ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) — Eric Phoenix fired a 43-yard touchdown pass to Nigel Johnson in the final minute of a seven-touchdown first half and South Carolina State scored its most points since 2011, beating Delaware State 69-35 on Saturday in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener.

Phoenix led South Carolina State (5-2, 1-0), which has won four in a row, to a season high in points by halftime. He needed just 49 seconds following a missed field goal by Delaware State (1-7, 0-1) to find Johnson for the score.

The Hornets used a fumble recovery and a muffed punt by the Bulldogs to help score first-half touchdowns.

Phoenix had a long touchdown pass on South Carolina State’s first possession of the second half and Demetri Simmons completed the scoring for the Bulldogs on a short touchdown run with less than six minutes remaining.

It was the most points scored by the Bulldogs since a 69-0 victory over visiting Delaware State.

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