in the closing seconds, but the Bulldogs could not complete the comeback.

Echols was the top star for Charleston Southern. The quarterback from Ellenwood, Ga., completed 17 of 29 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns while adding seven runs for 28 yards. His ability to extend plays and find receivers in key moments kept the Buccaneers ahead. Charleston Southern also leaned on a defensive effort that produced several impact tackles. Steve Zayachkowsky recorded 17 tackles. Avery Dixon added 10 tackles and an interception. Tristan Lennon finished with eight tackles and one quarterback hurry, while Brandon McDonald had seven tackles, half a sack and two quarterback hurries. Kason Hooks also made seven tackles. Anthony Paulk contributed three tackles and one quarterback hurry, Champ Brantley had three tackles, and Jamie Williamson added two tackles and one quarterback hurry. Hunter Green caught one pass for 1 yard, and TJ Smith had one reception for 19 yards. The Buccaneers’ pressure up front, led by McDonald and Lennon, disrupted South Carolina State’s rhythm on several late possessions.

South Carolina State’s offense produced plenty of yards in the loss. Ronnie Robinson completed 13 of 38 passes for 279 yards and one touchdown and ran 12 times for 38 yards. Keely Watson completed 8 of 12 passes for 89 yards and one touchdown and ran twice for 11 yards and another score. Malaqhi Jones was the Bulldogs’ leading receiver with six catches for 111 yards. DJ Maultsby had three receptions for 85 yards. Darius Thompson caught two passes for 56 yards. Martavious Collins finished with four receptions for 38 yards and one touchdown. Mason Pickett-Hicks ran 17 times for 38 yards and one touchdown and caught three passes for 49 yards. Josh Shaw ran six times for 8 yards and two touchdowns. Troy Hillman ran twice for 2 yards and caught two passes for 24 yards. Kacy Fields had one reception for 5 yards. Malik Brightwell ran once for 5 yards, returned three kickoffs for 61 yards and made one tackle. Eric Paul Jr. returned one kickoff for 19 yards. Max’Ceon Cobb punted five times for 234 yards.

The Bulldogs’ defense was led by Jordan Franklin, who made seven tackles. Jabin Ford added six tackles, and Jadin Jones had five. Kwantre’ Harry recorded four tackles and one sack. Kenneth Brown Jr. and Marquis Lane-Owens each made four tackles. Roderick Kelly Jr., Jordan Dollard and Tyler Jones each finished with three tackles. Myles Dixon, KB Bonds, Sharmari Reed, Caleb Williams and Zayveon Wells each had two tackles. Xavier Tates, Dominique Johnson, Javon Beckford, Ka Von Chisolm, Jayden Fuller, R.J. Brunson, Joshua Barker, Dominic Reaves and Zanjerry Dunham each made one tackle. The defensive pressure helped South Carolina State stay within striking distance, but Charleston Southern’s early lead and special-teams plays proved too much to overcome.

Charleston Southern’s win came in a game that featured wild swings. The Buccaneers scored 21 points in the first quarter, seven in the second and seven in the third before adding 14 in the fourth. South Carolina State scored 10 in the first quarter, 15 in the second, eight in the third and six in the fourth. The Bulldogs’ late touchdown pass from Robinson to Collins gave them a final chance, but the two-point pass failed. Charleston Southern recovered and ran out the remaining time. The Buccaneers’ defensive stops in the fourth quarter, including Dixon’s interception and the pressure from McDonald and Lennon, helped seal the result. The 21-point opening quarter gave Charleston Southern a cushion it never fully surrendered.

South Carolina State had entered the game with momentum after a strong start to the season. The Bulldogs had wins over Savannah State, Florida A&M, Virginia State, Furman and Bethune-Cookman, with their only loss coming to Citadel. Charleston Southern had alternated results, falling to Gardner-Webb, Georgia Southern and Lindenwood while beating Point University and Citadel in overtime. The Buccaneers’ record moved to 3-3 with the victory, while South Carolina State slipped to 5-2.

Charleston Southern will next travel to Clemson. South Carolina State will host Norfolk State in its next game. Both teams will look to build on the lessons from a high-scoring contest that turned on explosive plays. The Buccaneers’ ability to score on offense and special teams made the difference, while the Bulldogs’ rally showed resilience but fell short.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of South Carolina State 42, Charleston Southern 24. Interstat’s ELO system had projected South Carolina State with a 77.6 percent probability to win. Charleston Southern had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -6.5. The total score of 88 went under the over/under line of 37.5.